Got Stinky Shoes Here’s What To Do
Ummm, what’s that smell?
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Listen, Ill be the first to admit it, I have an issue. My shoes reek. They range in odors from slightly off putting to oh my god did something die in there?!. I like to think that these stenches stem from the fact that Im an avid runner, but I have been notorious since childhood for always having the smelliest sneakers around.
Why are some of us blessed with the curse of stinky feet? The world may never know. However, fortunately for us, there are some simple at home solution that will leave your shoes thanking you profusely. I gave some of these at-home remedies a try myself and the results were surprisingly positive.
Try The Baking Soda Trick Again
If you were trying to deodorize outdoor shoesthat have a rigid leather insole you could simply sprinkle in baking powder toabsorb odors and then wipe it out again when the magic white powder had doneits job. In the case of most slippers that is not an option though.
What you can do however is make use of thebaking soda balls again, but with a slight modification. Because you need thebaking powder to work harder ie absorb more odor youll need to use athinner material than a sock. The foot cut off an old pair of pantyhose wouldwork well, or, if you have access to it, add the baking powder to a cheeseclothbag.
This time place the baking soda feet intoyour slippers for 12 24 hours. In many cases that will be more than enoughtime to absorb lingering odors and leave the slippers smelling much fresherwithout spoiling their looks.
Sniff To See If Howl Is Important To You
Cycling shoes have a lot of different parts to them. And that can make the task of cleaning your shoes more complicated than youd expect. So does that mean you have to have a full-time cleaner? No, not at all!
With some basic knowledge and a few tools, you can easily clean your cycling shoes at home. You can do it with an old toothbrush or even better, a hair dryer set to cool mode.
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That’s Why Shoes Smell Bad
Have you noticed that some shoes start to smell bad faster than others? What causes bad odors in your shoes is a combination of sweat and bacteria. We all have a certain amount of bacteria on us, naturally. These bacteria help keep harmful bacteria and other invaders at a distance.
During the day, you always sweat a little, even on your feet. Your feet have around 250,000 sweat glands. If the shoes are tightly closed, the sweat stays in the pump until you remove them. Therefore, some shoes tend to smell worse than others.
When sweat and bacteria come into contact, the bacteria begin to break down the sweat. The effect is that various forms of smelly acid are formed in the shoes. Disgusting!
But how to get rid of the odor in shoes? Here are six valuable and straightforward ways to get rid of the disgusting smell for good.
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:
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Why Do Your Boots Or Shoes Stink Or Smell So Bad
Before going into deep, let us know why really our boots or shoes stench:
- The main reason is bacteria. The bacteria are basically everywhere in our surroundings including our bodies, clothes, shoes, etc. They feed themselves by consuming dead skin cells etc. if you un-knowingly do not take proper care of your shoe hygiene then you might just be inviting a bacterial growth at faster rates than usual, thus making your shoes bacterial breeding ground and hence ultimately making them smell.
- The second reason is sweat and dirt accumulation. Sweat and dirt mixture stick to the inside surface of your shoes creating a moist environment due to humidity on which bacteria thrive. This causes bad odor so you need to clean them every after some time.
- The third reason is fungus. Fungus is a plant that grows in dark and damp places, if any fungus happens to grow inside your shoe then you definitely have a problem with bad odor.
- The fourth reason is the leather or other materials used for making shoes. If your shoe material was not made from breathable material then it will probably make sweaty feet and that sweat will stay on your shoes until you clean them, both in winter and summertime.
Can I Wear My Shoes With Baking Soda In Them
No, its good to sprinkle them and leave the shoes overnight before wearing them. Before wearing your shoes, dump out baking powder and be careful if you are using baking powder on leather shoes.
Having smelly feet is embarrassing, but that doesnt mean that you wear shoes with baking soda on them. Baking soda neutralizes the PH of your sweat, thus killing the bacteria that create the bad smell.
If you want to get rid of the bad smell on your feet, do not use the baking powder directly on your feet, do the right thing.
Add a teaspoon of baking on a liter of water and soak your feet in them for about 20 minutes. You should at least do this once a day or once a week.
Thats the only and best way of getting rid of the bad smell on your feet while applying baking soda on shoes is meant to remove bad smell on your shoes and not on your feet, try understanding the difference between these two.
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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.
Tip: How To Wash Tennis Shoes And Sneakers To Get Rid Of Foot Odor
Todays tennis shoes and sneakers often cost north of $100. To keep them looking and smelling like new, you can use your washing machine. To protect your investment, there are a few steps to follow. This method works well for fabric and leather athletic shoes.
