If you’re skiing or boarding each season, sooner or later you’ll start wondering what that nasty odor is. You’ll blame it on a long day on the mountain and ignore it, only to be reminded of the same smell on your next day up the mountain. You may not be able to keep your boot liners smelling fresh, but there are certain tips and tricks you can do to keep them close to fresh. Does this mean you can wash snowboard boot liners?
Not only you can wash your snowboard boot liners, but you’re also recommended to. At least once in a season. This way, you’ll prevent the moisture from morning and more importantly, the nasty odor from taking place in your boots. But you should not wash them in the washing machine as this could damage them.
Read through this article to learn more about cleaning your snowboard boots and much more about their maintenance.
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What to Do to Keep Your Snowboard Boots Odorless?
There are a few recommendations you should follow to keep your snowboard boots clean all the season.
Regular Cleaning
If you want to hold your snowboard boot for a long time, regular cleaning is beyond question. Regular cleaning will ensure long-time support and help you keep your boots odor-free, as well. Given that people typically use snowboard boots in the snow, they’ll eventually collect some moisture.
Your boots won’t be smelling bad if you remove the moisture every day. But cleaning your snowboard boots may be tricky. Therefore, experts recommend cleaning the visible part of the boot regularly and the internal part at least once a season.
Exterior Cleaning
To have your snowboard boot with you for a long time, you need to clean the snowboard boot after every single use. It’s easy to do and doesn’t require much time. That is mostly because most of the snowboard boots’ outer part is made from synthetic leather or rubber.
It takes only a sponge and some hot water to clean the outer part of the snowboard boot. Use to sponge and wipe the boot again and again and keep adding warm water until you remove all the dirt and mud. To remove the stain from dry dirt or mud, use a brush. Once you’ve finished cleaning your snowboard boot outer parts, leave them to dry.
Good Care
Much like other products, your snowboard boots will last longer if you take good care of them. This means that if you treat your snowboard boot adequately, you’ll be able to use it for a long time. But if you don’t do it, you’ll soon find your boots unusable.
You need to clean your snowboard boots regularly and let them dry after every use. You could also use a dry rack to store the snowboard boots.
Moisture Control
Your snowboard boots need to be dry all the time when you’re not using them. But when you’re spending a lot of time snowboarding, this may be a mission impossible. So, one way or another, moisture will find its way to your snowboard boots no matter what you do. And when it does, your boots start smelling bad. Real bad.
This is why we recommend removing moisture after every use. You can use a hair drier or dry your snowboard boot and liner by placing them beside the fire. Your boot will not make an odor if you can keep it dry most of the time. If you ask experts, a sock that can protect your leg from moisture can also help with this.
Store Your Boots in a Dry Rack
Nothing is stopping you from storing your snowboard boots anywhere you like. However, experts’ opinion is that you should have a specific place or rack for your snowboard and your snowboard boots. This is because an inadequate location may make your boots start degrading.
This is why we recommend having a specific rack or place for storing your snowboard boots.
Store Your Boots in Optimal Conditions
The temperature of the room you’ll use to store your snowboard boots should be moderate – not too cold or hot. This is because snowboard boots liner is usually heat-moldable and warm weather can damage its shape. And if you store your snowboard boot in a cold climate, moisture can find its way to your boot and start smelling bad.
Accordingly, you should store your snowboard boot in average dry weather.
Socks Do Matter
There are two types of socks you can use for snowboarding – breathable and non-breathable. Breathable socks absorb the sweat, and non-breathable socks don’t. If you’re looking for perfect socks to use with snowboard boots, opt for breathable socks.
They will absorb the sweat and leave you dry and comfortable. Your feet will be able to breathe and your boots will be less likely to make an odor. To make sure it happens, you should have many socks because your boot will start smelling if you use a single sock every time.
However, having multiple socks is not enough. Because if you use them multiple times without washing them, they will start smelling, because the sweat is not removed. This is why you need to wash the socks to remove the sweat, ideally after every use.
Replace the Insole
If your snowboard boots start smelling, it may be time to replace your insole. Because it is the part of the boot that takes most of the pressure. Thereby, the insole also gets most of the sweat from your feet and the odor may take place. So, if your snowboard boots start smelling bad, replace the insole.
Store Your Boots in the Snowboard Boot Box
If you don’t plan to snowboard till the next season, it may be a good idea to store your boot in the snowboard boot box. It is the same box you received with the boots and it is designed to save the boot for a long time. Speaking of the safest way to store your boot, the box may be the one.
Clean the Insides of Your Boots
Regardless of whether your boots smell bad or not, you need to clean the insides before storing them. Because removing the odor once it takes place in the snowboard boot may be tricky.
After following our recommendations, if your boots still smell bad, you’ll need to wash them on the inside, as well. This is because only by washing inside of your snowboard boot you can remove the odor. When you ignore the moisture for a long time, bacteria start developing in your boot and that’s why it starts smelling bad.
How to Clean the Outside and Inside of Your Snowboard Boot?
To clean your snowboard boot properly, you’ll need:
- Sponges
- Towel
- Soft cloth
- White vinegar
- Laundry soap/detergent
- Warm water
- Toothbrush
Take a bucket, fill it up with warm water and add some detergent to make the water soapy. Use a sponge to wipe the boot. Soak the sponge into the soapy water and wipe the boot repeatedly until it’s clean.
If there’s a stable stain on your snowboard boot, a simple sponge or soft cloth may not be enough. For permanent stains, you’ll need a toothbrush. The process is the same as with the sponge. Soak the toothbrush into the soapy water and brush the boot as long as it is necessary.
Once you’ve done sponging/brushing your snowboard boot, use a soft towel and clean water to wipe it. After cleaning the outside of the boot, you should leave it to dry. Ideally, you’ll dry it naturally, under direct sunlight, or use a hair drier, if necessary.
Cleaning the Inside of the Snowboard Boot
Before you start cleaning the interior of your boot, you need to remove the liner, insole or footbeds, and bootlace. Then you should leave them to dry naturally to kill the bacteria. While it may work for some people by removing the nasty smell, some may need additional solutions.
So, to wash the insides of your snowboard boots, you’ll need a bath or tub. Fill it up with warm water, add some laundry detergent and one cup of white vinegar, and mix it up. Then put liner, insole, footbeds, and bootlace into the cleaning solution and wash them with your hand. Leave the materials into the cleaning solution for half an hour to be sure the solution has time to kill the bacteria.
After half an hour, fill a bath or tub (or bucket) with clean water and wash the inside materials. Repeat the process until there’s no cleaning solution in the inside materials. Ultimately, leave them to dry naturally, and don’t use the boot before it dries out properly.
Tips and Tricks for Removing Odor
If there is still an odor after cleaning your snowboard boot, you should consider taking some of the following steps. You’ll need a freshening spray, baking soda, coffee grounds, and old socks.
If your boots still smell bad after washing them, spray in a freshening spray. It could be any of the commercial brands or a custom-made spray. You can make your spray by putting an equal amount of vinegar and water into the spray bottle.
Once the spray dries, use an odor-absorbing mixer to absorb the bad smell from your snowboard boot. You can mix coffee grounds and baking soda inside an old sock. Tie the sock and place it inside your snowboard boot. It will remove the odor from it.
Can You Wash Snowboard Boots in the Washing Machine?
This seems to be a common question of many snowboarders. While it may sound like an easy way to deal with the odor, the answer is no. You should only handwash your snowboard boots. It is the only way to make them last longer.
Washing your snowboard boots in the washing machine will make them lose their temper and become unusable. So, if you follow our recommendations, and follow the steps contained in this article, you’ll have no odor problems with your boots.
