DIY ultraviolet shoe dryer. What types of shoe dryers are there? Preparation for use

In winter, I use special dryers to dry shoes. I really like going out into the cold in dry and warm boots :) Over time, the dryer of the left boot began to work every now and then. It became clear that the power cord was broken.
So here are the dryers. Remove the plug from the socket (If you forgot)

Using a Phillips screwdriver, I unscrew the screws from the bottom of the dryer.

The screws are unscrewed, you need to pry the bottom of the dryer through the hole with a screwdriver and open the lid slightly

Opening the lid

The heating element is located in a special compartment in the bottom cover. The element is placed between two contact plates and wrapped in a current-insulating, heat-resistant film.

Now you need to find the break point; to do this, I hold the cable tightly in my hands and pull both wires with my other hand. A wire with broken strands will come out of the cable without much effort.

I try on the wire to the cable and cut the cable approximately at the break point (I did this with a knife, there were no wire cutters nearby)

I cleaned the outer insulation of the cable with a knife and, in order not to damage the thin copper conductors with the knife, I melt the insulation with the flame of a lighter and remove it from the conductors while it is warm (It is better to do this with gloves so as not to get burned).

Now we twist the stripped conductors. We twisted the first pair, wrapped 3-4 layers of electrical tape, twisted the second pair
The cable had a cross-section of 0.75 mm2, the current that can flow through such a cross-section without heating is approximately 15 amperes (from the cable cross-section selection table), but our current is 0.0 (27) Ampere (we divide the power of 6 Watts by the network voltage of 220 Volt). Since the current is negligible, you can safely twist the wires without fear of heating the twisted area.

We wind the electrical tape over the twist with a margin of 5-7 cm on each side (so that you can pull the dryer out of the shoe by the wire without fear of the twist unwinding)

Since I had already cut the cable, I decided to lengthen it a little (by about 30 cm) in one go.

We attach wires with contact pads to the cable (also twisted). I assemble a “sandwich” - a plate - a thermoelement - a plate, wrap it in film and place it in a special compartment on the lid of the dryer.

To prevent the wires from being pulled out, when removing the dryer from the boot, I wrap it well with electrical tape and, leaving 3-4 cm of wire reserve inside the dryer, I put a limiter (I attached a plastic clamp, you can just tie the cable in a knot)

All that remains is to put the sole in place and tighten the screws.
The dryer is ready for use again.

It took about 30 minutes without rushing

Despite the heat outside, the value of shoe dryers not only does not decrease, but perhaps even increases. Personally, even in summer I have to wear shoes. And in the heat, shoes become wet even faster than in the fall.

The other day, when I decided to dry my shoes, I discovered that one of the dryers was not working. We take on the brain repair of our dryers.

So, we turn on our dryers and see that one dryer does not want to light up, and also does not want to heat up at all.

Disconnect from the network. Open the lid by unscrewing the screws. We find the following picture:

The scheme, as we see, is completely uncomplicated. I’ll say right away that the original should have had four LEDs, but somehow they had already burned out. I was only able to assemble three, and simply replaced the fourth with a jumper.

Our dryer has one very vulnerable spot - the heating element. It sits under the radiator plate.

This is true! The wire flew off and our entire circuit became open. Solder it back. You have to solder carefully. It is better to fix it with something until the solder completely hardens. The fact is that the heating element is a ceramic plate on which something similar in appearance to graphite has been applied. Although it may be graphite. The contact points were covered with a very thin layer of foil, and it successfully came off along with the wire. Therefore, it is necessary to solder on the edge of the ceramic and the conductive part. Both there and there the connection will be fragile, but we can’t carry bags of potatoes on it.

We believe you. Everything glows! And it gets warm!

We carefully turn the record over (this was the most difficult moment for me - a couple of times the wires fell off), and put everything together. Let's check again.

In total, having lost 15 minutes of time, and practically not a penny of money (electric energy and the huge costs of solder and rosin are not taken into account 🙂) we have newly revived dryers, which I bought for almost $15.

We can run to dry our shoes.

Many of us, unfortunately, often face the problem of unpleasant odor from shoes.

