boot hygiene

[Earwig]

As we walk we have the potential to spread lots of enviro-nasties - weeds, phytophthora, chytrid fungus to name a few. We could wash our boots after leaving an area, scrub em before heading out for the weekend, and save the parks service from having to build and maintain boot wash stations, like the ones I splashed through on Lord Howe recently. Ideally, I guess, I would clean my boots at the end of a hike, bag 'em and then scrub 'em really clean when I got home, maybe apply some anti-fungal. And I'd repeat the scrubing and disinfecting before departing for my next walk, so I could be certain that I'm not carrying anything into the area that shouldn't be there. But I don't do any of that. How many people follow some sort of boot hygiene prototcol? Does anybody do anything?

[GPSGuided]

We rinse our boots off after each walk, before storage. No habit of using any disinfectants to date. Not needed for local walks I guess.

[Gadgetgeek]

Its a thing to think about. I make it a habit to wash my gear when I use it, which for me is fairly often now. One factor is that dirt and bugs add to the mold problem, and I would like to think its being habitat conscious, but I don't know how realistic that is. With the spread of white nose syndrome in north america being almost totally in the hands of amateur spelunkers, its not out of the question that we could be tracking nasty things around with us.

The main thing with disinfectants would be two fold, one is it the right one, will it actually kill what needs killing, and two, will it effect the boots. No one is going to use a disinfectant that tends to dissolve things.

[north-north-west]

I wash my boots & gaiters every time I get back from a walk, and disinfect them if I've been in a known phytophthera area. Nothing fancy, just hot water and Dettol. Do the same with shoes/sandals depending on where I've been.
Which is why I don't bother with the scrub-down stations Parks has been installing down here. Apart from not trusting their disinfectant since the soles of one pair of boots started peeling off the day after the only time I did use one . . .

[Lophophaps]

NNW, +1. I also attempt to get as much dirt off my gear towards the end of a walk. After some very muddy walks I may have a shower with gear. Tents do not have the poles in them.

[horsecat]

I'm more concerned about the fungus inside my boots

[Lophophaps]

I'm more concerned about the fungus inside my boots

Horsecat, I call this a foot.

[walkerchris77]

Glen 20 ? Might work.

when i was in the military we use to smoke our bare feet over the fire after a hard day and give then a ma. ssage. Kills any nasties.

[walkon]

I

I wash my boots & gaiters every time I get back from a walk, and disinfect them if I've been in a known phytophthera area. Nothing fancy, just hot water and Dettol. Do the same with shoes/sandals depending on where I've been.
Which is why I don't bother with the scrub-down stations Parks has been installing down here. Apart from not trusting their disinfectant since the soles of one pair of boots started peeling off the day after the only time I did use one . . .

I agree, also I do this when I travel not just for Fungi also to stop any introduced species where I go. Though round my normal jaunts I can't say that I wash my boots at all really. More a case of drying them out.

I'm more concerned about the fungus inside my boots

What's wrong with your toe nails?

[horsecat]

Not too sure walkon, nor is the doctor. Might have something to do with all the yak crap, camel crap, monkey crap, donkey crap, human crap and unknown crap that I've collected on them in the last few years through the Himalaya...
Another good reason to light a campfire Walkerchris

[walkerchris77]

Lol, and if your clever you can cook 8 marshmallows at a time.

[horsecat]