[Howie]

We're packing up for the movers to arrive in 36 hours, and we need to clean our camping gear and boots. We've had a first crack at most of it, but time is getting short and we're trying to figure out "how clean is clean?" We obviously don't want to have clods of dirt in the tread of our boots, but that last bit of dust in the seams is nearly impossible to get out. Does anybody have any experience with how much dirt they did or did not get away with? I couldn't find much guidance on the MAF website.

Thanks.

[Smiler]

Howie

We cleaned the visible dirt from everything, clods and all, then brushed and where we could washed. I would recommend washing the treads on boots and stuff just incase you get pulled by customs or MAF. It is a chore, I know!:(

Coming in through Wellington recently the people in front of me got pulled for mud in the boots, but they didn't inspect mine (even though they were clean :clap )

It might well be a lottery on the day but if you have done as much as you can, you should be fine.

[Debbie]

One of the packers who gave us an estimate recommended dipping the souls of your shoes and washing what you could in the strongest smelling disinfectant you could find on the theroy that if MAF inspected if it stilled smelled clean they would be less likly to go through the lot. Remember to leave time for the stuff you wash to dry out compleatly before packing.
Debbie

[ShakerMike]

.....We obviously don't want to have clods of dirt in the tread of our boots, but that last bit of dust in the seams is nearly impossible to get out. Does anybody have any experience with how much dirt they did or did not get away with? I couldn't find much guidance on the MAF website.

Thanks.

The very nice lady from MAF took one look at my golf shoes (that I hadn't had time to clean), saw the muck stuck to the cleats, dipped em in disinfectant and said "thanks, they are fine once they dry"

I questioned her and they are less bothered about mud and more bothered about seeds or insects.

I also had very grubby shinpads that she passed without disinfecting. I scrubbed all our bikes but didn't steam clean - again, no problems. I wouldn't worry too much about a bit of muck

The things she didn't like were the pinecones attached to an artificial Christmas tree, which were asked to cut off and put in her bin. She also mentioned that she wasn't too keen on the stuffed baboon and assorted skulls owned by the guy she visited before us. These were in the back of her car to be taken for disinfecting.

Also, if you can get MAF to come out to your house, it seems a lot easier. You pay a travel fee ($100 max around Auckland area) but it means the Inspector comes to you (in our case, the day after) rather than having your container stuck at the docks. Someone told me this can only happen if the container is delivered by a MAF approved driver, but I can't confirm this.

What I can say is that our MAF rep was very human, very chatty and not in the least bit fussed about coming out on a hot Saturday afternoon. The inspection lasted around 30 minutes and was largely a formality.

I would also reiterate the advice given elsewhere on this site - don't let the NZ shippers screw you for spurious MAF fees. In our case, not content with getting $70 in "admin" fees, it turned out that they had also 'overestimated' our MAF fees by $50 too. Fortunately, thanks to the advice on here, and an informed discussion with MAF, I found out in time.