This happens most often after we get caught in the rain or after a long walk on a hot, sultry day.

Some people simply have diseases associated with excessive sweating. It's called hyperhidrosis.

Desperate to overcome this disease, they even resort to iontophoresis or blocking the sweat glands. True, they forget that if they block it in one place, other places will sweat more.

However, there is a much more reasonable and effective way out. Modern devices - ultraviolet dryers or shoe sterilizers - will help you get rid of all the unpleasant odors that your shoes emit.

After just one treatment with such high-quality devices, the unpleasant odors go away. After a few more uses, relatively old shoes may even remember their original leather smell.

This is what boots just bought from a store usually smell like.

Dry and clean feet are the key to your health. Therefore, such devices should be in every family.

But remember that the main task of ultraviolet dryers is not so much the drying itself, but rather the antifungal and disinfectant treatment. If you suffer from similar ailments, they will provide a 100% guarantee against relapse.

For simple drying of shoes, there are cheaper models. But they do not perform any disinfecting function.

We will look in more detail at the ultraviolet device, revealing all its pros and cons.

How to get rid of unpleasant shoe odor

An unpleasant odor in shoes appears when bacteria form in it.

Using fragrances, constantly washing and changing socks, and regularly changing insoles are either ineffective or require a significant amount of time.

However, all these measures do not fulfill the main task - they do not kill the bacteria that have already settled inside your sandals, shoes and boots.

Much greater comfort and freshness are provided by ultraviolet sterilizer lamps.

They perform three functions at once:

• drying

• elimination of foreign odors

• elimination of fungus and bacteria

Be careful when choosing and purchasing such devices. There are inexpensive models with pseudo-ultraviolet LEDs.

They are different from those that have real UV lamps built into them.
Cheap copies are nothing more than an ordinary dryer with a purple backlight.

You will not get any disinfection or elimination of bacteria from them. It is quite possible that the bacteria will even grow and their number will increase even more.

You created warmth for them, provided them with safe light, and I don’t want to eat whatever is available - I don’t want to multiply.

So let's look at a more workable option.

Design and operating principle

At first, such lamps appeared on the American market. Today they can be ordered at an affordable price from our Chinese comrades.

The sterilizer itself is very small in size, 8.2 cm * 2.6 cm.

The main working element is a UVC lamp that emits light with a wavelength of 253.7 nm.

For those who don’t know, let me remind you that ozone is formed in the spectrum from 175 to 242 nm. The ideal spectrum for creating bactericidal ultraviolet light is 265 nm.

However, even at 253.7 nm, bacterial DNA begins to massively lose the ability to develop and reproduce.

By the way, do not try to test such ultraviolet light for translucency of banknotes.

To check money, you need a spectrum with a wavelength of 365 nm, and here you have a much shorter wavelength.

In case of burnout or failure, the light bulb can be easily replaced.

Its declared service life is 8 thousand hours. However, in fact, if you want the lamp to shine with the same brightness and UV radiation density, it is better to replace it after a couple of years or after 2 thousand hours.

During this period, the transparency of a flask made of uviol glass will decrease by almost 50%. This is a special glass with increased transmission of UV rays with a length of up to 400 nm.

The initial density of ultraviolet radiation is 2000µW/cm2. It is high density that plays the main role here.

With the small LEDs that other similar models use, you will never get the same results.

The sterilization process occurs due to ozone, which is formed when oxygen is exposed to ultraviolet rays. According to manufacturers, sterilization efficiency reaches almost 100%.

But in reality, much will depend on the shape of the shoe, the folds inside, the type of bacteria and many other parameters. But given the power, the device really works and copes with its tasks.

Reviews for UV dryer

For safety reasons, it is forbidden to look directly at the light emitted by the lamp. It is also not recommended that the rays accidentally hit bare skin.

With prolonged and intense exposure, oncological consequences are quite possible. This all suggests that ultraviolet here is ultra, and not just violet. Colors sometimes bring big surprises.

The light bulbs themselves are fixed inside plastic holders.

Fastening method - threaded connection in a metal cartridge.

Each lamp has a long wire from the power supply. The wires are connected through male-female connectors.

