Now just as in the of field of football, tennis, golf, basketball, baseball, athletics or even rugby, with aquatic sports you need specialised gears, ones specific to the sport in order for you to not just be competitive/excel in it but for you to also be safe when performing it. Depending on your choice of aquatic sports, the gears can be that simple swimsuit or a very expensive drysuit.
Focusing more closely on aquatic sports that take place in or near cold water which is defined as where the water temperature is below 15°C (60°F or extended immersion in water above 15°C (60°F), where discomfort would be experienced by a wet suit user, one of the vital gears used are a pair of aquatic cold water booties.
Cold water booties work to keep your feet warm and prevent your toes from going all numb from the submersion in cold water, thereby allowing you to enjoy your underwater adventure without fear of losing sensation in your feet. However in the long run there’s a minor (or major depending on how you look at it) setback to using them these of special boots of vulcanized rubber/ laminated layers of nylon/butyl rubber and poly fleece – they become quite a stink!
Just ask any wife of a hardcore diver if her home smells when those booties come home and get hung up- she’ll tell you how it doesn’t just smell bad but it absolutely reeks. Why? Because just like wetsuits, booties (pretty much made out of the same materials)have the uncanny (not the mention annoying) ability to attract bacteria and mold. These horrid stench generating ‘machines’ attach themselves into the micro pores of wetsuit material feeding on the microscopic food found in the water you ‘play’ in. That’s why booties still have that ability to produce a havoc raising stench even after you’ve given them a good soak and rinse with clean fresh water -the bacteria and mold are difficult to remove. What’s the solution? Wetsuit detergent? Perhaps but I recently came across a more eco-friendly product specifically designed to solve the problem.
Made with a blend of organic enzymes and natural oils, Booty-Fresh™ is among the safest and most effective cleaning agent available. The green formulation is non-hazardous, non-toxic, and non-flammable without the inclusion of any harsh chemicals, chlorine, or ammonia.
I’m not sure if it works but it’s worth a shot if it promises stench free water booties and a healthier planet don’t you think?
