Shoe dryer

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Shoe dryers are gas or electric powered devices that dry shoes from the inside more quickly that have become damp from water or sweat.

Application area

functionality

Warm air with fan

Ambient air is sucked in via a fan. This is conducted via a heat source (usually electrical) and heated in the process. The heated air is fed directly into the shoes via a pipe / hose system, where it absorbs the moisture.

advantages

  • Relatively quick drying

disadvantage

  • Noise generated by the fan

Warm air with natural convection

The shoes must point upwards. A heat source warms the air inside the shoe. The warm air rises in the shoe. As the moisture evaporates, the air cools down again and "falls" down out of the shoe, transporting the moisture out with it.

advantages

  • Noiseless drying
  • Robust device structure

disadvantage

  • Increased drying time
  • Risk of leather damage in leather shoes

Warning notice

Vegetable tanned leather that has become damp, as is commonly used for hiking and mountain boots, is very sensitive to accelerated drying with heat. There is a risk that the leather fiber structure will turn into a crystalline structure. This has the consequence that the leather becomes brittle. Once this has happened, the process can no longer be reversed. Chrome-tanned upper leathers, such as those used in normal street and business shoes, are less sensitive in this regard, but are also at risk. For these reasons, accelerated drying of leather shoes by means of whatever heat is supplied is not advisable. The following applies here: Remove the insole and either stuff it with newspaper (absorbs moisture) or let it dry normally in the air that is as moving as possible, but not additionally heated.

In the case of shoes made of plastic, this does not matter as long as the heat does not turn into heat and softens any adhesive bonds. The accelerated drying of the inside of the shoe also has the advantage that the bacteria that decompose the sweat and thereby cause the unpleasant odor cannot multiply accordingly.