Supply voltage from 110 to 240V.

How to use

To begin drying and disinfecting your shoes, place lamps inside your boots or sandals.

If these are shoes with open areas, then all holes should be covered with socks, a rag or newspaper.

Firstly, to protect the eyes from dangerous radiation. Secondly, to enhance the effect, so that ozone does not escape through these “holes”.

The power consumption of the device in operating mode is within 11W.

While the sterilization and drying process is in progress, a red LED on the intermediate box of the controller lights up.

After the light goes out, the green light turns on. This is very convenient if you completely cover the outside of your shoes as recommended.

You won’t peek inside every time, risking catching a “bunny.”

The light bulb itself heats up from 70 to 90 degrees during the radiation process. This ensures, in addition to disinfection and neutralization of all bacteria, also drying.

If you sniff, you can actually smell the ozone when it’s working. Of course, it will not be pronounced, but those who went to clinics under the USSR can remember similar sensations.

Something similar happened when I visited the office to warm up my throat and nose.

Advantages and disadvantages

If we summarize the advantages of a UV shoe dryer, they will be as follows:

But as with any similar device, do not count on a long-lasting effect. You will not be able to kill all bacteria and fungi once and for all.

Survivors will necessarily move or appear in other dark and inaccessible folds and places. After which they will start breeding again.

Therefore, if you start using the device and the smell goes away, then use it regularly.

• automatic shutdown

That is, I set it to dry and forgot. No need to run around and check so as not to burn your shoes.

In the autumn-winter period, constant slush, rain and sleet on the streets cause wet shoes. It is difficult to store such shoes in the usual place on shoe shelves (due to the unpleasant odor and drips); going outside in such shoes is not only uncomfortable, but also harmful to health. It’s good if you can immediately put on a new pair and dry the wet one at room temperature, but this doesn’t always happen.

In our article we will try to answer the most popular questions that may arise when choosing and purchasing shoe dryers:
What types of electric shoe dryers are there on the market today?
Which ones are better?
What should you pay attention to when choosing?

How to dry wet shoes

Tip #1. Remove wet shoes as quickly as possible

The fact is that leather shoes, and primarily those made of high quality leather, very quickly lose their shape and become deformed when wet. So, even if your boots or shoes are just a little wet, then at the first opportunity (the sooner it appears, the better), such a pair should be removed and dried.

Tip #2. Stuff very wet shoes with newspapers

If the shoes are very wet, then the best way to remove excess moisture from them is to stuff them with newspapers or napkins; they will quickly and well absorb the moisture and speed up the drying process. This advice can be applied if you are not at home, but in the office, and if you have replacement shoes. Until evening, in a warm room, you can “reanimate” wet steam in this way.

Tip #3. We use heated floors for drying

For the lucky owners of heated floors, the following drying method will be an excellent solution. If you place your shoes on a lightly heated floor, they will dry almost naturally, but noticeably faster. On top of that, shoes will not deteriorate on a slightly warm floor, as if they were placed on a hot radiator

Tip #4. We use high-quality equipment for drying shoes

A traditional electric shoe dryer looks like this - two twisted frames that are proposed to be placed inside boots, shoes or sneakers. Traditional heaters are made of metal, while more modern ceramic products are immersed in a plastic housing.

There are three types of shoe dryers:

• Electric dryers

The first type is a standard electric dryer. It consists of two heating elements that are connected by a cord to a plug for plugging into an outlet. Heating elements can be placed in a plastic mold in the form of pads or in the form of tube loops. Manufacturers of loop dryers claim that they are better because they cover a larger area. But in fairness, it must be said that devices in the form of a block are preferable. They better retain the shape of the shoes during the drying process. Also, dryers with ceramic heating elements do not dry out the skin, which will be very useful for winter shoes.

• Blower dryers

The second type includes blower dryers. They remove moisture using a stream of air heated to 60°C. This dryer is most often made of plastic. Shoes are put on the pipes sticking up and dried this way. These devices operate from the mains or from a battery. This dryer has a shorter drying time - about 3 hours (for a standard dryer - 7 hours). In addition, you can dry socks and mittens on it.

