Drying boots with a desk fan

[nicklaszlo]

Harlick recommended drying boots using a fan.  I've given it a try.  They dry about 5X faster. 

Where I live it's humid and I sweat a lot.

The fan's cheap, so if the boots last a few extra months as a result, it's worth it.

[Bill_S]

Great tip, Nick!

[Query]

I've used a Dry Guy ski boot dryer which is supposed to create an air stream heated to about 99 degrees F (essentially body temperature, so it doesn't unduly distort the heat mold of the boots). But I had to buy that, instead of using a fan I already bought.

I've got dryers that plug into a wall AC outlet, and another that plugs into the accessory outlet (cigarette lighter plug) of my car.

I believe storing the boots inside of a humidity controlled home instead of the car also helps. (And in the summer, too high a car temperature definitely distorts the boots. I've seen people dry ski boots on top of a wood stove, but I wouldn't let my skates anywhere near such an uncontrolled heat source.) I've seen someone who store skate boots inside of a car trunk who literally had mold and mildew on their boots. Incidentally, that person said their boots only lasted 2 or 3 months, though of course there are many other factors that contribute to boot life.

BTW I believe that drying out the boots also helps control odor. I'm not sure if you care about that, but I suspect that odor might be a sign that bacteria are feeding on and breaking down the boot - at least for leather boots, and maybe for others.

Some people claim I am over-cautious, and that I don't need to dry my boots. My feet don't sweat much. But drying out the boots seems like a reasonable precaution on such over-priced boots.