Yes, memory foam sandals can get wet. The memory foam material is made from polyurethane mixed with other chemicals which increase its density and viscosity.
Although the density of atoms contained in the matter of what makes up the memory foam makes it seldom penetrable by water.
Albeit the outer surface gets wet. This is not mean that it is not porous. It just doesn’t soak up liquid easily as a sponge would. The nature of the material makes it wettable, however, not easily damageable by water.
What happens when your memory foam sandals get wet?
1. Microbial Growth
The porous nature of the memory foam material used for making the sandal makes it retain water in the event that it gets wet. And soon, it becomes a home to molds and mildew when it is not properly ventilated.
This means that accumulation of moisture over time, if not attended to, dampens up the shoe and serves as a home for destruction-causing microbes which goes on to deplete the sandal.
2. Decreased Adhesion
You must also know that there are other components of the sandal that are made with different materials. For example, the sole.
A memory foam sandal can be prone to damage when wet because the adhesive used in binding some of the components together gets weakened by moisture too.
The chemistry behind this is that when an adhesive layer comes in contact with water, the hydrogen bond that exists between the water molecules weakens the bond that exists between the substrate and the adhesive.
And the end result is decreased adhesion. And soon, you find the different components going their separate ways.
What To Do When Your Memory Foam Sandals Get Wet?
The ideal thing to do when a memory foam sandal gets wet is to try to get the water content out of it, either by using baking soda on it, putting it under direct sunlight, spinning or through air-drying at a normal room temperature.
Each of these has its pros and cons.
Using Baking Soda
One of the essential ways to get your sandals to stop stinking is by the use of baking soda. It works like magic. And this is because technically, baking soda is also sodium bicarbonate. It is a powdery substance that has a slight base (alkaline) pH.
So its chemical property gives it the ability to neutralize the acid in any of the substances that it comes in contact with.
This is one of the best options because it removes odor without adding any form of its own smell.
Use Vinegar
When a memory foam sandal gets wet, leaving it to dampen up will mar it in no small way. It is only right that you brush it using specifically white vinegar.
It doesn’t need much aggressive scrubbing as if brushing away thick dirt. However, an aggressive vinegar scrubbing can suffice too in a case where the sandal was dirty before it got wet.
Use Hydrogen Peroxide Solution
More often than not, drying a wet sandal directly after it got wet, be it memory foam or not, will get it smelling still, even after it has dried. But you can easily avert that possibility by using hydrogen peroxide solution.
Start by soaking the sandal in the solution of hydrogen peroxide. Because it is a very strong cleaning agent, it would not take more than a minute before dirt begins to come off it.
How To Dry Your Memory Foam Sandal?
- Machine dry
- Dry under direct sunlight
Machine dry
This is one way to dry a memory foam sandal or any other footwear in the shortest possible time. A drying machine spins and heats up the sandal.
It simultaneously tosses it in different directions such that all parts of it get to feel the heat.
Other times, clothes drying machines are used too, and they have proven to be effective as well.
Dry under direct sunlight
When you dry your memory foam sandals under direct sunlight, it does not just serve as a fast-drying means of moisture removal, it fiercely and directly kills the growth of bacteria and keeps the sandals just fine and dry.
However, the downside to this method of treating a wet memory foam sandal is that constant sun-dry leads to easy fading, and soon, wear and tear will come rolling over.
Air-dry at room temperature
This method removes all forms of moisture without necessarily subjecting the material of the sandal to high temperatures.
However, simple room temperature drying of your memory foam sandals will not intensively repel microbes like sun-drying will do. Still, you may want to consider it as it wouldn’t as much fade your sandal as it is with sun-drying.
Why Do Memory Foam Sandals Smell So Bad?
Sweats and dead skin
Your memory foam sandal can only have the awful and stinky smell from the dead skin and sweat that gets off your feet to it.
This is an environment that is so much loved by unhealthy microorganisms. The warmth and the odor become a five-star hotel for those tiny little guys, then you have them as guests.
Substandard materials
Other times some Memory Foam Sandals are not made from genuine materials. People will always find shorter cuts when making fakes of originals.
These supposed memory foam are made with substandard and harsh chemicals that come off with an awful smell after a few times of use.
Why You should have Memory foam sandals in your closet
For the ease of foot pain
Research and several users’ experiences are proof that memory foam sandals are great reducers of foot pains.
The soft nature of the memory foam material gives your foot a soft landing and improves your gait and every footstrike.
What intensifies foot aches in most cases are hard footwear and the terrible alignment of a shoe’s components.
However, in a case like this where the softness of this sandal offers a pure therapeutic feeling, this makes it just perfect!
Looking for something casual and comforting? This Norty Men’s Casual Sandal should come in handy.
The becomes the go-to guy for easing foot pains as the footbed and straps are soft and therapeutic.
It is lightweight, cool, and classy, and can be used for a walk on the beach or other outdoor activities (casual places though). It has a cool aesthetic appeal too.
Even in its casual model, you still want one of these iterations in your closet.
For maximization of efficiency
Increased foot efficiency is always brought about by the betterment of foot positioning. This is to say, the efficiency of a foot in a shoe has direct proportionality to how well it is placed in a shoe.
Seeing that the well-aligned footbed of memory foam sandals holds the feet in delicateness, it makes sense when it is reported to increase foot efficiency.
Here is the Cushionaire Memory Foam Sandal that keeps you on the go.
Talking about a sandal that keeps you on track with better efficiency? Here you have it. The cool thing about it is its lightweight and conducive features.
This one comes with a studded welt design with an outsole that is pretty big on traction control.
The outsole is made with a fine blend of memory foam and leather for a tad bounciness to serve as an energy return to accompany every step that you take. How better can a sandal be?
For better shock absorption
A shoe can only absorb shock when it has a soft landing and a cushioned footbed with better arch support.
And all of these are practical in a memory foam sandal. It has a great heel guide which works for the improvement of stability.
Here is one memory foam sandal that is a perfect embodiment of shock absorption. This Skechers Women’s Desert Sandal is pretty big on shock absorbency.
Since this sandal is flat and not heeled, the memory foam footbed absorbs the shock of every step that you take.
The sole also works for this too. It is made with a combination of memory foam and other synthetic materials that are great cushions.
It has a good overall balance, designed to be toothed and anti-friction. This is one sandal that should save the day on slippery surfaces and in times of discomfort.
For increased comfort
A memory foam sandal? There is no better synonym for memory foam sandals than “comfort.” A cool thing about it is how it helps to evenly distribute balance. The softness of the material too is very comforting to the feet.
For example, check out this Dream Pair women’s sandal.
The comforting memory foam footbed keeps you underfoot in a soft and padded condition such that it makes it less susceptible to fatigue or easy foot tiredness.
Because a shoe’s footbed has direct contact with the arch, this makes it just great!
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