Drying wet footwear
 

[Closed] Drying wet footwear

Posts: 3829
Free Member
Topic starter
 

I don't have an airing cupboard to sling them in and don't like putting shoes on the radiator as it can dry out glue too. Consequently wet riding shoes take yonks to dry. I end up squeezing out as much as I can then stuffing newspaper in them to draw out any moisture and replace when wet. Any tips on how you dry yours (efficiently)?


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:35 pm
Posts: 3629
Full Member
 

One of these.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:38 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

A shoe drying robot thingy - one of those purchases that seem frivolus but you won't go back. Can be got for £20-30

Outdoor shoes, work books, cycling shoes, ski boots, running shoes - works great on all of them.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:38 pm
Posts: 3596
Full Member
 

On radiator.

Stuff with news papers once until they are soaked.

Restuff with dry news papers.

Leave on radiator until they are dry or spouse complains.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:39 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Sodden after todays ride. I pop them next to a dehumidifier and blast them with a fan overnight. Usually dry by morning.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:40 pm
Posts: 468
Full Member
 

Dehumidifier, dries our 5tens out in no time!


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:41 pm
Posts: 3072
Free Member
 

stuffed newspaper [removed the next day] and under the radiator in the utility room, usually dry with 48 hours.

i wouldnt worry about drying out any glue on shoes, they'll have fallen to bits long before the glue goes depending on the footwear. the new adidas trail cross dry pretty quick.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:41 pm
Posts: 2889
Full Member
 

I've got the same thing fathomer linked to - it gently blows warm air, so dries well but not too harsh, and there's an ozone button that is supposed to help with the stink. Not sure how effective that is, but my shoes don't stink, so maybe it's doing something!


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:42 pm
Posts: 62
Free Member
 

I stick my soggy five tens under a radiator stuffed with puppy training pads. Works a treat


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:50 pm
 FOG
Posts: 3016
Full Member
 

After asking the same question a few months ago, I bought some electric boot driers. I must have bought the wrong ones because although they do dry shoes, they take a couple of days. I have gone back to sticking them on the boiler. They are however fivetens. I recently bought some Giro flats which don't stick as well as but they dry much much quicker


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 6:52 pm
Posts: 43885
Full Member
 

Maxxdry


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 7:00 pm
Posts: 13594
Free Member
 

I stick mine under a small desk fan, blowing air into them. They dry out very quickly.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 7:01 pm
Posts: 40432
Free Member
 

The thing Fathomer linked to. It will change your life.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 7:27 pm
Posts: 5164
Free Member
 

Stick my 5/10s in the washing machine on low heat, give them a good spin then on radiator overnight to dry out, otherwise they just go fousty, i know they'll have less of a life, but i'd rather have fresher shoes


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 9:32 pm
Posts: 21633
Full Member
 

Rinse, squeeze, news paper, then boot dryer. No heat needed.

Mine is the MaxxDry.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 9:44 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I've done most of the above. I found that stuffing newspaper is the best when they are really wet. But for just damp, I've been using Drysure boot dryers for a while rather than put them on the radiator. Seem to work ok
https://drysure.co/pages/about-us


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 10:01 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I just take out the insoles, stuff with newspaper, replace when it has gone damp, and then replace again if needed - best done before leaving overnight.
If they've been soaked in puddle/standing water then rinsing them out with water and vinegar stops any bad smells.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 10:20 pm
Posts: 4954
Free Member
 

As above removing insoles and loosening laces / opening up as much as possible makes a big difference. Then news paper and radiator.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 10:26 pm
Posts: 20596
Full Member
 

Remove insoles, stiff scrubbing brush under the tap to get rid of any shit that's managed to find its way in along with the water (and also in the tread and around the cleat), stuff with newspaper then put under the radiator. Dry by morning.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 10:30 pm
 dti
Posts: 532
Full Member
 

2 sets of shoes
One dry , one drying or wetting


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 10:49 pm
Posts: 941
Full Member
 

Same as Fathomer's boot driers, work a treat.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 11:31 pm
Posts: 8527
Free Member
 

Woodburner hearth.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 11:40 pm
Posts: 43885
Full Member
 

Folk still get newspapers then?


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 11:41 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

All a bit of a faff.

I have Ion Scrubs which have a fair amount of ankle padding and therefore take an age to dry naturally.

