UKH

At present there are 9 pairs of soaking wet shoes around our house . Three pairs of mtb shoes , one pair of approach shoes , four pairs of fell shoes , one pair of rock boots . All are up turned on cold radiators , not drying out . At present we don’t have a Wood   burner otherwise I would have lit last night for the sole purpose of drying them . I m very tempted to turn the heating on but that’s just wrong . It s drizzling outside . This aft / evening I’ll use my last pair of dry trainers to go for a short fell run . Kids 2 and 3 will put wet shoes on shortly to go biking . ( no real drama but vaguely unpleasant . In the old days I wood have stuffed them all with newspaper but it’s a long  time since I bought one. Any clever ideas other than suggestions g the kids were a bit normal and laid in bed all day looking at stupid videos  ?

In reply to mike123:

1. change elect supplier to octopus. 2 set kids to work with a hairdryer ?

In reply to mike123:

Buy a shoes dryer

In reply to wbo2:

Buy a newspaper.

In reply to mike123:

You can stuff them with towels instead of newspaper. Works just as well. One small towel will do a pair (half in one, half in the other)

In reply to mchardski:

Child 3 is presently doing that whilst I watch the meter spin and a picture another tree being felled in the Amazon to the alter of his largely white middle class hobby 

In reply to mike123: just got two Sunday papers plus supplements from one of our neighbours . Who knew chickpeas could be so interesting ? And doesn’t Megan look fat in that dress ?

In reply to mike123:

I find airflow is more important than heat for drying my hill running shoes. Normally give them a good scrub and then stick them in the washing machine on a quick wash, but with a high speed spin to help get most of the moisture out. Then chuck them on the radiator, or outside in the breeze, or if I'm in a hurry I'll blast them with the hair dryer! Goes against all the recommended care instructions, but doesn't seem to reduce their longevity - in fact the opposite. Mostly Inov-8 and TNF shoes and soles always wear down before uppers fall apart.

In reply to mike123:

We have an electric shoe dryer that I bought of eBay or amazon or somewhere, mine is a portable plug in, but there are loads on the net. Really pleased with mine.
 

In reply to mike123:

Direct heat is usually a bad idea. If theres even a slight breeze then hang them up outside but under cover?

Alternatively, cornflower is good for absorbing moisture and can be got cheaply from supermarkets. Putting some in a cup with the open part of the upside-down shoe over the mouth of the cup, might work.

Or those silica gel capsules that come with electrical items. Assuming you haven't eaten them. Which would be unwise.

In reply to Andypeak:

It's amazing how often low tech solutions are often still the best.

In reply to mike123:

Nip into any Victorian-era public building, maybe the council offices, where the heating will be on full blast. Pop them on the radiator.

In reply to mike123:

Green house / potting shed works well for us at this time of year 

In reply to mike123:

I am in the same boat as you with my wet trail shoes but the issue isn't just the wetness it's the smell! Go for a run around Snowdon, the puddles and the streams don't smell like horrible damp mouldy shoes so why do the shoes and socks smell like horrible wet mouldy shoes afterwards! 😂

I completely washed my shoes in some laundry liquid in the sink but I don't think the smell has fully gone away. After leaving them on the cold radiator for a day or 2 I put them in the tumble dryer for 10 minutes and that dried them. I have daren't not smelled them since.

In reply to mike123:

We haven't bought a newspaper for years, either.

Unfortunately, we have 2 sets of aging parents who insist on reading the Daily Fail - at least we have a steady supply for lining the rabbit hutch!

Failing that, just pop into your local Waitrose and grab a few copies of their free newspaper.

In reply to mike123:

Get a ski boot drier 

In reply to wbo2:

I have a MaxxDry Heavy Duty dryer. They are a bit pricey these days, but effective, and can do 2 pairs at a time. 

In reply to elliot.baker:

Same with some running tops and some base layers as well as trainers. Once they smell no amount of washing will help, they regain the smell almost immediately after wearing again.

The answer is to soak them in a mop bucket with some laundry steriliser. I use Tesco own brand "laundry cleanser". I follow the instructions but a little bit stronger and soak twice as long (as the minimum 15 minutes). Then fish them out of the bucket and chuck in washing machine as already discussed. Wear gloves. It works!

In reply to mike123:

Get some Febreze! It must be rank in there

In reply to elliot.baker:

On a sunny day (if we're lucky enough to get one!) I put shoes that are wet or not (e.g. climbing shoes) on the shed roof at the foot of the garden and leave them there for the day.
Sunshine (UV) + a fresh air never fails to dry out shoes, but it also is very effective at removing odours.

In reply to mike123:

Do you not have a porch or over covered area, where you can put them in the fresh air, but under cover? Or hang them on a clothes dryer/ coat hanger so they are at least getting some circulation/ leave them by an open window/ door?

In reply to mike123:

I prop mine up and point a little USB desk fan into them. Still takes a while but gets them dry. Not sure how much electric I'm using but but it must only be a few watts. Doesn't need heat, just forced ventilation. Some proper boot dryers would probably be more effective.

In reply to mike123:

Online delivery packaging is a useful source of newspaper substitute. Just needs a bit of scrunching up for maximum effectiveness.

In reply to mike123:

I also have a boot drier - cost £13 secondhand on ebay and its absolutely brilliant for drying wet walking boots etc. 

