Put Them Through The Washer And Dryer
Obviously, this is an athletic shoes only solution but its a pretty effective one. And since the shoes that tend to get the smelliest tend to be those we sweat into the most aka the shoes we wear to the gym or running or playing sports this is a solution that will work for a lot of people. Contrary to what most folks believe, however, it isnt the hot water of the wash cycle that kills the bacteria generating the stink. Nor is the water from the wash cycle drowning that bacteria. Its actually the prolonged exposure to the high heat of the dryer that does in the bacteria in your shoes thereby ridding them of the smell producing agents. So dont make the mistake of taking your shoes out of the washing machine and letting them air dry. Not if you want them to smell better.
Take Your Shoes Off Asap
Once youre done running, remove your shoes as soon as possible. This allows them to air out rather than remain in contact with your sweaty feet and socks. The longer the sweat lingers in the shoe, the smellier, McFaden warns. Take off your shoes, remove the sole inserts, and place them in a cool, dry place . This will prevent bacteria from growing inside the shoes. If you place them in the heat , theyre more likely to get musty.
Take it a step further and try Aaptiv trainer Rochelle Moncourtois trick. One great tip I have is to use baby powder to help with the smell of running shoes. The baby powder absorbs your sweat and helps reduce that awful smell! Baking soda has the same effect. Sprinkle about half a teaspoon of either into each shoe while you let them sit.
How To Remove Odor From Shoes
Maximize your chances of success with this method, which combines several of the effective approaches outlined later in this post:
Pour a mixture of baking soda and several drops of essential oils into each shoe and leave it overnight to absorb the moisture and smell. Next, seal the shoes into a ziplock freezer bag and put them in your freezer for several hours to kill the odor-causing bacteria.
For more simple remedies to remove the odor from stinky shoes, read on!
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Baking Soda + Tea Tree Oil
Baking soda helps to absorb foot odors while tea tree oil helps to mask any residual smell. Mix a solution one teaspoon of tea tree oil with a half cup of baking soda and pour within the interior surface of the Birkenstocks to cover all areas where the foot normally comes into contact. Place sandals with an enclosed shoe box for 2-3 days before removing to put back within use.
Foot Sense All Natural Smelly Foot & Shoe Powder
If you want your odor gone quickly, then you can use this effective powder which will be able to remove shoe odor using natural methods. This power neutralizes stinky shoes and also destroys the odor-creating bacteria.
This product is extremely affordable, and that is one of its main selling points. It contains natural Zinc Oxide and other botanical ingredients, all of which are safe for your feet. The effect of this treatment can last up to half a year at a time.
However, if you want proper odor control, you can use it 2-3 times a month. The best part is that this product can be used with all kinds of shoes and athletic gear.
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Dont Wear The Same Shoes Two Days In A Row
We all have a favorite pair of perfectly broken-in flats that we want to rock every day, but wearing the same pair of shoes two days in a row is a recipe for stink. Why? Back-to-back days does not give your shoes enough time to completely dry out from the previous days wear. So be sure to rotate your collection so as not to repeat day after day.
Bar Of Soap Stinky Shoe Hack
Put a bar of soap in each shoe to get rid of the foot funk. I would probably recommend that you buy some cheap bars of soap at the dollar store and keep it on hand just for this purpose. Youll probably have the best success with the stronger smelling bar soaps. Its also a great way to freshen drawers and closets.
Read Also: How To Clean Mold Off Shoes
Try The Freezer Trick
You can freeze smelly shoes to kill odors. The bacteria that cause shoe odor need a warm, dark place to breed. Freezing your shoes stops that process. All you need to do is tuck them in a freezer overnight. You should probably put them in a bag first, though, so the dirty soles of your shoes dont come into contact with your frozen foods.
Get Rid Of Mildew In Closet
If your closet has mildew you need to get rid of it immediately because it will impregnate all your clothes with a nasty smell.
# First make sure that all clothes and linen are completely dry before placing them in the closet.
# Is there humidity in your closet? Try using a dehumidifier to create a drier environment and prevent the growth of mildew and mold.