So I use a bit of cardboard (thanks Bezos, you keep my fire burning). I bend it in to a U shape, lengthways.

Pop the shoes in the middle and then balance the cardboard on the top of a warm radiator.

Perfect indirect heat which is sensitive to glue. With the rad on even the wettest shoes will dry overnight.


 
Posted : 23/12/2020 11:44 pm
Posts: 14139
Full Member
 

“With the rad on even the wettest shoes will dry overnight.”

I can’t be the only person whose heating is usually off overnight! 😉


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 12:19 am
Posts: 16138
Free Member
 

Been lots of threads on this if you search.

General conclusion is blown warm air.

I’ve got this one from Amazon but it’s now silly money

MaxxDry Heavy Duty Glove, Boot & Shoe Dryer, Odour Eliminator, Removable Extension Tubes For Longer Garments, Grey https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LZEF17K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_zod5Fb681ZGAP

Shoes now last longer and do not smell.


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 7:23 am
Posts: 7935
Free Member
 

I made a drying rack with a cheap fan heater and wire shelves for the garage. Really helps drying the rest of my gear as well as shoes helmet, gloves, elbow and knee pads, showerproof/waterproof.


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 9:51 am
Posts: 3829
Free Member
Topic starter
 

This looks ace!


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 12:22 pm
Posts: 1866
Free Member
 

The shoe dryer thing linked by @fathomer
Does the job very well.


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 1:06 pm
Posts: 419
Free Member
 

Sticking them in the passenger footwell and putting the aircon on full while driving home helps as well.


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 1:06 pm
Posts: 66083
Full Member
 

Another cheap shoe dryer here- does gloves too, which is good for my neoprene winter gloves as otherwise they never really dry


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 1:49 pm
Posts: 1223
Full Member
 

We've got the Renogy one too. On a non-lockdown Saturday it dries out the entire family's boots and shoes. Best £20 we've spent, I reckon.


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 8:34 pm
Posts: 41786
Free Member
 

Shoe dryer +1

Had one of those Amazon ones with the Ozone at work, to dry sodden boots took longer than the timer allowed (think it was 99 minutes or 2 hours?). Shoes yes, boots took 2 goes for winter SPD (northwaves with the lining).

At home I've got a simper looking one, appears more like a service station hand dryer with 4 hoover hoses dangling out of it. Works quicker as it shifts a lot more air. But bigger bulkier and needs wall mounting (the other one would be great if you want something you can keep in the shoe cupboard and get out when you have wet shoes, mines great if you walk the dogs twice a day and need it all the time).


 
Posted : 24/12/2020 9:20 pm
Posts: 5048
Full Member
 

Take insoles out, lie on side, point normal fan at the hole. Done overnight.


 
Posted : 25/12/2020 9:36 pm
Posts: 3783
Free Member
 

No idea if it's true but I was always told not to use newspaper with gortex (or other membranes) as the the ink comes off and stops it working properly. Not an issue for 5tens

I use old socks that I stuff in the boots to soak up the water then wash them from time time. Once most of the water had gone hang from ceiling near the boiler.

I find my old planet x socks the best, the ones where the heals and ball of my foot wore through in about 6 months! 🤦🏻

I keep looking at the air blowers.


 
Posted : 26/12/2020 9:59 am
Posts: 3783
Free Member
 

This looks ace!

@rascal that looks pretty good and easy to do. When the video started in his garage and he was wearing flip flops while cutting wood I thought it was @WorldClassAccident at first 😂


 
Posted : 26/12/2020 10:14 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

A Future project will be to build an outside drying cupboard for wet kit.
Found this interesting.

http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/Clothes_dryer


 
Posted : 26/12/2020 10:44 am
Posts: 17319
Full Member
 

Newspaper balls forced into the shoes with insoles removed. Oven.


 
Posted : 26/12/2020 2:34 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

The Amazon link from fathomer .... once you have used that dryer, you won’t go back. 90 min cycle is enough to dry most shoes. Turn it on 5 min before going out and you get toasty shoes. My first one died (timer issues) within a year and replaced by Amazon without a problem


 
Posted : 26/12/2020 2:50 pm
Posts: 5185
Full Member
 

Silica gel drying things. Like a big version of the little packets in electronics boxes. Stuff inside, they suck the moisture out. Dry them on the radiator in between rides. Also good if your car is a bit damp and you get condensation inside the windows.


 
Posted : 26/12/2020 4:50 pm