Make Good Footwear Choices
Since shoe odor starts with sweaty feet, an easy way to reduce it is by choosing shoes made of natural materials and open weaves. Hemp, fabric, and canvas are all good choices since they allow air to circulate, so your feet stay drier. Plus, shoes made from natural materials are usually washable, so theyre easier to clean.
Clean Shoes With Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol can be used to kill odor and clean your shoes. There are two methods.
The first utilizes a mixture of water and alcohol. Take a cup of water and a cup of rubbing alcohol. Mix them together in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the inside and outside of each shoe. Place the treated shoes in a well-ventilated area where they can dry.
The alcohol acts to kill the bacteria that causes stinky shoes. The alcohol will also help dry out areas where moisture collects.
The second method uses alcohol and cotton balls. Saturate several cotton balls with rubbing alcohol. Place the saturated cotton balls in each shoe, filling up all the space. Be sure to get them way down in the toe area, and let the shoes stand overnight. Things should be looking up and smelling much fresher in the morning.
Where To Put Your Shoe Collection
Keeping your shoes where you grab them most often is ideal. That way youll be less likely to lose them and theyll be less likely to cause you problems in the first place.
Houses, schools, and workplaces are all common places to keep a shoe collection. And theres one place in particular where you shouldnt keep your shoes: your room.
If you keep your shoes in the room where you sleep, youre likely to end up with a shoe collection thats more mess than it is beautiful. Not only will your neatly organized shoes be a mess, but your room will also look messy and youll be fighting the urge to keep picking through your shoes in an attempt to find a cause.
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Seconds Shoe Disinfectant And Deodorizer
Tester Smell Score: 5 out of 5
- Neutralizes odor without an overpowering smell
- Helps absorb moisture from wet shoes
- Odor-fighting prowess diminishes after 3 months
These amazing little bean bags received top marks from every one of our testers. Since the beads are activated by heat, we suggest tossing them in your shoes while theyre still toasty from a run for the best results. Even at room temperature, Gear Halos pouches wicked moisture, eliminated nearly all stink, and smelled clean and fresh. This actually smells really nice! one tester said. Its a pleasant, lightly floral scent with no trace of the cheese.
Putting Powder In Your Shoes
If the stinky odor remains in your shoes after you have washed and dried them, try sprinkling the inside of each shoe with baking soda or a foot powder made to control odor. Leave a generous amount of the powder in your shoes overnight. Remove the powder the next day by shaking out your shoes. If any stubborn powder remains in small corners of the sneakers you can remove it using the hose attachment on your vacuum cleaner.
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Homemade Shoe Deodorizing Spray
To kill the smell, use this method for all types of footwear.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 5 drops of tea tree oil
Procedure:
In a spray bottle, mix well water, distilled white V, and drops of tea tree oil . Shake thoroughly.
Directly spray or apply to a cloth and wipe the shoe interior,
Better to cover the outer side, particularly the front upper part of the shoe, with a plastic paper. This spray is only to use on the interior side of the shoe. After spraying them, let your shoes dry in a sunny spot.
Arm & Hammer Odor Busterz
Tester Smell Score: 4 out of 5
Searching for a foot cream worthy of Oprahs feet? Check out Footnanny, the brand that earned a spot on her 2020 List of Favorite Things. Made from tea tree oil , this cream helps absorb moisture and keep sweaty at bay, while also providing natural anti-fungal and bacteria-fighting properties. And, theres no additional harsh chemical additives. Simple ingredients like shea butter, cocoa seed, and aloe leaf provide vitamins A, C, E, and F chamomile helps soothe redness and irritation and essential oils deliver a refreshing scent. If Oprah runs another marathon, we expect shell be treating her feet to this cream at the finish line.
