There is nothing as disgusting as pulling on a pair of smelly snowboard boots. It doesn’t matter how good looking your boots are – they’re going to smell if you store them wet. And once they start smelling, it is very hard to get rid of the smell.
Any Form of Heat Will Accelerate the Drying Process
Ideally, your boots will dry fast if you leave them out in the sun. This is, however, impossible if you are in a cold snowy region.
The alternative would be using artificial heat sources like:
- Hot air racks
- Close to a radiator or a portable heater
- Hang them over a closed fireplace
- Put them in a hot boot bag
- Use portable boot dryers
Most of the makeshift techniques above can burn your boots or the liners if you are not keen. This will make the boots harder to fit or simply unaesthetic. That is why we always encourage our readers to invest in a good snowboard boot dryer.
Preparing Your Boots for Drying
Before you use your chosen form of drying, it would be wise to prepare the boots. This gets rid of any dirt and dries off most of the water before you start applying the heat.
- Remove your boots as soon as you can
- Take out the liners and or footbed of the boot if it is removable. They will clean and dry better when detached
- If the liners are not removable, shove some crushed newspaper pages or tissues into the boot and leave them there for 30 minutes. The paper will absorb most of the moisture and order.
- If your boot is too wet, you can swap the waterlogged paper to pull out more moisture
- Use a damp cloth to wipe the outside of the clean and leave it to dry
- You can now put the boots into a boot dryer or place them next to a heat source to finish the drying process
You can still use the same tricks to dry hiking boots as the concept is almost the same
Buying Portable Boot Dryers is Reasonable
Using open heat like a fire or radiator could easily burn your expensive boots if something goes wrong. You can get good boot dryers for less than $50. It makes no sense to risk your expensive boots by drying them over a fire or radiator unless it is a risk you are willing to take. Moreover, a portable boot dryer (Check on Amazon) means you can dry the boots on your way home from hitting the slopes.