Getting Rid of the Funk: How to Clean Your Climbing Shoes

I sat down on the bench next to my partner. We'd just finished a dawn patrol at the climbing gym.  And though it was cool outside and even a bit cool in the gym, my feet were shriveled pickles inside my tight shoes. But I ignored it and stripped off my shoes.

"Whoa!," my partner said, dramatically waiving his hand in front of his face with one hand, while plugging his nose with the other. "Dude," he said dramatically. "You're feet stink."

And they did. Or more accurately, my climbing shoes stunk. It was time to give them a wash.

Recently climber Joe Ho, posted a great video on his blog about techniques for washing and cleaning climbing shoes. Please see the video below:



The quick and the dirty of it is that Joe washes his shoes in a washing machine. He fastens the velcro straps down and washes them on warm with soap. When he is done, he lays them out to dry.

I used the techniques shown in the video to wash a pair of shoes, and there was still a little bit of a scent in them, but it was no longer overpowering...

Jason D. Martin