MikeKopman
New member
Since our letter in Any Questions in the XXX issue, we have been sent a number of other solutions. I never realised there was so much interest in this topic! Anyway, you might be interested in the following.
Mike
Dear YM,
Re your readers question in February 2003 in connection with smelly deck shoes. Instead of getting seriously cold feet why not try "MYCIL" powder. Originally formulated to cure athlete's foot I have found it invaluable to keep trainers and deck shoes smelling sweetly. Available at any chemist, sprinkle a little Mycil in your shoes occasionally and you need never again worry about foot odour. This cure has the benefit of outlasting the life of the shoe!
Regards
Andy Holt
andyholt@firn.co.uk
Dear YM,
I have another solution to proffer to the smelly footwear issue aired in February's edition. Believing that the problem was bacteriological I tried baby bottle sterilising solution to cure the problem in wellies. A table spoon of powder in each boot, fill with water & leave for an hour or two, rinse & dry - hay presto - no smell!
Regards
David Dawson
daviddawson@cix.co.uk
Dear YM,
Your article under "Any Questions" February 2003 on the above topic refers.
The smell is undoubtedly caused by breakdown of human skin products (scales in particular and secretions) which have rubbed off onto the leather of the shoes (in the absence of socks) aided by skin bacteria and moist warm conditions. Human epidermis is rich in sulphydryl compounds, and these sulphur compounds are particularly adept at making smelly byproducts under bacterial action. Impervious shoe materials like rubber and plastics will enhance this process as will excessive sweating (which some people suffer from) but genuine leather which can breathe slows the process down a bit. The cure is to wear shoes with clean socks, which are washed frequently. The same smelly process will occur in socks if you don't wash them! Anti-bacterial treatments of socks or shoes will slightly delay but not prevent the process. Freezing is more likely to preserve bacteria than kill them. Unfortunately (?) skin bacteria and skin scales will always be with us but attention to keeping feet, socks and shoes clean and dry will help. Usually it is easier and more effective to wash socks (and feet) than shoes, but it is your choice.
Anthony Keen
(Retired medical microbiologist)
gakeen@telkomsa.net
Dear YM,
In your January answer to the Any Questions topic of smelly shoes, you suggested laundry powder and the freezer as possible solutions. If I can offer some assistance: Nigel Musto is correct in that the freezing will destroy some of the bacteria. Unfortunately it cannot remove the soiling that will quickly attract more bacteria - so the problem returns. Washing powder has quite a high pH, so this will also kill some of the bacteria and also remove some of the soiling - but not sufficient of either, and it can damage the leather. The answer is a biological cleaning product, used in nursing homes and hospitals, to remove body fluids and other spillages from upholstery and carpets. The product, Micro Clean, is diluted with water and applied to the soiled area. The bacteria in Micro Clean eat the soiling (the "food") which bacteria thrive on and having exhausted it - die. As the item is clean there is no support for other bacteria so there is no more smell. To clean shoes we have found that immersing them in a solution for an hour or two and then letting them dry naturally, is all that is required. We have used this product with great success on wine spilt on carpets, milk spilt in the car, urine, vomit and smelly trainers. Micro Clean is available from most of the janitorial supply outlets in the country - including Greenham Trading and could be purchased for re-sale by interested chandlers and sports outlets directly from Bio-Productions in Burgess Hill.
Regards, Mike James, Bio-Productions Ltd. 01444 244000
mike@bio-productions.co.uk
Dear YM,
The answer to 'smelly' deck shoes that is needed is something that is effective, practical and economical. None of the solutions offered to date in the YM fit these criteria. This answer was given to me by the manager of a high class gentlemen's shoe shop years ago. A gentleman's gentleman would use this recipe nightly on his master's shoes, as well as cleaning them and keeping them well 'treed.' A bottle of household ammonia is still available in the UK at most good hardware stores. Best done in the cockpit, and wearing rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin, make a 10% solution in a suitable small bowl or basin. Then, with a muslin or other plain cloth immersed in the diluted ammonia and then wrung out, wipe the insides of the shoes thoroughly and leave to dry over night.
Effective; yes, certainly. Practical; yes, and cheap too. My worst sin last summer was to forget to take some with me when cruising to Holland, and of necessity, we spent many hours trying to find some ammonia solution. In Middelberg we managed to find in a little cobbler's shop in a side street, an aerosol of a deodorising spray for shoes. I would say it was the next best thing. A bottle of ammonia solution should be an essential on the cruising inventory of every (gentleman's) yacht!
