All of you whose kids play outdoor sports know how badly cleats and turf shoes smell once they get nice and wet. Like ten thousand cats peed on them. How do your kids dry their cleats at boarding school.?
Yes. There is truly nothing worse than soccer cleats — not hockey gear, not lacrosse gear in August. I suspect it’s whatever material they’re made from that doesn’t breathe. Since I no longer have to suffer driving DS home after games, I don’t have a particular secret. I do know there are sprays you can buy — I don’t remember what DS has (freshman year roommate’s mother gave it to him (!!)). Fortunately he can keep his cleats in the locker room for the season.
In general, they don’t. 
Ha ha, that’s what I was going to write. At least with boys
Get Mycomist spray from Gordon labs. Think it’s on Amazon. Follow the instructions
No one at boarding school - but these have been a godsend for us. They dry soccer cleats overnight even when soaked.
https://www.amazon.com/I-Flex-Shoe-Dogs/dp/B000PA042Y
Mycomist Fungicidal Sanitizing Deodorant Spray 4 Oz For Shoes & Boots Gordon Labs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007I9FEUW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_u37DDbTK2PEV3
So I just dispensed this at my office to a patient that I had to fit orthotics to her soccer shoes… Man, they smelled and walked out with a bottle of the above. It works well.
If you stuff cleats with newspaper when they are wet it absorbs most of the moisture. Now that actual newspapers are as rare as Sasquatch among teens I’d lean heavily on the product mentioned. BTW, keeper gloves smell like death as well.
Have you tried desiccant packs for shoes?
I’m sure my kid does not clean his cleats at school. The only saving grace is that there is a shoe rack outside his dorm room and cleats are placed on there when not in use.
When he was in middle school, his cleats became so foul smelling from sweat, wilted grass clippings, and being stuffed in his sports bag every night with no chance to air out, that I had to dip them in a bath of rubbing alcohol! It really did the trick, though!
The kids use those smell-good “sneaker balls” - Arm & Hammer makes them also…for their ice skates and cleats…I used the mycomist but kiddo says it smells bad at first. There are also no-stink packs for hockey/lax gloves, as well as sports shoes/skates. Advise airing out the cleats and skates. Do any schools have boot dryers or shoe dryers in their locker rooms? Has anyone tried StinkBoos shoe dryer-deodorizer?
You need to put the shoes in a bag overnight with Mycomist. Might need to be done a few times. Wash/replace the sock liners. Never had anyone not get a good result with it.
https://www.cvs.com/shop/certain-dri-prescription-strength-roll-on-antiperspirant-prodid-1011140
This works very well on the feet to decrease the swestingo/odor also.
Of course… Wash the feet daily.
That’s so funny that you said cat pee. I searched my house for weeks looking for the pee spot, but it seemed to move around. I was ready to call in a hazmat team with black lights when I finally realized it was my son’s sneakers.
Nothing worse than sweaty pointe shoes! Pee-yew!
But, yes, cleats for my soccer player stated in the locker at the gym in boarding school. My kid’s never stunk too bad. Maybe because the preferred cleats were always real leather?
Did the same before I figured out what made that smell! Once I knew I banished all sports shoes to the garage and it made my life so much better.
I will get the spray for cleats. I had been told that the smell came from bacteria/fungus, should have remembered to send some spray to school during pre season.
Our son has never owned a pair of cleats, but there were odd smells anyway. Go figure.
Wait, they’re supposed to have time to shower too?? LOL
Lol. Hopefully. Changing socks is important to, a cotton/ nylon blend. You want a “wicking sock” if possible. Some socks will say microban on it. That is good.