# If you dont mind using bleach, mix water with a splash of bleach. Clean the affected area and leave the doors open to ventilate.
Tea tree oil may just be the greatest natural mold and mildew killer of all. While it has a strong scent and is not nearly as cheap as vinegar, it has powerful fungus-killing abilities. You can either add two teaspoons of tea tree oil to two cups of water to spray onto affected surfaces or add a few drops to your vinegar mildew-killing solution.
# Chalk can absorb moisture. Place a few pieces of chalk in a small sachet. Make small holes and tie the bag with a string. Place in strategic places in your wardrobe.
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Customer Deodorizer Pouches For Stinky Shoes
Make your own deodorizer pouches for your shoes. Not only can you customize the size for your shoes, but you can also reuse the pouches again and again. Youll always have sweet-smelling shoes. Winner! To make the all natural basic deodorizer, you will need the following supplies:
- baking soda
- essential oils lavender, peppermint or whatever your favorite essential oil might be
Mr. Krabs: I smell the smelly smell of something that smells smelly.
Spongebob
Eliminate Shoe Smell In Your Closet
One of the reasons I like to keep my clothes and my shoes separately is to prevent bad odor.
Things like moisture, sweat, and skin peeling can make shoes smell really bad.
If you keep your shoes in your closet make sure that they dont stink. But, if they do, try this hack:
- Sprinkle baking soda or talcum powder inside them
- Shake them to even out the powder
- Place each shoe in a clean zipper plastic bag
- Keep them in the freezer for at least 24 hours
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Place The Sachets In Your Shoes
You can place these sachets in your shoes each time you take them off. Tennis shoes, sneakers, and walking shoes used for exercising are especially prone to collecting odors. Keep the sachet in the shoes until you wear them again.
Variation: Fill the toe of a sock with baking soda and tie it off. Leave sock sachets in your shoes overnight to absorb odors. This can be part of your ongoing routine for any athletic shoes you wear regularly.
How To Freshen Stinky Shoes
I know Im not the only one overwhelmed by the smell of stinky shoes and feet. I know that I have tried just about every shoe cleaning method known to man, or should I say woman, so I thought Id share 15 stinky shoe solutions with you. You can have all of the best solutions to rid yourself of the unwanted stinky shoe aroma as well.
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Using Natural Air Fresheners
How To Clean And Deodorize Kitchen Trash Cans Outdoor
If you live in a house with a space outdoor, you can clean your trash cans once or twice a week by following the tips below.
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Orange Lemon Or Grapefruit
Another straightforward remedy is to use the peel of lemons, oranges, or grapefruits. The peeling of citrus not only provides a very characteristic smell, but it can also be a homemade trick for this problem.
Citrus peelings would help to remove bad odor from shoes. For this, we will follow the same method as with the previous ingredients:
- Put the citrus peelings in the shoes.
- Let it act all night.
The Trick Of Talcum Powder
Talcum powder works in the same way as baking soda. They have the virtue of absorbing humidity and thereby silencing the bad smell. In this case, you have two options:
- Apply a little talcum powder to each shoe and allow them to spend the night like this. In the morning, we can remove the rest of the powders.
- Apply talcum powder to the sole. In this way, we limit the sweating caused by the bad smell of the shoes.
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How To Make Your Shoes Smell Good
Stinky shoes are a major trouble. Its a big embarrassment and it gives you a huge inconvenience. Both of them sucks already. But there is one thing you need to concern the most: your health.
Yes, your health. Since a bad smell often caused by the multiplication of bacteria bad shoes can threat your health, too! Especially your feet health.
Alright, have you been disgusted enough imagining the microscopic picture inside your shoes? Because I am gonna start with the first trick to fight the bad smell of your shoes. Shall we?
Foot Sense Natural Shoe Deodorizer Powder
Tester Smell Score: 3.5 out of 5
- Eliminates excess moisture
- Doesnt kill 100% of bacteria
We know, traditional powders can be messy. But Foot Sense uses an arrowroot-based, talc-free formula thats safe, effective, and smells greatso we didnt mind if some spilled outside of our shoes. Its not as powerful as some of the potent sprays weve tested, so youll likely need to reapply more frequently, but we loved this powders supreme ability to eliminate excess moisture alongside a lemony-lavender aroma.
