H-e-l-p! how to get rid of stubborn foul smell in a pair of 50s eng. boots

[Pa12]

Pa 12/D97x7 thanks for your inputs. Pa12- Indeed there are cheap versions flooding the market today but the outsole brand detail (on mine) are your tell-tale signs of age if no tag/brand info is present. Im pretty sure they are atleast 50's, what im not sure about is if they are older.

Quite possible. As I said engineer boots have been around a looooong time. Hard to find nice new ones these days without spending big bucks. They’ve all gone to steel toe or big clunky treaded soles. Not my thing. But even the “cheap “0nes I used to get were pretty nice in comparison. I noticed yours are leather soles with caps. Do you think the caps are original or added on?

 

[Zero2Hero]

Yea ive got 70's/80s versions as well..the reason i'm going through all these trials and tribulations with this pair is precisley because they are older otherwise i wouldnt have bothered since 70's/80s could be had at relatively cheap prices. I do think the outsole is original although i have no way to confirm it. Another tell-tale sign of older versions is if the buckles are brass as opposed to the shiny silver metal, mine are brass, plus the overall shape and feel of the boots are nothing like my 70's/80s pair.

 

[Falcon_52]

To deodorize my figure skates, I use a product called Cedarcide (comes in a spray bottle). Its original purpose is to mitigate insects and mites but it’s concentrated cedar wood oil so it works well on bacteria and odors. It can cause slight discoloration; use sparingly.

 

[Zero2Hero]

F_52: The "au naturale" route sounds promising. Whats the damage on this Cedarcide spray and where can one get it? Thanks.

 

[Silver Surfer]

Yeah, the stink is intolerable, but I would be more concerned about foot rot, aka athletes foot, wearing boots with mould or bacteria in them.

 

[Zero2Hero]

SS - You make a serious point, i definatley wont be comfortable wearing them unless i'm certain i can eliminate the smell AND bacteria..so difficult to see inside the entire footbed with boots but i dont think there is any moulding. As mentioned the white you see around the boots is from me dousing it with baking soda.

 

[B-Man2]

Yeah, the stink is intolerable, but I would be more concerned about foot rot, aka athletes foot, wearing boots with mould or bacteria in them.

Exactly … There’s usually a reason boots smell that bad. I would spray the hell out of the insides with anti- fugal foot spray . Let them sit a while and do it a couple of more times . Then deal with the oder.

 

[Zero2Hero]

Then my first mission would be to get this anti fungal spray..is there a preferred brand ? thanks

 

[B-Man2]

Then my first mission would be to get this anti fungal spray..is there a preferred brand ? thanks

There are several commercial brands available. Any one of them would be suitable. Just spray the insides and let them sit until dry and then do it again .

 

[Zero2Hero]

roger that.

 

[Silver Surfer]

the truth is stranger than fiction. about boots,,,,wet suit boots [booties[ that is. wet suit boots have an uncanny predisposition to getting really stinky [my wife will vouch for that] shed skin particles? piss running down the wet suit leg? who knows. anyhoo a couple years ago I hung up my smelly winter boots on the fence after a good hosing, as heavy neoprene was no longer needed. a few weeks later the air temps, and water returned to ice cream headache levels, and I put the boots in the basket with my other gear. at the break I began to suit up, and last but not least, yank on the boots. squish. wtf??????I pulled the squish one off, and opened it. out came runny yolk and bird egg shell. when I reached inside there was a birds nest and a couple more eggs. no shit! apparently, house wrens will build a decoy nest complete with eggs to fool blue jays from going after nest prime.....and that is what I stepped into, a bird nest decoy complete with eggs. what's the point ya might ask? ya never know what's in the deepest darkest nether regions of boots. didn't know whether to put this here or in Friday funnies.

 

[Pa12]

the truth is stranger than fiction. about boots,,,,wet suit boots [booties[ that is. wet suit boots have an uncanny predisposition to getting really stinky [my wife will vouch for that] shed skin particles? piss running down the wet suit leg? who knows. anyhoo a couple years ago I hung up my smelly winter boots on the fence after a good hosing, as heavy neoprene was no longer needed. a few weeks later the air temps, and water returned to ice cream headache levels, and I put the boots in the basket with my other gear. at the break I began to suit up, and last but not least, yank on the boots. squish. wtf??????I pulled the squish one off, and opened it. out came runny yolk and bird egg shell. when I reached inside there was a birds nest and a couple more eggs. no shit! apparently, house wrens will build a decoy nest complete with eggs to fool blue jays from going after nest prime.....and that is what I stepped into, a bird nest decoy complete with eggs. what's the point ya might ask? ya never know what's in the deepest darkest nether regions of boots. didn't know whether to put this here or in Friday funnies.

Eeeeeew. Hope you at least had socks on. Reminds me of Christmas when I was a kid. We had just got a new puppy a week or 2 earlier. I snuck out bright and early to see what Santa had brought and stepped in fresh dog shit with bare feet. Squished between my toes . Pretty gross.

 

[Silver Surfer]

yeah, the yolk was on me