• Dryers with germicidal ultraviolet lamps

The third type is essentially a continuation of the first two, but with the addition of bactericidal ultraviolet lamps, which not only dry shoes, but also destroy bacteria, odors and fungi. In addition, there are also models with deodorizing plates that add aroma to the shoes. If you decide to buy just such a model, then ask whether there is a quality certificate and whether the product is approved by the Ministry of Health. It is safer to buy such devices in a special medical equipment store or at a pharmacy.
It has been verified that in a few sessions this way you can “cure” your shoes from fungus. If this problem does not bother you, then preventive measures in any case will not be superfluous.

1

They do not dry out shoes, their operating power does not exceed 10-12 W. Thanks to this device, it will be easy to rid your shoes of an unpleasant odor and dry them

How to choose the right electric dryer

Whatever type of electric shoe dryer you choose, when purchasing, pay attention to the following points:

• The materials from which the device is made must be of high quality, at least in appearance. All parts fit tightly - so that there are no cracks, backlashes, traces of glue, or burrs. The power cord must be double insulated, flexible and not too thin, with protection at the base
• It’s good if the heating element is made of ceramic, then drying is done carefully and as quickly as possible
• There should be holes on the body of the dryer - then the air inside circulates freely, and the shoes dry faster
• The heating time for an electric dryer is usually indicated in the instructions. The faster the dryer heats up, the better. Optimally – up to 15 minutes. If more than 20-30 minutes is too long
• Ideally, the heating temperature should be 50 - 60 ° C; at higher values, the shoes may deteriorate. In addition, the higher the temperature, the higher the energy consumption
• A very important parameter is the size of the dryer, because it needs to be placed inside the shoes. It's no secret that children most often come in soaking wet boots. So if you have a younger generation in your house, choose a dryer with small pads or an option with wire heaters - it can be bent, thus reducing the size
• And lastly: evaluate the length of the power cord - if it turns out to be too short, you will have to buy an extension cord. Good luck with your choice and dry weather

We hope that all of the above tips will help to significantly extend the life of your shoes and keep them dry and warm during the cold season.

Once they brought me a faulty Chinese shoe dryer to work, because they know that I like to disassemble anything that has burned out and is out of order.

It was a regular dryer with two elements, just enough for one pair of shoes. The essence of its work is as follows: heating elements are placed in wet shoes, the plug is simply plugged into a 220V socket, these elements begin to generate heat, thereby drying the shoes. If the dryer is made with high quality and the heating elements are correctly calculated, then it can work for a long time. But as we know, this is not about the Chinese, and therefore you need to be careful when using such things.

What happened to the shoe dryer you brought?

From the outside, on both sides, it was very clearly visible how the plastic case began to melt. This happened as a result of excessive heating of the heating element. Most likely, it was calculated incorrectly and it calmly not only dried the shoes, but also melted the body of the dryer.

What's inside?

Nothing interesting. Inside is an ordinary ceramic tile with a small heating element glued to it using thermal paste, to which wires are screwed. Okay, at least the twists are weak, but soldered. The photo below shows that the tile was supported by six plastic legs, which began to melt during operation of the dryer. You can also see that the insulation on the “phase” and “neutral” wires in the place of twists is black. Consequently, it also became very hot and melted. It's good that it didn't turn out to be a short circuit. It could very well happen here.

And then what could happen?

Inside winter shoes there is wool or some other insulation. During operation, the dryer dries and heats it. I think that the slightest spark from a short circuit is enough to ignite it.

Another danger is possible burns to your hands when removing the dryer from your shoes and electric shock from melted wires.

Such Chinese dryers are very popular, as they can be easily purchased and very inexpensively. At first, they work without any visible malfunctions and dry shoes. But there always comes a time when they fail.

Many people leave it on in their boots all night. Under no circumstances should this be done. Shoes should be placed in a visible and free place during drying. You also need to constantly monitor it and immediately turn it off as soon as the shoes are dry.

Take care of yourself and your property, so use cheap Chinese electrical appliances with extreme caution and then everything will be fine.

Let's smile:

Aphorism:
Most electrical appliances consume less electricity when turned off.