my montrail masai's are very nasty from my trip. does anyone have suggestions for cleaning them? i looked on montrails website but they only mention cleaning boots, not mostly mesh running shoes.

Unless you walked into a tar pit...

I usually brush off the dirt, then take out the footbeds and air them out.

If the dirt is caked, rinsing with water will get them out. Again, remove foot beds, then air out until completely dry.

Edited by ben2world on 08/24/2006 19:09:22 MDT.

Whenever I get a new toothbrush, I use the old one for these sorts of chores. A toothbrush does nicely for scrubbing spots here and there on shoes and packs and elsewhere. For huge messes, I'd just do a good, long rinse like Ben suggests.

Definitely remove the footbeds. Also, letting them naturally air dry is preferable to tumbling them in a hot dryer.
-Mark

I just take the insoles out and throw them in the washer. Then put them outside to air dry.

thanks everyone, I figured it was that simple just wanted to make sure, since I cant replace my masai's.

agree with David. That is what I do too. In fact I am doing that today. My Salomon's right now. They're so dirty that instead of black they are grey!

Yup, the washer seems to work well.

Be sure to remove the laces if using a top-loader!

"thanks everyone, I figured it was that simple just wanted to make sure, since I cant replace my masai's."

What gender/size? There are still some out there.

As to washing gear, I hand wash shoes, packs, stuff sacks, etc, in lukewram water and mild detergent. I have a kitchen sprayer plumbed into my laundry tub that helps to get in the nooks and crannies and rinse things well. I always air dry any coated material. The toothbrush idea posted here good-- the dirt that gets imbedded in corners and stitching aids rot. I have a good old fashioned scrub brush that is great for shoes too.

Best technique I've found, especially with a very breathable shoe like the masai is when they get dirty (stomp in a mud pile, whatever it may be), is to just dunk them in a stream or lake. The longer you let the dirt/mud dry, the harder it will be to get off. The shoe will dry as you walk in it.