My climbing shoes smell! What do I do?

If you're prone to stinky feet, here are some tips to prevent and treat a cheesy foot.

Prevention:
Buy leather/suede climbing shoes. It reduces the development of odor.
Wash your feet before First visit using your new shoes. If you climb in your old, worn-out and smelly shoes and then jump into brand new shoes, you transfer some of the bacteria and therefore kick-start the odor in your new shoes.
Wash your feet with soap in the shower or take a Long warm foot bath with salt and a little baking soda. It's MAGIC. The stench grows in sweat and dirt. If you try to keep your feet clean before you jump into your shoes, you're well on your way.
Keep your climbing shoes dry and ventilated, but not outside. Here's some BRO-SCIENCE: If shoes are left outside in all weathers, they will often be in a humid climate, which is a breeding ground for bacteria. In general, cold weather shoes should be kept as dry as possible, so investing in a pair of BOOT BANANAS or similar can be a good idea.

What to do when the damage is done?
In our experience, you can wash a climbing shoe in the washing machine up to several times. Use a short programme at 40 degrees with low revolutions. Put some washing powder in the shoe. Do not tumble dry. This is the most efficient method we know. Then, of course, take precautions and wash your feet as often as possible before use. If you are in doubt whether you can wash your climbing shoes in the washing machine or whether the programme will work, test it with a pair of your old climbing shoes. 

Can Rodalon be used to remove odours from climbing shoes?
Rodalon and similar products have a reputation for removing odours from running shoes and the like. But in our experience it only helps for a short period before the smell has returned strongly.
Make a solution in lukewarm water at 1:10 and scrub the inside of the shoes with a brush. Then leave the shoes for a day and rinse with warm water until all the Rodalone is gone.

Can you freeze your climbing shoes to kill the bacteria?
In theory, yes. But after repeatedly freezing a pair of stinky-stinky shoes for a week at a time, no. It's the method we've tried that has had the least effect. So nothing :)

In general, it is difficult to make a permanent solution, but try the above and see if it works for you. Leave a comment with your experience and help the rest of climbing Denmark with their shoe-cost problem.