Five Fingers Funk

[screenager]

I literally wore out a pair of these that I used for 4 years. Wore them all the time and eventually rubbed a hole through my ring-finger toe. Bummer. I'm lookin' to buy more, but I'm hoping for some advice before I do...

When I threw those 4 year old vibrams away, my wife cried with joy because the bearer of an undead stench had just been vanquished. So, what do people do to keep the stink out? Do toe socks help? If so, what kind do people like? I've also read about vinegar, baking soda, etc.

In my experience, machine washing helped for a few days. Wearing them in the shower did the same thing. Both had the problem attached that once you did that, you had to wait days for them to fully dry out again. I also tried soaking in warm/hot water and vinegar. That helped longer, but if you used water just a BIT too hot, you can expand the glue around the soles and start to see it (it happened to me). So I'm thinking prevention, as usual, is the best course of action.

[RaeVynn]

I have four pair, and I rotate through them... this allows them to dry thoroughly.

Machine wash warm, let dry, every week or so.

Run actually barefoot more often, and just use them when you HAVE to wear "shoes".

[Mordechaj]

A natural crystal deodorant can be solved in water and sprayed inside - helped my father to kill off the unholy smells from anatomic foot pads that he wears.

But there are indicators that suggest all that aluminium might not be so good for you after all.

Not so helpful a post, huh?

[screenager]

Yeah, not a fan of aluminum in my body. As it is, I pay extra to use deodorant like Tom's.

[Eatesalot7]

Yeah, not a fan of aluminum in my body. As it is, I pay extra to use deodorant like Tom's.

I rotate through mine. I use them for about a year then downgrade to casual. I haven't had any issues with them falling apart... but i only wash stuff in cold water. I do it every week and i put them in a bag... 3 pairs. This has worked best for me.

Travelcountry.com typically has really good sales.i buy 2 at a time... save on shipping.

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[Corbab]

Get some Damp-Rid (or preferably something a little less strong), stick it in some cloth bags, and pop 'em in your shoes when you take them off. Alternately, just stick some newspaper in there, it gets the job done pretty well.

[andygates]

Soak in baby sterliser (Milton, etc) before washing to kill the funk. Wear toe-socks to minimise its build-up.

What's the fear of aluminium?

[screenager]

What's the fear of aluminium?

Nothing ENTIRELY proven by scientists, but there's reason to believe soaking it into your body isn't good - possibly contributing to dementia, Alzheimer's, etc.

Personally, using high-aluminum deodorants in the past left me with a bit of something like contact dermatitis. Basically, I don't like to F around with something that might mess with my brain (my most valuable organ) and, after a short period of extra-smelliness, using other deodorants works just fine for me. Don't mess with my brain man. Even if all else fails, I can still go on all Stephen-Hawking-like for years.

[EnygmaEve]

Aluminum's Health Concerns

Wikipedia: for those that like to research things, but don't particularly feel like it right now.

[Loren Wade]

I wash mine once a week and let them air dry. They dry overnight in a cool house.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

I dro an efferdent tablet in them then drop them in a small bucket (i use an empty trash can) of hot water for a few hours, you have to weight them down to keep the submerged. Works well and keeps the stink away for 4-5 days. To dry them I sit them in front of the heat vent overnight, havent washed them yet this summer because I haven't been wearing them a ton.

They only really stink when my feet sweat a lot in them. I don't have this problem when weight lifting, only running. When running, I wear Injinji toe socks, the thinnest ones they make. The socks absorb the sweat and there isn't much that gets to the shoes. The socks also helped a lot with the blisters I was getting running in them.

[andygates]

I can turn 'em toxic in minutes, but I'm Sweatvig von Sweatvenstein.

And: I file that under "consumer panic", YMMV. Skin's a nifty membrane, etc etc.

[screenager]

And: I file that under "consumer panic", YMMV. Skin's a nifty membrane, etc etc.

I won't disagree. But since I personally had negative side-effects with aluminum deodorant that went away when I stopped using it, I'll stick with my "natural" stink-stoppers.

I, also, am a Sweatvig von Sweatvenstein as well. So I'm liking the idea of those Injinji socks on top of these other fixes. Thanks all!

[Bob-gar]

My sole pair of VFFs got pretty damn bad. My wife even commented on how bad they were at one point. For me, I ended up putting them in a ziploc bag and throwing them in the freezer overnight. The next day I let them air out outside. This helped tremendously. I've not had to wash them since but then again, I haven't been wearing them as much.

Side note, here's an interesting page where I found this and other methods for "de-funk"ing your VFFs:

http://birthdayshoes.com/the-definitive-guide-to-cleaning-vibram-five-fingers-a-k-a-how-to-get-the-smell-out-of-your-vibrams

[Lizifer]

What about charcoal packets when you're not wearing them? Does that not work for anyone else?

[Kishi]

I can vouch for the freezer thing. Do it eight hours or so over night and it seems to kill the bacteria pretty easy.

[Rhiarti]

Have you tried sprinkling them with bicarbonate of soda? Effective stuff against bacteria and fungus, and cheap 'n' easy to pick up at the supermarket!