I’m
washing my Bites. I love my Bites...nice
wear-with-everything sandals with closed toes so you can wear then when you
haven’t polished your toenails nor scraped off callouses from your heels
and/or big toe. They are black, blend in
with everything, and can be worn summer or winter.
And
believe me, they have been. They have been worn almost every day. They are
comfortable, have great support with the modified orthotic I had made for them,
and easy off/easy on. The down side of
this wonderful ease of use is that when they’re worn every day, most days
without socks (me and socks have a strange relationship…another entire story
there), the epithelials (an NCIS word!) and sweat tend to build up and now my
feet are smelling like gorgonzola when I remove the shoes. So, that means the shoes too smell like
gorgonzola.
I
believe 90% of Americans have foot pain and are in need of modifications to
their shoes or a good pair of orthotics whether they know it or not. I became
one of them many years ago after spending 2 years in agony, going to
orthopedists, wearing casts and braces, wraps and contraptions, until one day I
was sent to a physical therapist. The
therapist had me remove my shoes, roll up my pant legs, and walk down the hallway
away from him and then back. He stood
up, looked me in the eye and said “I’m surprised you can walk at all”. The
diagnosis….I had such pronounced pronation (my ankle turned downward while my
toes went out to the side) that my ankle was nearly knocking on the
carpet. The solution…arch supporting
orthotics. Tah dah…no more pain.
When
my orthotics wear out, Roy takes my shoes to Richard an amazing craftsman and
owner of a local shoe shop who modifies shoes to fit people with feet problems.
Recently Roy
took the aforementioned Bites into Richard for retreads. I had
mentioned I needed them but wanted to wash the shoes prior to taking them in so
he didn’t faint when he went to remove the old orthotic to replace it with the
new one. However, Roy
efficiently took them in for the work to be done prior to my accomplishing the
scrub out. When he picked them up,
Richard’s wife (helps with the business) told him that she had a pair of Bites
too, and did we know they could be put in the washing machine and washed and
rinsed and come out fine? Humiliation!!! She probably had to revive Richard because he
touched the inside of the shoe and then rubbed his nose. I will never step foot in that shop again out
of pure embarrassment.
So
today I am washing my Bites, scrubbing them with dishwashing soap, after
removing the insole/orthotics and scrubbing them too, and after having soaked
all parts for an hour in hot soapy water with just a drop of bleach in it. To further assure cleanliness and fresh smell,
after washing and rinsing very well, they are on the deck rail drying in the
fresh air, and with a good spray of disinfectant for good measure. Hopefully
they will soon dry, smell wonderful, and I will avoid gorgonzola toes and any
further embarrassment in the event I must take them off in public.
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