Keds Dry Rot Prevention

[Speedy120]

Hey, folks, I need a suggestion with something. Sadly, I'm going to have to dispose of one of my favorite pairs of Keds of all time, a white pair of Champions from the mid-80s made from a lacey material. Man, I loved those shoes, but the rubber got infested with dry rot during storage. I probably should have got rid of them years ago when this started but they pretty much have completely fallen apart now.

What are steps that can be taken to prevent this from happening? Not every pair of Keds I own from that era are having this problem ... but I have a pair of Nike sneakers from this era that are showing signs of dry rot on the sole and a pair of early 90s red Keds that I have are starting to show some cracking of the sole rubber. It seems kinda random. I really don't want to lose any more of the truly rare stuff I have like this pair of lacey Keds. Aside from being a really beautiful pair of shoes, they are a true rare collectors item that I think genuinely would have been worth over $100 on eBay if they were still in as good condition as they would have been without the dry rot.

Any suggestions? Thanks, y'all.

 

[Arcolyte]

Can you attach some pictures? In my experience rubber tends to last forever, but what has a definite (and somewhat short, relatively) shelf-life is polyurethane. It goes through a process called hydrolysis wherein moisture in the air degrades the material. It's a purely chemical process, not a bacterial or fungal one as "rot" might suggest.

Hydrolysis, the crumbling of shoe soles explained

Why does my shoe fall apart? This is How We Prevent Hydrolysis in Our Safety Shoes. One of the main technical challenges with polyurethane shoe soles is overcoming an ageing deterioration known as ‘hydrolysis' ...

www.safetyjogger.com

Can you do anything about it? Well, cost-effectively, no, not really. You could try to store your shoes in sealed containers with some of those silica gel moisture-absorbers, but I think over the span of years that's probably not going to fully work.

One of my favorite fetish-shoes is the Puma GV Special, and the ones from the 2001-2004 era are all basically yellowed, sticky and crumbly messes now. They started using a rubber compound after 2003 or so, and all of those shoes have lasted fine.

Fun fact, almost all the Keds Leather Champion shoes had polyurethane rims along the shoe opening and on the tongue of the shoe, and all have degraded by now.

 

[Speedy120]

Thanks, this helps. I might try storing them in large freezer bags and press the air out. I have enough in my collection (I'm 48 ... even at 1-3 new additions per year, it adds up over that long) that I sometimes go many months between spending time with any one pair.

The main problem I have with this particular pair of Keds is that the white band of rubber, I think foxing is the correct term, used to cover up the area where the sole and upper are joined by glue, has dried out and crumbled away almost completely. I'll post pictures of them when I get a chance since I haven't yet discarded them. The sole is dried out and hard but still flexible enough to not crack when you walk in them. My feet are small enough to fit into a women's size 9, which these are.

I notice that different materials used in different eras are less susceptible to this. Keds from the 60s and 70s that I own are not. The older Keds that I sold on eBay are still in pretty much new condition. Some of my 80s Keds are fine, these certainly are not, though. I have mixed experiences with 90s and early aught era Keds ... some have dried out and hard rubber, some are still fine. Anything newer hasn't had enough time pass yet to see how the materials hold up.

I have run into this with other brands as well. I am currently wearing a pair of mid-90s era Nike Windrunner III sneakers. I recently had to reglue the entire sole together on both with great success so far (Angelus rubber cement FTW) ... most of the rubber is pliable but some decorative colored rubber is cracking. A pair of 80s Nike Oceania sneakers I once owned had to go away because of severe cracking of the sole ... but others of the same style I have of the same era are still in good shape.

 

[Speedy120]

Here's some pics. If they were still in good shape, wouldn't they be the most beautiful 80s Keds you've ever seen? ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

 

[Seeker]

That is a crying shame.

I have some sneakers that are 70 +- years old that have not done that. I have found though that keeping them in original boxes and in a dry environment has helped my collection.