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When To See A Doctor
Smelly feet are a harmless problem that generally clears up. Sometimes, however, it can be a sign of a medical condition.
See your GP if simple measures to reduce your foot odour don’t help, or if you’re worried that your level of sweating is abnormally high.
Your doctor can offer you a strong prescription antiperspirant or refer you for a treatment called iontophoresis, which delivers a mild electric current through water to your feet to combat excessive sweating.
Page last reviewed: 29 October 2018 Next review due: 29 October 2021
What Can You Do
Theres usually no need to worry about stinky feet. But if the stink bothers you or someone notices it, you may want help to step in.
So how can you stop your feet from stinking? Well, you might not be able to stop stink completely. But if you cut down on sweat, you’ll cut down on the odor.
Try these steps:
If you still have problems with foot odor, talk with your mom or dad to get their opinion. If they agree think the stink is a concern, they can try getting you odor-fighting powder or insoles. If nothing seems to work, you might want to talk with your doctor about what to do. The doctor may give you a special medicine to put on your feet.
For most people, foot odor can be controlled. The worst part about having stinky feet is that it’s embarrassing. If you’re worried about this, just keep your shoes on when you’re in social situations, like when you’re at school or riding in a car.
At home, keep your feet clean and go barefoot so they get some air. If your feet are clean and dry, those bacteria will have to find their lunch somewhere else!
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Use The Dishwasher To Freshen Stinky Shoes
Did you know you could put your shoes in the dishwasher? Yep, its true. I think that this is the one that Im probably less likely to use, but when you think about it it makes perfect sense. Those dishwasher racks come in so handy.
If I did use this method Id probably run the dishwasher a cycle without dishes to just clean things up before I moved on to the plates. But, hey clean shoes and a clean dishwasher a two for one.
Or Use Essential Oils To Spray Your Shoes
Greetings, essential oils lovers!
Now its time to introduce your essential oil to another useful trick to make your life more fragrant. You can mix three or four of your favorite essential oils in a bottle and spray them to your shoes.
If you dont get any spraying bottle, you can easily drop essential oils directly into your shoes.
Fragrant shoes are coming!
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Well There Is No Need To Spend Money On Buying New Shoes As There Are Many Simple And Easy Ways To Get Rid Of The Unpleasant Odor
- Look for the cause. Examine your shoes before you try to treat the odor. If you have damaged insoles, either take them out or dry them.
- Better is to exchange your old insoles for a fresh pair, everyone around you will be very happy. MISTER MINIT has a very large offer
- Dry out your shoes by putting them near a heater or in a sunny spot. By keeping them dry, you help prevent bacterial growth that causes odor.
- Freezeyour shoes. Put your smelly shoes in a plastic bag, and then put them in the freezer over the course of a night. The idea is that freezing the shoes kills the odor-producing bacteria.
- Put baking soda in the offending shoes. If the freezer trick does not work, put in a healthy dose of baking soda and let the powder absorb the odor overnight.
- Place fresh orange, grapefruit, lemon, or lime peel into the shoes. Fresh citrus peel has a great smell because of its essential oils. Leave fresh citrus peel in your shoes overnight and remove them before using. They should smell a lot better.
- Black teabags: Black teabags contain tannins which are very effective in killing bacteria that can be found inside the shoe. Place the tea bag on boiling water for a few minutes. Remove the tea bag and let it cool for about 5 minutes before placing it in the shoe. Leave it in the shoe for an hour or so.
- Odor removers, like MISTER MINITs fresh contain bacteria and/or enzymes that eat away what is causing the odor.
Newspaper Hack For Stinky Shoes
Whats worse than stinky shoes? Stinky, damp shoes. Eww. Use crumpled-up newspaper to absorb the moisture and odor. You can also try placing your shoes on a window seal in the sun, on a drying rack, or anywhere you can find a nice sunny spot. This will help dry those damp shoes from the outside and the inside.
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