How to care for climbing shoes

If you choose a perfectly fitting shoe, it means that not only your feet feel comfortable, but also the shoes themselves better fulfilling their purpose. If you want to experience this feeling as long as possible, consider how to improve the functionality and extend the life time period of your footwear.

Shoe lifetime

Climbing shoes are consumer goods. Every use contributes to their wear out. Professionals, who climb almost daily, wear our their shoes within a couple of weeks, while casual climbers shoes will last much longer. Those who adhere to shoe care instructions, avoid rough treatment and let them resole in time shoes will last much longer. What reduces shoes life time:

• Standing on the shoe – older tough leather stitched to the inside lining of the gums or individual may suffer if they are bent burdened by the weight of the body and then you do not have a shoe to fit well.
• Foot pull – for optimum performance and comfort, the leather and sole are used as light as possible. Scratching the shoe on the rock will wear out the climbing shoes sooner.
• The quality of the rocks – the rougher the surface, the faster it wears out leather and sole, so you should be sure to clean climbing technique on rough surface.

Shoe cleaning

Dirty climbing shoes do not like soap, chemicals or washing machine. Warm water and medium hard brush are the right tools. The dirty outsole will stick again when we use a cloth with some alcohol. Gentle brushing from finger to toe direction can improve roughness but scrape off rubber, so be careful. If your shoes are wet, whether due to rain or washing, it should be dried slowly before storage. Fill it with old newspapers to squeeze moisture (replace it repeatedly) and place it or hang it in a well ventilated place. Direct heat or fire is too sharp and can cause not only the unsticking of the sole but also the destruction of the shoes themself.

Odour

When using climbing shoes, we can not avoid this fact – the skin absorbs sweat. If the ventilation is not the right solution, you can try to get rid of the bacteria by freezing them with edible soda or other disinfectant. Disinfectants are the best aid, but after use, the skin may slightly harden. If nothing helps, there is one saying – a real mountaineer is known by his odour.

Shoe storage

Give your shoes similar conditions like wine storage: cold, dry, dust-free environment and a dark room. Direct sunlight and heat damage used material. Dry cellar is a good place to store.