- 1. Remove the laces and any removable insoles or inserts.
- 2. Wipe away any loose dirt and debris.
- 3. Place shoes, minus laces and inserts, in a mesh bag or pillowcase. Secure the opening so the shoes cant come out.
- 4. If you have a washing machine with an agitator, include some towels along with the shoes to balance the load. If you have a newer machine without an agitator, you probably dont need the towels.
- 5. Wash in warm water with a heavy-duty detergent.
- 6. Air dry your newly cleaned shoes. NEVER put them in the dryer.
- 7. Use a solution of water and baking soda to hand clean the insoles/inserts.
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What Causes Smelly Shoes
All that heat in an enclosed shoe is bound to result in sweating – but sometimes, even sandals get smelly. The answer is generally due to the 250,000 sweat glands each foot has, which encourage bacteria particularly if you’re wearing the same shoes regularly.
Surprisingly, though, it’s not actually the sweat that causes the smell. Bacteria that lives on the skin eats the feets sweat, producing isovaleric acid, causing the odour. Athlete’s Foot can also contribute.
How To Get Rid Of Shoe Odor Fast
Once your shoes have become stinky, the onus is on you to restore them to their original condition. If you are worried about how you will achieve that feat, do not worry because there are some natural DIY methods of removing shoe odor that will prove to be very useful in these circumstances.
You can choose either the non-chemical method or the chemical method, both of which are fairly easy.
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Dr Scholls Insoles With A Layer Of Activated Charcoal To Absorb Perspiration And Neutralize Odors
Promising Review: I have had severe hyperhidrosis of the hands and feet since I can remember. I actually used to get botox injections to control it every six months. But I have to say this antiperspirant works better than the injections. Believe me when I say that I have tried every product out there for excessive sweating, both prescription and over-the-counter. Not only is this better, it’s in an entirely different ballpark! Allison Willis
Get them from Amazon: Zerosweat antiperspirant for $18.99 and Sams Natural deodorant for $9.95 .
Does Putting Shoes In Freezer Kill Smell
Yes, putting the boots in the freezer works great in killing the smell in the boots by killing the odor causing bacteria!
In fact, this is the fastest and the most efficient way to kill the bacteria that causes the smell because bacteria cannot survive in the extreme temperature of the freezer.
What you need to do is:
- Put your boots in a plastic bag
- Place the bag in the freezer and let it stay for the entire night
- Just hour prior of going to work, take out the boots and keep them in the sun
- Your boots will be free of the bacteria and hence the smell
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How To Deal With Stinky Climbing Shoes
Dragon foot. The sweet, hot garbage. The smell that wafts from your gym bag or crag sack and reminds you of French cheeses, vomit, mushrooms, and celebrity-endorsed perfumes. You have a problem, and your friends may or may not have mentioned it yet. Every time you put on your climbing shoes, you feel like youre making a deal with the devil. Sure, those shoes fit perfectly and will help you crush, but they smell like Oscar the Grouchs living room, and your feet are touching them directly. Ew.
But fear not there is a whole industry devoted to fixing stankfoot, with powders, creams, sprays, voodoo dolls, crystals, etc. But to fix the stink in your shoes you really cant just use one of these options, you have to understand the root cause. Your feet dont smell. Your shoes dont smell. What smells is the waste products from the bacteria that are growing, eating, and thriving on the sebum, skin cells, and dirt in your warm, wet climbing shoes. Grossed out yet? Sorry. But honestly, these bacteria are harmless to you, just offensive. Heed the words in this article and you will be quite ok. There are three big steps to dealing with stinky climbing shoes. So lets get started.
Prevention
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REMOVING ODOR AT ITS SOURCE:
Rocket Pure Natural Deodorizer Spray
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If youre put off by harsh chemicals, this formula from Rocket Pure draws on half-a-dozen natural agents like alcohol derived from organic cane sugar, citrus extracts, and cedarwood oil to inhibit bacterial growth . Plus, all three scents are downright awesome. Im smelling something mild, yet clean and fresh, one tester said of the peppermint and eucalyptus scent. Its hard to place, but I can hardly smell the cheese behind it.
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My Slippers Already Smell Now What
So, you are reading this a little too late andyour slippers already smell. Your favorite slippers, slippers that were notvery cheap. There is lots of wear left in them, but the smell is starting tomake them a little hard to wear. Can they be saved?
The answer is maybe. Its harder to work ondeodorizing slippers than standard shoes because they are made from softmaterials. For example, adding foot powder to the inners of your furry slippersis not going to work as the fur may smell better but it will end up very grimy.
