Help! Mold problem!

“Saturday, when Thinkbubelz went to grab our hiking boots, he discovered that we had accidentally left them in a plastic bag after the rainy hike at NCT/MRT....

Now, our boots are moldy! :-( Is there anything we can do to fix them? Or should we give them up as a loss?

Please help-- I'm so upset-- we have been walking, but in the city, so not wearing the hiking boots... AND... i had finally gotten them properly broken in....

I hope there is a way to salvage them without having to throw them away...

The bigger problem is that I am allergic to mold... :-(”

“your screwed.”

“The bigger problem is that I am allergic to mold... :-(”
pinkbubelz
10:46:15 AM
11/01/04

Seems like a no brainer, throw them away. Or take the chance of getting sick.”

“you might try a bleach solution and sunlight, but they are prolly ruined.

bummer!”

“Use a weak bleach solution to clean them, inside and out. Rinse them thoroughly to prevent any damage from remaining bleach. Dry under a fan, if possible. This should kill the mold.”

“I know, I know-- we have a new minivan and that was our first trip out with it-- We were so careful not to get mud on the van, so we put our boots into a plastic bag....

We dried out all of our gear (sleeping bags, tent, backpacks, clothes, etc...) but I cannot believe that we forgot to take the shoes out of the bag....

And I was looking forward to hiking again soon-- (just got our GPS and wanted to do some geocaching!)

We didn't know if the bleach would ruin the waterproofing...

I was wondering-- I heard someone mention washing some equipment in the dishwasher--Do you think that would help? or would that be another disaster waiting to happen?

I'm guessing that after washing/scrubbing the boots, we will need to get new insoles as well.”

“Oh, and what about using something like Lysol spray? Would an anti-fungal foot spray help as well?”

“The mold has probably already ruined the waterproofing, by clogging the pores and/or eating away the pores to make them too big. You can do lots of things to kill the existing mold, but with all the layers and nooks of a boot I doubt you'll get all of it out. No matter what it will always smell like mold even if it is all dead. Time for new boots, sorry to say.”

“I kind of figured that was the case... I am just really upset that after finally getting my boots to where they were well broken in and no hot spots.... this had to happen!!! :-(

Well, at least it didn't happen WHILE we were on vacation or a hiking trip!”

“I've had some success stuffing the boots with paper towels soaked with Lysol.

After a couple of days wipe the insides with the towels and then stuff with a fresh bunch.”

“Just clean them up with saddle soap and a brush and then let them dry throughly in sunlight. They should be fine and there's no need to throw them away. I had this happen to a pair of my boots, they are still OK and no mold has grown back.”

“What sort of mold ?

Pennicillin or the sort of mold used for Gorgonzola or blue vein cheese ?

Could be the start of a whole new line of backpacker gourmet here.

Wash in mild bleach solution, dry, reapply waterproofing.

Try them out for a wet day hike to test them before making decision to dig deep in the pocket for new boots.”

“Definitely give it your best shot - it depends on how bad the mold is. Try Rich's solution first - if that doesn't work, escalate your steps - up to really saturating or even soaking them (as a last resort) in a disinfecting solution.

I don't know what your waterproofing is, but you'll prolly have to restore the water proofing after getting them dried out and sunned.”

“Interesting. I've never seen moldy boots. Why put 'em in bags?

I was in the hospital for 4 days. I was required to be on some "kill everything" antibiotics for 10 days after release.

They killed everything and I ended up with Thrush - Tounge Fungus. Was put on a "Kill all the Fungus" medication for a week.

This stuff was great! I used it in my apt on all kinds of things.

Wish I had kept it.

BTW - FYI, Thrush is an early indicator of HIV. No, I didn't have HIV but I swear the pharmacist at the Dupont Circle CVS gave me a "look". I felt obligated to tell him what else I was on so I as to dispell his pity.

I'm sorry. I think I've lost my point and am surrounded by Tangents.”

“Dont pitch em yet.

