I have a pair of aging running shoes that I wear while doing yard work. I stupidly left a bucket of organic materials outdoors over the winter, and of course the bucket filled up with water. Yesterday, I emptied bucket - the death stench! I accidentally spilled some of the water on my shoes.

I didn't wash the shoes until this morning. I've done a quick wash cycle with Persil in my front loader (as a pre-wash), along with a longer wash with a few towels. The shoes still smell like "death." I am trying again with another Persil 2-1 wash with bleach. Am I just destined to throw them out? Or should I keep trying? Any suggestions? They are not valuable items by any means, but I do wear them a lot!