Or how about a demudifier? I bought quite a large one for £150 for a friend and tested it first in a room hung with wet laundry. I was amazed at how much it dried the washing really quickly for very little cost on the Smart meter. So I guess it would work just as well in a room full of shoes? 

In reply to Babika:

Second the dehumidifier. Think ours was ~£100 a few years back and sits in the boot room. Wet days mean 5 x wet shoes, jackets and trousers and 2x wet dog towels. Close the door and everything is dry in a few hours. Think it was approx 300W so not too expensive to run.

In reply to mike123:

Do you have space just above the back of a fridge or freezer. You're paying to heat that area anyway.

In reply to mike123:

Living in Cumbria and running/cycling and walking through winter I've had the same issue.

I invested some time in making a dry cupboard, bought a second hand cupboard installed a decent dehumidifier (the big expense at £130) a small oil filled heater and a 12v radiator fan off a scrap car to help circulate air

Wired it all up in the garage and it's been great for the past 3 years. Probably less than £250 to make

Dries trainers in about 8 hours, boots overnight, it's big enough to hang jackets, wet ropes and other kit etc

I couldn't be without it now. 

In reply to Andypeak:

That just leaves the problem of how to dry the wet towels...

In reply to mike123:

If really disgusting then they get put through the washing machine. 

For drying, wait till the rain stops and outside dangled from the washing line. They dry pretty fast outside and the UV helps a bit with the smell. 

If it's winter or really wet for many days, then dry indoors with help from the dehumidifier along with dangling from rack on radiator if the heating is on. 

In reply to mike123:

It could be a good project to do with the kids? try and rig up a drying cupboard using a 12v circuit, a little warmth and fan will go a long way, chuck a little 2nd hand solar panel in an it'd be self-sustaining?

In reply to Andy Johnson:

That's easy. Take  the newspapers back to your helpful neighbour (remember to apologise for their sogginess) and ask if you could maybe bung a few wet towels on their radiators? If you're cheeky, you might sneak a few half-dry pairs of trainers in there as well.  Solves the smell problem as well....

In reply to mike123:

1. Stick in a cupboard with a dehumidifier.

2. Good project for your hooligans, make one. A length of soil pipe, some reducing tees to 32mm pvc, a bulb holder and a filament bulb. For a posh accelerated one add a 12v fan salvaged from an old pc. Hours of fun designing and building.

For now, loads of daktarin and canestan for your nasty feet.

In reply to mike123:

I have a shelf undercover but outside. 

The airflow seems to dry them pretty well (except, ofcourse, in freezing conditions).

In reply to mike123:

Electric boot dryer - it's been a game change in our household for wet fell shoes and wetsuit boots. We bought a Therm-ic dryer for around £40 and it's been money well spent. Warm air gets gently blown into your footwear and hey presto, dry, non stinky shoes and boots.  

In reply to mike123:

Boot drier is a must in our house. Both of us work outdoors in the West of Scotland, so the amount of wet footwear is silly. We spent quite a bit to get one which takes 2 pairs at once and blows warm air. Absolutely worth it.

In reply to Nick1812P:

This video might give some useful ideas for a project like that: 

youtube.com/watch?v=esHuffy1Xds&

It's obviously focussed on motorbike gear but the concepts should still work.

In reply to mike123:

Thanks All . I have a small domestic dehumidifier that for sone reason started leaking . Must fix . I have a large industrial dehumidifier that at present is humming away in a refurb my mate is on with , I may bring it home when he’s finished with it but it’s really quiet noisy . I’ve order a shoe drier from Amazon as suggested above . £10  if it works I’ll order a few . I have considered a ski boot drier as we do indeed often have wet ski boots . I bid on obe on eBay a few years ago that went for About £100 . Regret not going higher .

In reply to mike123: the kids just got in from biking . It’s about 15 minutes ride home from the woods . They are comedy wet . 

In reply to Andypeak:

This. Towels are the answer, so much better than newspaper. Every run I've done since last October has ended with me hosing down my soaking shoes. I stick a towel in each one, take them out when I go to bed, and in the morning the shoes are good to go.

In reply to Andy Johnson:

The easiest way is to stuff the wet towels into some dry shoes. The shoes will quickly suck all the moisture out of the towels leaving them nice and dry

In reply to mike123:

Would it be un-cool to wear wellies?🤭

In reply to mike123:

If my/ my family's shoes are soaked I wash them in the sink with a bit of dish soap then stuff them with small microfibre cloths (the size you might use for car polishing). If the shoes are a bit stinky a little bit of Napisan in the sink water helps to kill the bacteria.  microfibre towels take the main water load out the shoes and when you remove them they air dry pretty quick over a radiator. If it's dry outside stick them out during the day to finish off drying or if it's warm radiator season then leave them on top to finish off.

In reply to mike123:

Another shout for boot dryers here. I have a couple of Sidas ones with UV lights. USB plug on the end so handy even for taking in the car to start drying before I even get home.

In reply to mike123:

Couldn't you just put the heating on and turn all the radiators you're not using down or off? That would use absolutely minimal gas/oil to run just one or two radiators, especially as the house is already warm.  

In reply to Andy Johnson:

That's what they use top stop jellybabies sticking together in the packet.

Fill the shoes with jellybabies. QED