How To Take Away Smell From Shoes

Sheets Of Fabric Softener

Many fabric softeners tout their ability to make your clothes smell fresh and clean. And to their credit, it has to be said that clothes washed using a fabric softener often do end up smelling better than they would otherwise. The same goes with fabric softener sheets that are added to the clothes while theyre in the dryer. Clothes do tend to emerge smelling pretty good. You can put that ability to produce sweet-smelling results to good use by sliding a sheet of fabric softener into each shoe before you go to bed and leaving them there while youre off in slumberland. The next morning, simply remove and dispose of the sheets and thats it. Your shoes are bound to smell better. Keep in mind though that this fix does not actually address the source of the problem. Its one of the few hacks on our list that simply masks the smell of the odors.

Effective Ways How To Remove Odor From Shoes

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Nothing more stinky than when your teenage son comes home and takes his gym shoes off in the living room and walks away. Oh goodness, the smell! Unfortunately this is a regular re-occurrence and even leaving his shoes outside doesnt cut the odor well enough. Besides buying new sneakers, I searched for an easy way how to remove odor from shoes and socks to reduce this stench. I came across some fantastic natural odor eliminating items I actually had around my house.

Whether you have a teenager or not, you may have come across an occasion where you yourself or a family member were unable to wear a specific shoe because the odor would not go away. Or perhaps your shoes would suddenly start to smell at the end of the work day or even midday while out. Many of us have faced these issues, especially during the summertime. Stinky shoes can be a great embarrassment, but you can fix this!

Below are my top tested methods on how to remove odor from shoes. And if you have a teenage son- in your home, hopefully you will appreciate these tips!

Unexpected Ways To Get The Odor Out Of Your Shoes

For a totally fresh start.

Okay, so your shoes smell. Youâre only human, after all. Itâs not like you wanted to stink up the elevator on the way to the 17th floor or create one of the most awkward rideshare experiences in the history of all time.

Let us offer some advice because this isnât our first Dear HMS situation. Weâve been helping people solve their stinkiest shoe conundrums for a while now and weâve discovered that there are 7âyes, count âemâ7 unexpected things you can do right now to liberate your feet from the oppressive reign theyâve had over your friends, family, and coworkers.

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Try Baking Soda Or Vinegar

Both baking soda and distilled white vinegar can be used to reduce odors. To start off, the powdery consistency of baking soda will harden over dampened areas when left in your shoes overnight. In addition, the ingredients in the product are also good at warding off fungus.

On the other hand, distilled white vinegar, when reduced with 50 percent water, is effective at rubbing out or spraying away bad smells. Applying the mix with a cotton ball or spray bottle will combat smelly shoes. Just allow the mixture to set and dry for 30 minutes.

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.

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Prevent Smelly Shoes Be Keeping Them Dry

The best way to learn how to remove smells from shoes is to not get them smelly in the first place! Prevent bad odours by eliminating common causes, such as sweat and moisture.

How To Clean Smelly Shoes

Some shoes, like leather and canvas trainers, will wash in your washing machine if you put them inside a bag or pillowcase. However, others will disintegrate in the washing machine such as those with a cork sole.

Recently, one blogger revealed a genius hack for keep them fresh. Lynsey Queen of Clean shared a picture on Instagram and wrote: “Pop a few tea bags inside your smelly shoes to fight off bad odours that are caused by heat and bacteria.”Leave to sit over night in a warm dry place. The longer you leave the better”

You can make your own cleaning solution using store cupboard staples. Bicarbonate of soda left inside the shoes overnight will help soak up some of the smell. Otherwise, you can make your own solution by mixing equal parts water and vinegar and spraying a small amount inside the shoes. Be sure to let them dry properly before wearing them again.

If that sounds like too much hassle to you, there’s plenty of remedies available to buy online. Here’s some of the best:

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Use Shoe Deodorizer Inserts & Shoe Balls

Easier and less messy to use than a shoe odor spray or powder, shoe deodorizer insert cushions & balls are great. These odor-absorbing pouches are simply placed into the shoe to both eliminate moisture & smell. Some are reusable, while others have an expiry date.

There are many available on the market, from natural, synthenic to cedar & charcoal filled ones. I have personally used both of the latter & each is really different. Cedar filled shoe inserts are great & also smell amazing. I’m guilty of using them as aromatherapy pouches on my desk, rather than putting them in my shoes! Jason Markk makes great ones.

The ones I use the most are Ever Bamboo shoe deodorizers, which are renewable monthly with sunlight for up to a year & are compostable. That’s right, after a year of use just pour the charcoal contents of the pouch into soil in your garden or indoor plants to regulate moisture.

Here are some favorite & top-rated shoe deodorizer pouches:

Use A Few Drops Of Essential Oils

Ah, the many benefits of essential oils, I tell you! Use an essential oil to add a fresh scent to your shoes. Great contenders that are all safe for most include: lavender oil, tea tree oil & eucalyptus oil.

Essential oils are great to remove odor from shoes. You can easily drop the oils right into the offending shoes, or drop some on a cotton ball & leave it inside your shoes when storing them & let them work their magic.

Alternative DIY home remedy for smelly shoes: you can put citrus fruit peels into shoes as they contain essential oils that do the same job. Just might be a little messier.

