If you love hiking or outdoor activities, you most probably know how important it is to have the right footwear. It will make you feel comfortable during your climb, and most importantly, will make sure that you will have a strong traction on the ground to prevent slipping.
Regardless of the quality of your footwear, it will be prone to damages as an outcome of regular use. With this, it is important to know how to clean climbing shoes. This will help to make sure that your shoes will retain its tip-top condition through time.
Cleaning your shoes, fortunately, is an easy task. Keep on reading and we’ll let you know how you can do it.
What You Will Need to Follow this Tutorial
The first thing you have to do is to gather the materials that you will need. In this case, the following are what you should prepare:
- Brush
- Mild soap or detergent
- Bucket
- Warm water
- Stick
- Waterproofing kit
- Clean cloth
- Antibacterial spray
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Tea tree oil
Step-by-Step-Guide on How to Clean Climbing Shoes
The Basics
Here are the steps that you should follow to get rid of dirt in your climbing shoes:
1. If there are laces, start by taking them off the shoe.
2. In a bucket, create a cleaning solution. You can simply fill it with warm water and a mild detergent soap. Mix it until it becomes soapy or until bubbles start to appear.
3. Dip the brush in the cleaning solution and start running it over the shoe. Pay attention to the specific areas where there is a high concentration of dirt.
Removing Dirt From the Sole
Cleaning the sole, on the other hand, will require more effort on your end, especially if mud has already hardened.
1. Start by vigorously shaking the climbing shoes. Doing this will allow you to easily get rid of dirt on the surface and will lessen the effort that you need to exert later on.
2. Using a clean cloth dipped in warm water, wipe the inside of the shoe. This will be effective in getting rid of salt produced by perspiration.
3. Proceed to clean the outsole, which is best to be done with the use of a hard brush. Soften the mud or dirt by wetting the surface with water. You can also use a stick to clean it.
4. Dry the boots at room temperature. It should never be dried under direct heat of the sun.
5. You can also consider waterproofing your climbing shoes. This will make it less prone to dirt in the future. You can choose from oil or water-based waterproofing materials. The instructions for use will depend on what is specified by the manufacturer of the product.
Getting Rid of Odor
Dirt is not the only problem that is commonly experienced in a climbing shoe. You will also find yourself dealing with the stinky smell of the footwear, which can be a result of sweating.
You can see the video :
With this, here’s what you should do to get rid of stinky odor in your footwear:
1. It is important to always make sure that you air dry your shoe after every climb. This will give it room to breathe and for the foul smell to dissipate.
2. When it comes to cleaning, there are different options that can be taken into account. You can use an antibacterial spray to make it smell fresher. A deodorizing spray can also do the trick.
3. If you want to use one that is already available at home, you can try hydrogen peroxide. Simply place the liquid inside a spray bottle. Spritz it liberally inside the shoe and let it dry for a few minutes.
4. Alternatively, you can also apply tea tree oil. This is good not only for getting rid of the odor, but will also be effective in preventing fungal infections.
Pro Tips
- Before wearing your climbing shoes, it would be best to use a foot powder.
- Always dry the shoe properly and store it in the right place.
- You can also rub the sole with sandpaper, which will improve the quality of the sole and enhance grip.
- If the sole easily wears out, you can have it re-soled. In this case, you have to replace only the sole and not the entire shoe.
- Always check the care instructions from the manufacturer. Some materials may be sensitive with certain cleaners.
Conclusion
Knowing how to clean climbing shoes is important to make sure that your footwear will look and function as good as new even after a long time. This will deliver excellent grip on rough terrains and will prevent it from wearing out quickly.
Is there anything else that you would like to add?Feel free to leave a comment below.