Soak the boots (remove the laces and insoles and soak em too) in a nice salt water solution, bleach will eat at the stitching and glues that hold em together. Scrub em gently with a semi-stiff bristle brush in and out, rinse thoroughly. I would soak em for a few days. Then let em slowly air dry away from too much heat, just keep good air flow. As the salt that didnt get rinsed begins to crystallize scrub with clean plain water.

Another solution is a vinegar water mix. The vinegar will kill the mold for sure, and dont worry,the boots will soon stink like feet again, not vinegar or mold.”

“hey everyone...

thanks so much for the advice... we will begin our disinfecting tomorrow.... (I've been letting my boots just dry for the last day or so.)

Putting them in bags was so that we wouldn't get mud all over our (4 day new) minivan... Obviously, we screwed up when we forgot to take them out! :-(

BTW-- thinkbubelz' shoes are gortex. I'm not sure what mine are made of--but we realized that weekend that mine were not as waterproof as his were! (my feet got damp inside, his did not....)”

“I did the same thing once and went to pull my boots out and they was all fuzzy green. I washed them with anti fungal soap with a fingernail brush, then went and rewaxed with my biwell bees wax and havent' had a problem with them. Everything will be fine, just do a thorough cleaning, maybe more than once, then let them dry naturally in the house, and NOT in the sun. NEVER dry leather boots in the sun. It shrinks and dries the leather unnaturally.”

“Go to the drug store and get a small bottle of zephiran chloride solution. This is a common, very safe, fungicide used in preventing athletes foot, usually as a simple walk through bath. Vigorously brush the shoe to remove active mold, then dampen it with the solution. This will kill the mold down to the nap. Allow to dry over night, then clean as recommended for your shoe.
last edited: 11/02/04 9:02:57 AM”

“Nothing wrong with putting muddy boots in bags to prevent a mess....just use a plastic grocery bag and stick them in, but don't tie the bag, just use it to put a layer of protection between the mud and whatever surface you're trying to keep clean. Mud should dry on its own, with no mold (as long as the bag is open at the top) and then the mud is easy to clean off.

For future reference, of course.”

“Smiley... LOL... we would have been okay, but the bag was (obviously) closed...

I've been letting the shoes dry for a few days... and will try the ideas people have given me....

For a moment (briefly) I wondered if I could put them in my dishwasher and have them powerwashed that way... then sanity came back... :-)”

“speaking of weird mouth diseases, Bearmagnet...my Psych. of Sexuality teacher in college told us he once had a yeast infection in his mouth! yummmmmm.
:-)

sorry, no mold advice! but i do think it's disgusting that people eat it on purpose, like in blue cheese. hurl!”

“The only thing I would add is a good scrub with a toothbrush and some real lemon juice!! then rewax, I have had many a moldy boot, and never have I tossed a ome.”

“So, let's see...

I need to soak in salt water, rinse with clean water,
put lysol rags inside, rinse with clean water, scrub with lemon juice, rinse with clean water, add a fungiside, rinse with clean water, add a little bleach, rinse again, let dry, then add waterproofing....

if there is any shoe left at the end, I should be fine! :-D”

“They should taste pretty good by the time you're through too.”

“What's the classic Chaplin movie where he eats a boot?

Yukon/Klondike something?”

“If you are allergic to mold, (Get rid of them) it does not matter what you do, you will not get rid of the mold. You may clean some of the surface up but you will not get rid of it. It will come back! (Because it will be in the pores of the boots fabric) And when you are in the backcountry on some four or five day trip. (Two day from the nearest road. You suddenly feel pain and look down to find your foot swollen to three times it's size, you will wish you had just broke down and spent the money. Don't be so cheap, instead be a little more prepared! Because what we do, this hiking and backpacking thing requires that our feet are in good working order. Without them you are not going anywhere fast, or slow for that matter.
last edited: 11/02/04 10:13:37 AM”

“FYI, yeast in the mouth is thrush, all one and the same.”

