I have a similar problem with my new (4 months old) New Balance shoes. They smell horrible. I don't have a good sense of smell so it took me awhile to identify the source, worse than any smelly shoe/feet smell I've smelled before. When I realized it was the shoes, I tried filling them with rubbing alcohol and letting them dry outside, but now that I see it is a New Balance problem, I will try to return them. I have older New Balance shoes, same model number, 811s, don't smell like that and they're five years old. New Balance 811s are the only shoes that fit my wide feet.
I'm going to try now to get a refund. I read the post about bleach not working, so I doubt the rubbing alcohol will work either. When I looked inside the shoe, for the first time, today, there's black stuff growing in the insole and in the seams of the lining. I couldn't get that out with the alcohol, so I'm afraid the shoes I paid around $90 for are going to be unwearable. I've also been having a reaction lately, itchy, from wearing them, which doesn't happen at all with my older New Balance shoes, and is clearing immediately upon suspending use of the new ones. Ick--what a problem. ... View related article.
