How to clean mouldy boots

[Deb in Oz]

Hi All,
I have inherited some old leather boots for my daughter.... the person had them in their cupboard for what must have been a long time, for although the boots look ok, they smell awful and have little pink mould spots inside them. They are full leather altamura boots so perhaps are worth saving, although they are hard as rocks.... the blade is a lovely looking MK professional and is like new.

Anyone know a way of getting rid of the mould and/or softening the boots a little? Or are they not worth the effort? Do leather boots stiffen over time when left idle? My daughter wont even keep her foot in them as she says they hurt!

Deb

[katz in boots]

they smell awful and have little pink mould spots inside them.

Eewww!

They are full leather altamura boots so perhaps are worth saving, although they are hard as rocks.... the blade is a lovely looking MK professional and is like new.

Anyone know a way of getting rid of the mould and/or softening the boots a little? Or are they not worth the effort? Do leather boots stiffen over time when left idle? My daughter wont even keep her foot in them as she says they hurt!

Oh Deb! How to send shudders down my spine. I had 3 pairs back in the 1980s and my ankle bones are still flattened 25 years later.

Altamura were an Australian brand, I am fairly sure they no longer make skate boots but their skates do seem to show up on Ebay regularly here in Oz. The basic model broke in & down within a year, the 'supreme' model wasn't too bad, but my 'customs' never did break in. Steel strips over the ankles gave them their lateral support - and flattened my ankle bones. They never stopped being agony after 2 years and they were not heat moldable either.

I do not know when Altamura stopped making them or if more recent models were more advanced or included heat molding (I suspect not). They have the reputation of being very heavy and clunky and never breaking down.

Sorry to sound so negative, but my advice based on my personal experience: keep the blades, throw the boots.

[Bunny Hop]

Can't help with the mould spots, but I believe the high level Altamura boots had a reputation for being as hard as rocks to begin with, so that may well be their natural state of being! (EDIT: Katz beat me to it!)

I only had the recreational level Altamuras, which are of course now much to soft in the ankle to be of any use, but they still fit me when I went back to skating as an adult and I used them for a year before buying new boots. Boot technology sure had changed in the interventing 20 years! As the company no longer exists, and they were my first skates, I can't quite bear to part with them.

[katz in boots]

Hi Bunny Hop, you sure are fast!
Thinking about it, the basic boots did break down fast, so unless someone didn't use them much, it's hard to imagine them still being stiff now.

With the number of Altamura boots I see on Ebay, I suspect they must be mostly the upper 2 models, which = concrete blocks.

[caffn8me]

For cleaning the leather and softening it initially you could try saddle soap.

There are some hints here (http://vintageclothing.about.com/od/alterationcare/ht/leather_mold.htm) too

[aussieskater]

Sorry to sound so negative, but my advice based on my personal experience: keep the blades, throw the boots.

I'm with Katz on this - my first "real" skates were DH's old Altamuras (yes, we have the same foot size ... and he's 8 inches taller than me ... let's not go there :oops: ), and 4-5 years later, my Achilles tendons still bear the tendon calluses from them.

[LWalsh]

I think I'd throw them out but if you want to try to soften leather that has dried out try this:

Take a washrag and soak it in water and then wring out the water. Place the washrag inside the boot and place the boot in a sealed plastic bag overnight. I should help soften them considerably (if they are soften-able).

LW

[Deb in Oz]

Thanks for your replies. I had heard bad things about the altamura boots before, but wasn't sure if that was only the recreational boots. I won't let my daughter wear them if they are that bad, so I'll just get rid of them.

Is the MK professional a good blade then? They're probably quite old, but I think the previous owner must have found the skates too painful too as they look hardly used. If so, I will have them removed and keep them for her next boot as they are a size up from what she has now.

Thanks,
Deb

[aussieskater]

MK Pro blades are certainly worth saving! If they don't fit your daughter's next skates, you should have no trouble selling them if they're in reasonable condition.

[Deb in Oz]

Thanks! This may then help fund my own new boots....:)

[caffn8me]

MK Pro blades are very good blades for someone up to intermediate level. Don't chuck them. Do get them sharpened before using them though.

[Query]

Yuk!

Ask yourself: Do I want that mold on my foot?

If it can grow on leather (dried cow skin, preserved with poisons that kill living things), it can grow on skin, maybe even under the nails, where it is hard to get to.

There is a fungicide, in the athlete's foot treatment sprays, you could try. But I wouldn't want my foot in those boots.

Double Yuk.