Got some proper walking boots, goretex lined, fabric rather than leather that have got damp from trouser/sock wetness. They have developed that musty mouldy mildew smell and I’d like to get rid.
I’ve tried Milton tablets rinsed around inside, but they take so long to dry its back again.

once you get that smell its very hard to get rid. I would suggest wash with washing up liquid in very hot water then dry as quick as you can so they are completely baked dry. Then keep then as dry as possible as the bacteria will come back with any dampness.

The quick dry thing is impossible, unfortunately; they are a big solid boot..

I was told of a tip for smelly trainers which was deodorising cat litter. I’ve never tried it so I can’t speak to how good or bad it is but it sort of make sense.

Are you putting newspaper in the boots when they are wet? Dries the boots a lot quicker.

It’s only fabric and PTFE. Soak overnight in Dettol (strong anti mould ingredient). Also works with ski boot liners and trainers.

And you know about shoving newspaper inside them for the first few hours to get them dry quicker?

If you go into Halfords motorbike section, Muc-Off do a foam cleaner for motorbike helmets, you spray it in and it expands making boots and cycling shoes smell much nicer

I’ll try all the above; I know about newspaper..

I suspect I might just have to live with the smell; I raced in Belgium many years ago at Easter, and the road race went through a number of fields where the slurry was washed onto the road. I had a brand new pair of road shoes which smelled like death when I got home. I tried every thing, from soaking in disinfectant, then bleach, even alcohol, but they always stank.

+1 for the kitty litter for drying. As for the smell, try Bicarb soda though I suspect the litter will deodorise too!

A peg. Placed on the nose.

Put them in the freezer, should kill off most of the bacteria. Has worked for me with stinky base layers before.

Nappies inside out are great for drying boots quickly. A bit of fabreeze or whatever it’s called might help “neutralise the nasty odors” too.

My riding shoes could of walked out the house of there own accord the smell was that bad ha.

As above soak in detol bring into the warm to dry with news paper shoved inside them. did the trick for me

Have you got athlete’s foot? This will make your feet smell and your boots smell too. Treat the athlete’s foot with Canestan cream (the thrush version has 2% active ingredient instead of 1% in the athlete’s version) and buy an athlete’s foot aerosol spray, which is anti-fungal. Dry boots thoroughly and spray them (and all your other footwear) inside to kill the fungus that’s causing the odour. If the smell bothers you, spray also with Febreeze, which has a strong masking perfume.

if it smells like cat piss its the glue holding the sole on,
😆

I think some outdoor shops have a magical boot deoderising machine. No idea if it works, or how much they charge (though think its a tenner). Pretty sure cotswold outdoors in Cirencester has one. Might be worth a try. Has anyone got any experience of one?

The only way to be sure.

Sunshine makes the smell go away. Very rare stuff that though.

I haven’t got athletes foot, and cat piss smells in my house are due to cat piss.

I’ve washed them out with bleach/Milton, then dried them as quick as I can.
I’ve tried Bicarb, liberally dusting them inside.

They still smell…

Dont use heat, most shoes are bonded together in several places and with glue that fails around 40 degrees – washing them in hot water is suicide (I found out the hard way with some £90 trekking trainers).

Hmmm… These are £180 worth of boots; I’m resigned to them smelling like death…

I was serious when I said use sunshine. Stick them outside on a sunny day and you’ll get rid of the smell. If it works for my boots it will work for any boots.

Sunshine won’t affect any of the bacteria inside the boot, only on the surface, and it does so because the UV kills the bacteria nicely (works really well on thinner clothes).