Longevity is the most important contribution in sustainable shoes. The most important thing for the shoes to last is proper and regular maintenance.
Minor repairs
If the shoes are damaged, there are a number of minor repairs you can do yourself, such as gluing soles and galoshes that are starting to come loose or lubricating the zipper. A shoemaker can also help you with many defects that can occur on a shoe. Contact your local shoemaker and they will help you.
ALFA For Life™
To give ALFA products even longer life, we will start offering service and repair on some of our products. Impact A/P/S GTX is the first product where ALFA offers full service and repair of all parts (including the GORE-TEX membrane). This makes it possible to make the shoe almost last forever. Read more about the ALFA For Life project.
The service will for now be carried out at Skomaker Våge in Gjøvik, Norway. Only original parts will be used in the repair and replaced parts will be recycled.
For the time being, we only offer repairs of the Impact A/P/S GTX model, but we are working to be able to offer repairs of wearing parts on other models as well.
Which shoe laces fit my boots?
Our impregnated shoe laces comes in 5 lengths. The choice of length depends on the boots' size and shaft height.
Generally, laces up to 160cm will fit our low boots, in addition to mid-high boots in women's sizes. 180-200 cm fits hiking mid in men's sizes and hiking high/mountain. 220 cm is intended our hunting boots.
Please note that these are only general guidelines. If you're unsure which lace length to choose, we recommend measuring the laces already in your boots to ensure proper length.
My shoes smell bad, what can I do?
It is a relatively well-known phenomenon that bad odors can occur in footwear constructed with textile materials. This occurs very rarely in footwear where the main component is leather. The reason why odors occur is that the drying process has taken too long, and that there is thus a certain bacterial production. A typical example is if wet sneakers are forgotten again on the stairs on a humid autumn evening.
To avoid this type of problem, it is important to bring shoes / boots into the heat, and take out the insoles to dry them separately. A lot of moisture accumulates between the insole and the GoreTex laminate. For very damp shoes, newspaper can be used for a few minutes to extract moisture.
If you have a bad smell in your shoes, this can be difficult to get out. One possible solution that may work is:
1. Remove the insoles (often the smell can be in these so these must also be washed, possibly you can change the insoles.
2. Rinse off dirt and grime on the shoes.
Leather boots / shoes:
3. Fill the inside of the shoes with soapy water when the shoes are upright. Use Antibacterial Zalo, Vinegar with a drop of Zalo or Holmenkoll Textile Wash.
4 Brush the shoes thoroughly inside with a kitchen brush etc. Leave the shoes for a couple of hours.
5 Also wash the insoles well in soapy water if you do not change them. It is advisable to put in new insoles, as a lot of bacteria / odor may have accumulated in them. 6. Rinse and dry the shoes thoroughly. Use shoe dryers that blow hot air, not a heat rack, fireplace or heated floor.
Textile shoes or shoes in Alfa-AirTM material:
3. Fill the inside of the shoes with soapy water when the shoes are upright Use Antibacterial Zalo, Vinegar with a drop of Zalo or Holmenkoll Textile Wash.
4. Brush the shoes thoroughly with a kitchen brush or the inside and the outside.Leave the shoes in the soap habit net a couple of hours so the water fills them inside and covers them outside.
5. Also wash the insoles well in soapy water if you do not change them. You may want to put in new insoles, as a lot of bacteria / odor may have accumulated in these.
6. Rinse and dry the shoes thoroughly. Use a shoe dryer that blows hot air. Do not dry shoes on or near a hot source such as a fireplace, stove, underfloor heating or heating rack.
How do I glue a loose sole or a loose mudguard?
A loose sole or a loose mudguard can very easily be repaired with glue without reducing the functionality in the shoes. In addition, we also contribute a little to the environment by repairing rather than throwing away shoes that are basically fully usable. We recommend the glue Aquatite and not regular superglue as it does not last.
Order repair of Impact A/P/S GTX
Impact A/P/S GTX is the first product where ALFA offers full service and repair of all parts (including the GORE-TEX membrane). This makes it possible to make the shoe almost last forever. Read more about the ALFA For Life project.
For the time being, we only offer repairs of the Impact A/P/S GTX model, but we are working to be able to offer repairs of worn out parts on other models as well.
Link to order repair
