Chacos, Anyone?
Thomas and I both really enjoy our Chacos, especially this time of year. They are an excellent, durable sandal, one that we’ve each worn almost daily for the past 3+ summers. However, Chacos have a problem with “organic matter” mixing with dirt causing quite the stench. For those of you Chaco-wearers, what do you use to clean your Chacos to prevent the smell from quickly resurfacing?
Last summer, I used laundry detergent and a scrub brush (or old toothbrush) to scrub them and then washed them in the washer. This summer, I tried making a baking soda paste to scrub, washing them in the washing machine and then setting them in the sun for a few hours. Still, the smell returns within a week (more quickly on Thomas’ sandals than mine). I’d love to hear what works for you, so comment away!
July 18th, 2006 at 6:18 pm
i once had a smelly watch band and dipped it in fabric softener and it did the trick. don’t know about chacos though.
July 18th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
oxyclean?? maybe soak them in a solution of it.
July 20th, 2006 at 1:03 am
The dominent problem odor is not generally the surface “organic matter” that accumulates. It is the dirt and sweat that gets inside the sandle where the webbing goes into the sole. That is where the real problem lies. I have had only one man come up with a solution to get that gunk out of there and it seemed to work. He took his Chacos to a car wash that had a pressure washer and just hosed the suckers down in the cracks. He said that black gew started coming out of the adjacent side. After that just do what you normally do to clean the topside.
I hope it all works out for you guys. I share your love for the Chacos except I’m pretty much a year round type of guy.
July 20th, 2006 at 10:45 pm
i use comet and a toothbrush…it seems to do the trick.
July 21st, 2006 at 9:35 pm
i clean my chacos with chaco-cream ™
July 24th, 2006 at 1:47 pm
I agree with Seth in that dirt and grime accumulate in the “cracks”. I just pull the straps way out to expose the ratty and dirty part of the strap that is “inside” the sole. Then I just throw them in with a load of laundry. Anything more is too much work for me.
August 1st, 2006 at 9:27 pm
Well, I tried a conglomeration of your suggestions and it worked! I went to the car wash and about blew my hand off with the sprayer as I tried to spray the cracks. Then, I took them home and scrubbed them down with oxiclean and a toothbrush, because, after all, is there anything that oxiclean can’t do? Then I washed them in the washing machine and set them in the sun to dry. Its been at least a week and they are still smelling good–well, as good as sandals can smell. Thanks for the tips, friends!