... and other things you find out in desperation!
Yes, you really can put ski boot liners and winter boots in the washing machine, and they come out fine. It makes perfect sense to me - if they can get wet (as they do), then why can't they be washed?
Why do I know this? This long, wet winter, I picked up Benjamin and Christopher from dagis with boots that weighed significantly more in the afternoon than in the morning. Many afternoons, I could pour water out of Christopher's boots. We cycled through several pairs of boots, using ones that had previously been classified as "too small" as well as ones that were saved to grow into - just to get a reasonably dry pair each morning. Boots take days to dry out (hmmm... haven't tried the tumble dryer...) Anyway, after a few weeks, they really begin to smell... so I faced a choice - throw them out or throw them in... the washing machine. And believe it or not, it worked.
Then, we found ourselves skiing, and the boys somehow decided to pass on the bathroom breaks - or perhaps they just couldn't make themselves understood in a third language (French). Needless to say, their ski boots quickly became gaggable, and I couldn't fathom fastening them again. Again - throw them out (an expensive option, since we bought for hand-me-down potential) or throw them in... the washing machine.