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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 Clean Smelly Sneakers
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Shoes can get smelly easily, especially if you walk a lot throughout the day. Shoe odor can be an embarrassing problem and buying new shoes can be expensive. There are plenty of ways to eliminate the odor in old shoes. You can try washing the shoes, by hand or in the machine. If you’re uncomfortable washing your shoes, you can try applying things like dryer sheets and orange peels to remove the scent. To prevent a recurrence, be sure to do things like wear socks and use foot powder to keep odor away.
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If All Else Fails: Spring For New Shoes
All the above remedies for smelly shoes have been tested, tried and proven. But if your favorite shoes just dont respond well to one or more of these methods, it may be time to hang em up for good and buy a new pair. New shoes smell great for a few days. But then, the creeping bad shoe smell will return. So, keep experimenting with these cures for stinky shoes. The inevitable occasion will arrive when your shoes must come off in public. And this time? Youll be ready.
How To Solve One Of The Stinkiest Summertime Problems
Don’t just cover up the smell of stinky shoeseliminate the odor at its source!
Summertime is all fun and games until someones smelly shoes are stinking up the house! It happens in a predictable cycle: hot temperatures lead to sweaty feet, and sweaty feet leave behind moisture in shoes causing unpleasant odors.
But dont give up on those smelly shoes just yet, because today Im sharing the best and most effective methods for eliminating odors in shoes. If youve been wondering how to get the stink out of shoes, youve come to just the right place!
More Ideas You’ll Love
The secret to removing odor from shoes is to deal with the moisture issue. Many people simply try to tackle the odor itself by using a deodorizing spray, but that only covers up the smell. By drying out the moisture, you can cut the smell off at the source by killing the odor-causing bacteria.
There are a few different ways to do this, so Ive included a few different options for you in this post. Use whichever method you like best, or whichever method you can do using stuff you already have at home.
Heres to a stink-free summer! 🙂
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How To Remove Odor From Shoes
Just about everyone has had to deal with smelly shoes at least once in their life. If youve noticed that your shoes, and subsequently feet, have started to take on an unpleasant smell, youll want to tackle the problem quickly. Discover these simple life hacks and learn how to get the smell out of shoes.
Natural Shoe Cleaners To Get Rid Of Odor
Another method known to kill odor causing bacteria in shoes is by spraying them with a solution of water mixed rubbing alcohol . In a spray bottle combine one cup of water and one cup of the alcohol. Thoroughly spray your shoes with the solution both inside and out. Then place your shoes in well ventilated area to dry. The alcohol will kill any odor causing bacteria that is in your sneakers and should prevent the stinky smell from returning.
You can also soak your sneakers overnight in a tub filled with vinegar and water. Use two cups of vinegar for every three gallons of water you add to your soaking tub. Again, once the sneakers are finished soaking it is critical that you allow them to dry promptly and completely to ensure that no new bacteria has a chance to begin growing within the shoe.
If you believe that odor is coming mainly from the insole of your shoe you can purchase new ones at the store and replace them. There are even certain types of insoles that are made to prevent odors in your sneakers from the start.
Now you know how to clean stinky shoes!
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Lavender Oil 100% Effective
Lavender oil is an anti-inflammatory antiseptic and 100% effective against shoe odor.
Required Ingredients:
- Ten drops of all-natural lavender oil
Process:
- Using a cotton ball or cotton swab, dab about ten drops of lavender oil onto the inside of the shoe. It melts very fast, so try to get a thick layer on there.
How To Fix Smelly Shoes With Shoe Insoles
There are plenty of shoe insoles available for purchase that are designed to fight foot odor. These often contain chemicals like baking soda to fight the odor, and they work reasonably well. Insoles are very easy to use and only require trimming to the right size and inserting into the shoe.
The downside to insoles is that they can be expensive and will only be useful for a short time. You will need to replace them often depending on how much your feet sweat.
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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 Odour
- Look for the cause. Examine your shoes before you try to treat the odour. 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 odour.
- 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 odour-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 odour 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 odour.
Why Do Shoes Smell
The smells emanating from your shoes are caused by bacteria that thrive on the sweat and dead skin built up in your shoe.