So, what can save smelly slippers? Here aresome tried and tested suggestions for slippers in general, no matter what styleor material:
Coffee Grounds Hack For Stinky Shoes
Coffee grounds can freshen everything from shoes to garbage disposals! If your household doesnt drink coffee or you would rather not dig out the small number of grounds from each of your coffee pods, you can stop in at your local coffee shop. Most coffee shops will have bags of coffee and espresso grounds that they will happily let you take for free. I love the smell of coffeeso when I grab the bags of grounds I also use my mate-less socks to make bags of odor absorbers. These are good anywhere there is a stinky smell: under the seats of the car to absorb musty odors the area that houses the kittys litter box under the sink of the bathroom.
The coffee grounds that you pick up at the coffee shop may be damp, if thats the case pour some out into a shallow plastic storage container and allow them to dry before you used them to freshen up your shoes or making your odor absorbers. Put the coffee grounds in aluminum foil first before adding them to your shoes or You dont want a wet, mushy mess on your hands .
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Get The Kids Involved To Help Eliminate Stinky Shoes
Experiment with a few of these methods before you find your favorites. You can also get the kids to help with some of them. Allow your children to smell the essential oils and tell you which one they like. They can help you add the drops of oil to a spray bottle. This is great fun and helps your family to learn about natural ways to solve problems in your home.
You can also explain how there are multiple uses for some products. For example, instead of throwing away old tea bags they can be used for other purposes.
And instead of buying something new you can use the bag of cat litter you already have. By adding a bit to your shoes you can make them fresh again. This is a great way for kids to think about products in a different way.
You can give them a simple science lesson by explaining the properties of the item to help them understand why it can be used for something different to what was intended.
This type of involvement with your children helps them to expand their knowledge and learn how to problem-solve.
Good luck with all the stinky shoes in your household and I hope you find that lots of these simple home remedies work for your family.
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Coffee Filters And Baking Soda For Stinky Shoes
Insert a coffee filter into each shoe and fill it with baking soda to get rid of that stench. The baking soda will absorb the rank smell. You know that if it works in your fridge, itll work in your shoes, too!
I like the ease of this simple stinky shoe solution since everything you need is right in your kitchen!
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Store Shoes In A Cool Dry Place Or Even Freeze Them
The cold will also inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. If you store your shoes in a cool, dry room that has lots of airflows, that will help keep growth at bay. Or you may want to take the drastic tactic of freezing your shoes. However, that may degrade the glues and adhesives and shorten the life of your shoes.
Applying Black Teabags To Kill Bacteria
Applying black teabags to kill bacteria is an effective method to eliminate shoe smell. These black teabags contain tannins that can kill the bacteria in your shoe. To use this method, you need to place the teabags on boiling water. After that, please put it in your shoe for an hour or more to cool and give a desirable outcome.
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Treating The Toe And Toenail Problems
Treating toe and toenail problems is an excellent way to eradicate shoe odor. Remember, your foot stank may be caused by the fungus, and the only option is to treat them all. To curb the toenail problems, there are many things to put into consideration. Examples include using DIY remedies, powder, creams, and many others.
Can I Throw My Boots In The Washing Machine
It really depends on the shoe. Most can be washed using the gentle cycle, though you should never wash leather or suede shoes. You also shouldnt put your shoes in the dryer unless you have a special rack to keep them in place. Tumbling shoes can cause serious and expensive damage to dryers. If you really want to tumble-dry your shoes, you can try throwing them in with a few towels to cushion the blows to your machine, but this isnt always enough to prevent damage.
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How Do You Get The Smell Out Of Rubber Slippers
Rubber slippers aka Crocs are becomingmore and more popular for use as slippers. And if you live in a warmer area ofthe country that can be a great idea as they are ventilated and cool. But, whenworn for a long period of time they can get rather stinky. It may seem likethat just simply washing the Crocs in soap and water would do the trick, butoften it will not.
To really get the smell out of rubber slippersyou can try making use of a detergent solution that contains you guessed it baking soda. To create this magic formula make a paste of baking soda and vinegar three parts white vinegar toone part baking soda. If you want to make this paste even more effective and you have access to it add a fewdrops of tea tree oil as well, as that is a powerful antibacterial andantifungal that can get your rubber slippers even cleaner.
Making use of a toothbrush, spread the paste onto the inside of theslippers. Allow the paste to sit for five to ten minutes and then place theslippers in a bucket of cool water for two to three hours. After that time haspassed remove the rubber slippers and then rinse away the paste and blot theslippers dry with paper towels.