“oh no way? but "yeast infection of the mouth" sounds so much better.”

“Thanks tech, I should know better. ;)

Maybe I didn't want to admit I had a yeast infection?????

Let's take that further - men can get yeast infections but 'tis difficult, the male urethra is much longer and those puppies wear themselves out trying.

Maybe if they drank Gatorade they could make it?”

“Here's the verdict!

Thinkbubelz ended up scrubbing and disinfecting our boots with anti-mildew solution.

We've used them 3 times while snowshoeing... So far, so good-- we dry them out by the heater vent when we get home... (no more leaving boots in a plastic bag!

I think I need to re-spray the waterproofing on mine, though. I notice that the leather seems to absorb more water.

I haven't seemed to get a reaction, and I also haven't noticed any moldy smell, so I think we were able to salvage our shoes! :-)”

“Cool beans! Scrubbing and some detergents tend to lessen the waterproofing on boots.”

“I've been taking the boots out anyways--Keep forgetting to spray on the waterproofing beforehand!

So far, so good, though. I wear my gaiters to keep the snow out of the tops of the boots, and I haven't had much in the way of moisture seeping in... :-)”

“I just noticed this thread. Leviticus 14 was written for houses but I'm sure it applies to hiking boots too:


33Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 34"When you arrive in Canaan, the land I am giving you as an inheritance, I may contaminate some of your houses with an infectious mildew.[f] 35The owner of such a house must then go to the priest and say, `It looks like my house has some kind of disease.' 36Before the priest examines the house, he must have the house emptied so everything inside will not be pronounced unclean. Then the priest will go in and inspect the house. 37If he finds bright green or reddish streaks on the walls of the house and the contamination appears to go deeper than the wall's surface, 38he will leave the house and lock it up for seven days. 39On the seventh day the priest must return for another inspection. If the mildew on the walls of the house has spread, 40the priest must order that the stones from those areas be removed. The contaminated material will then be thrown into an area outside the town designated as ceremonially unclean. 41Next the inside walls of the entire house must be scraped thoroughly and the scrapings dumped in the unclean place outside the town. 42Other stones will be brought in to replace the ones that were removed, and the walls will be replastered.
43"But if the mildew reappears after all these things have been done, 44the priest must return and inspect the house again. If he sees that the affected areas have spread, the walls are clearly contaminated with an infectious mildew, and the house is defiled. 45It must be torn down, and all its stones, timbers, and plaster must be carried out of town to the place designated as ceremonially unclean. 46Anyone who enters the house while it is closed will be considered ceremonially unclean until evening. 47All who sleep or eat in the house must wash their clothing.

48"But if the priest returns for his inspection and finds that the affected areas have not reappeared after the fresh plastering, then he will pronounce the house clean because the infectious mildew is clearly gone. 49To purify the house the priest will need two birds, some cedarwood, a scarlet cloth, and a hyssop branch. 50He will slaughter one of the birds over a clay pot that is filled with fresh springwater. 51Then he will dip the cedarwood, the hyssop branch, the scarlet cloth, and the living bird into the blood of the slaughtered bird, and he will sprinkle the house seven times. 52After he has purified the house in this way, 53he will release the living bird in the open fields outside the town. In this way, the priest will make atonement for the house, and it will be ceremonially clean.


http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=3&chapter=14&version=51”

“WHAT ARE YOU ON???”

“Do you have a good source for hyssop branch?”

“An IHOP brunch, maybe.”

“Well, as long as you dip it in the blood of a slaughtered bird, it should work too.
last edited: 12/16/05 12:27:11 PM”

“Someone must have eaten some infectious mold brownies and had a hallucination attack....”

“Oh great...

A TT war on faith.”

“No War from me...

Just seemed like your post came out of nowhere and after many months... LOL”

“I have some hyssop branch in my back yard, been a good year for it.”

“Hyssop is great for beating colds and the flu, so why not fungus?”