Yours sincerely
Richard Prett
Brightsfield@aol.com
Mike
Dear YM,
Re your readers question in February 2003 in connection with smelly deck shoes. Instead of getting seriously cold feet why not try "MYCIL" powder. Originally formulated to cure athlete's foot I have found it invaluable to keep trainers and deck shoes smelling sweetly. Available at any chemist, sprinkle a little Mycil in your shoes occasionally and you need never again worry about foot odour. This cure has the benefit of outlasting the life of the shoe!
Regards
Andy Holt
andyholt@firn.co.uk
Dear YM,
I have another solution to proffer to the smelly footwear issue aired in February's edition. Believing that the problem was bacteriological I tried baby bottle sterilising solution to cure the problem in wellies. A table spoon of powder in each boot, fill with water & leave for an hour or two, rinse & dry - hay presto - no smell!
Regards
David Dawson
daviddawson@cix.co.uk
Dear YM,
Your article under "Any Questions" February 2003 on the above topic refers.
The smell is undoubtedly caused by breakdown of human skin products (scales in particular and secretions) which have rubbed off onto the leather of the shoes (in the absence of socks) aided by skin bacteria and moist warm conditions. Human epidermis is rich in sulphydryl compounds, and these sulphur compounds are particularly adept at making smelly byproducts under bacterial action. Impervious shoe materials like rubber and plastics will enhance this process as will excessive sweating (which some people suffer from) but genuine leather which can breathe slows the process down a bit. The cure is to wear shoes with clean socks, which are washed frequently. The same smelly process will occur in socks if you don't wash them! Anti-bacterial treatments of socks or shoes will slightly delay but not prevent the process. Freezing is more likely to preserve bacteria than kill them. Unfortunately (?) skin bacteria and skin scales will always be with us but attention to keeping feet, socks and shoes clean and dry will help. Usually it is easier and more effective to wash socks (and feet) than shoes, but it is your choice.
Anthony Keen
(Retired medical microbiologist)
gakeen@telkomsa.net
Dear YM,
In your January answer to the Any Questions topic of smelly shoes, you suggested laundry powder and the freezer as possible solutions. If I can offer some assistance: Nigel Musto is correct in that the freezing will destroy some of the bacteria. Unfortunately it cannot remove the soiling that will quickly attract more bacteria - so the problem returns. Washing powder has quite a high pH, so this will also kill some of the bacteria and also remove some of the soiling - but not sufficient of either, and it can damage the leather. The answer is a biological cleaning product, used in nursing homes and hospitals, to remove body fluids and other spillages from upholstery and carpets. The product, Micro Clean, is diluted with water and applied to the soiled area. The bacteria in Micro Clean eat the soiling (the "food") which bacteria thrive on and having exhausted it - die. As the item is clean there is no support for other bacteria so there is no more smell. To clean shoes we have found that immersing them in a solution for an hour or two and then letting them dry naturally, is all that is required. We have used this product with great success on wine spilt on carpets, milk spilt in the car, urine, vomit and smelly trainers. Micro Clean is available from most of the janitorial supply outlets in the country - including Greenham Trading and could be purchased for re-sale by interested chandlers and sports outlets directly from Bio-Productions in Burgess Hill.
Regards, Mike James, Bio-Productions Ltd. 01444 244000
mike@bio-productions.co.uk
Dear YM,
The answer to 'smelly' deck shoes that is needed is something that is effective, practical and economical. None of the solutions offered to date in the YM fit these criteria. This answer was given to me by the manager of a high class gentlemen's shoe shop years ago. A gentleman's gentleman would use this recipe nightly on his master's shoes, as well as cleaning them and keeping them well 'treed.' A bottle of household ammonia is still available in the UK at most good hardware stores. Best done in the cockpit, and wearing rubber gloves if you have sensitive skin, make a 10% solution in a suitable small bowl or basin. Then, with a muslin or other plain cloth immersed in the diluted ammonia and then wrung out, wipe the insides of the shoes thoroughly and leave to dry over night.
Effective; yes, certainly. Practical; yes, and cheap too. My worst sin last summer was to forget to take some with me when cruising to Holland, and of necessity, we spent many hours trying to find some ammonia solution. In Middelberg we managed to find in a little cobbler's shop in a side street, an aerosol of a deodorising spray for shoes. I would say it was the next best thing. A bottle of ammonia solution should be an essential on the cruising inventory of every (gentleman's) yacht!
Yours sincerely
Richard Prett
Brightsfield@aol.com