After climbing, if you throw your climbing shoes in a bag, you effectively seal in all the sweat, moisture, skin cells, and warmth, creating a perfect environment for bacteria to party. The bacteria eats the delicious sweat and replaces it with their waste experienced as a nasty odor that just seems to get worse and worse, and worse.
So the real smell problem is: the bacteria and all the stuff it eats .
Now, there are A LOT of different methods climbers use to get rid of or hide the smell. Many are herbal remedies while some are more urban myth. Weve attempted to include only solutions that will work for all shoes, synthetic or leather, instead of proposing methods that may wreak more havoc on shoes .
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How To Dry Your Leather Shoes To Remove Odor
There are several places where you can dry your leather shoes. Simply follow the below instructions for more details:
Get Bad Smell Out Of Shoes
How do you get a bad smell out of shoes?
The more we wear our favorite pair of shoes, the more we may notice that they are beginning to smell. Overuse, sweat, skin shedding, dirt, bacteria, fungus, and lack of aeration can all contribute to stinky shoes. Below are a few ways to remove the bad smell out of the shoes:
Simple methods:
- One of the best ways to remove smells from shoes is to revitalize them with a much more pleasant smell. Leave a fresh lemon or lime peel in your shoes overnight or squirt a few drops of any essential oil such as lavender into the soles of your shoes and allow the shoes to dry. Both remedies will help to eliminate odors.
- If your shoes are washable, give them a bath. You can get leather and fabric cleaner to clean up shoes that are not washer friendly, or if theyre machine safe, throw them into the washing machine or submerge and hand wash them in a detergent bath. Place your shoes in the sun or near a heater and allow them to dry out. This will help to prevent the bacterial growth that causes odor. Ensure they are completely dry before reassembling the shoes and wearing them again.
- Pop your smelly shoes in a large plastic sandwich bag and leave them in the freezer overnight. Take them out of the freezer the next day and allow them to dry naturally. The extremely cold temperature will kill the bacteria and make your shoes less stinky.
Ingredients methods:
Preventive methods:
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Get Rid Of The Smell In Shoes With Sunlight
Many times the cause of the bad odor can be a mold, mildew, and fungus very similar to the ones that cause athletes foot. To get rid of smell in shoes caused by mold, place them in a sunny spot in the house.
If you can, place the shoes outside on a hot sunny day with the insides of the shoes exposed, as this will speed up the process and help eliminate shoe odor.
How To Clean Flip
Lucky for all you flip-flop lovers, they can be washed in the washing machine. Easy-peasy. Toss your flip-flops in the washing machine and choose a delicate, cold water cycle. You need a really minimal amount of detergent here, so dont overdo it.
Before you start the wash, add one cup of white vinegar directly into your washing machines drum. This will eliminate that stanky foot smell. And, like all shoes, let them air dry.
For more info on washing flip-flops and sandals too read, How to Wash Stinky Flip-Flops and Sandals.
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Use Shoe Insoles To Fight Foot Odor
Another way to minimize shoe odor is with specially treated insoles. Several varieties are available at your favorite grocery or drug store. Theyre treated with activated charcoal or baking soda and neutralize unpleasant odors. They not only provide long-lasting odor protection , but they can also absorb foot moisture and add extra footbed cushioning.
Most brands come in a standard size that can be easily cut to fit any size shoe. These odor-neutralizing insoles are especially useful in taming those smelly gym shoes.
Clean Shoe Inserts Only
If you only have the inserts of your shoes and not the entire shoe, then you can try using vinegar to get rid of the smell. Vinegar is a natural deodorant and will help to remove any bad smell from your inserts.
Mix one part vinegar with two parts water in a bowl to clean your shoe inserts with vinegar. Soak your shoe inserts in the mixture for about 30 minutes. Then, rinse them well with cold water and let them air dry. Your shoe inserts should now be free of any bad smells!
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