Shop my fave essential oils from Aura Cacia:

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Wash + Exfoliate Feet To Prevent Stinky Shoes

Since stinky shoes start with stinky feet, seems like thats a good place to begin. Practicing good foot hygiene can help keep the foot odor down.

Wash your feet every day. Even if you dont shower or bathe every day, take the time to wash your feet with warm soapy water. Rinse thoroughly and then dry with a clean, dry towel. Make sure you clean between your toes where bacteria love to grow.

Exfoliate. Removing dead skin can reduce foot odor. Wash your feet with an exfoliating pad, pumice stone, or exfoliating shower wipe.

Keep your feet dry. The bacteria that reacts with sweat thrives in moist areas. If your socks or shoes are wet, youve set up a feast for odor-causing bacteria. Wear breathable socks made of fabric that will wick away foot perspiration. Wearing shoes without socks may be fashionably cool, but its never a good idea. If you like stinky tennis shoes, dont wear socks.

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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Practice Good Foot Care

Taking good care of your feet also takes care of the rough, cracked spots where odor-causing bacteria thrive. So, keep your toenails trimmed and any calluses filed. If cracking or rough feet are ongoing problems, get in the habit of applying a thick layer of foot lotion or petroleum jelly to your feet before bed, then sleep in a pair of socks to lock in the moisture.

The Best Way To Prevent Smelly Shoes

This may sound a little over-the-top but it is absolutely the best way to reduce existing stench and prevent future smells.

Before Climbing: Wash your feet. Rub off the dead skin thats been building up during the day. No access to water? Get some alcohol rubbing pads or baby wipes and give them a good once-over. This is especially important if youre climbing later in the day because youve already spent a majority of the day sweating in your socks and breeding bacteria.

After Climbing: Store your shoes where they can air out. Open your shoes to the max, and leave them in a non-sunny area where they can completely dry out.

Certainly its acceptable to put your shoes in a bag for short periods of time, during transit, but the more you can limit this the better . Nothing promotes a bacteria orgy like a hot shoe without ventilation. Not only does stuffing you shoes in a pack for long periods of time increase odor, but the more you cram your shoes in a pack the more deformation occurs, which can result in permanent damage to the shoe. If you have to put your shoes in a bag, try to give them room to roam.

Going Further. If youre willing to put in the time and energy to reduce the smell as much as possible, you can also:

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Wear Sole Socks Or Washable Insoles

Try washable insoles if you experience foot odour when wearing shoes without socks. They are made of cotton terry cloth and have a rubber latex sole. Replace your shoe’s insole with this product or place it over it. As well as offering moisture absorption and padding, these grip well enough to remain in place. To maintain their freshness, wash them every three to six uses.

Lumi Outdoors Natural Shoe Deodorizer Spray

This odor-removing spray comes with a 100% guarantee of making your shoes smell fresh and clean. The company believes that you will most definitely fall in love with this product.

All the ingredients in the spray are natural and safe for regular use. It contains strong essential oils that can combat even the toughest shoe odors.

It works well and can also double up as a general odor eliminator inside your house. The product is made very strong, and you should be careful not to use too much. You have multiple choices when it comes to what kind of fragrance you would like.

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Hack #: Febreze Fabric

Little in life is as easy as pulling the trigger of a delightfully scented bottle of , but in this case, removing the stinky odor of your shoes is. A simple spray will clean away odors of even the most intense treadmill experiences, leaving only your burning quads and a delightful trace of your favorite scent. May we recommend Ocean Mist?

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Stop Sweaty Feet To Stop Stinky Shoes

If youre often plagued by sweaty feet, youll want to focus on stopping some of that sweat. An antiperspirant lotion like SweatBlock is perfect for reducing excessive sweat on the feet. Your feet contain more sweat glands than any other part of your body. Bacteria love sweaty feet and and stink loves bacteria.

If you can reduce some of that foot sweating, you can reduce a lot of the stink that comes along with it.

Deodorize Shoes With Cat Litter Or Wood Chips

If your shoes are attracting attention because of shoe odor, heres a hack you may want to try. Youll need some cedar wood chips or kitty litter. Youll also need some clean old socks or paper towels.

This cure is easy: Fill up a pair of old, but clean, socks with either cedar wood chips or cat litter. Place one of the socks in each shoe, and let them stand overnight. The wood chips or kitty litter will absorb the foot odor hiding in the shoes. Citrus peels can also do a passable job of refreshing your shoes.

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Freshen Your Shoes With Tea Bags

This home remedy for shoe odor works the same way as the cat litter and wood chips methods. All you need are some stinky shoes and unused tea bags.

Place two or three tea bags inside each shoe. Let stand for several hours or overnight. The dried tea in the bags will absorb that bad odor emanating from your shoes. Simple. Easy. Effective.

Alternate Your Shoes Give Them Time To Air Out

The smell of your shoes can be greatly reduced by not wearing the same pair on consecutive days. Of course, this means youll need more than one pair of shoes. Assuming that you have at least two pairs, alternate the days you wear them. Give em a well-deserved rest. On their days off, pull out the tongue, loosen the laces and put them in a ventilated spot where they can air out.

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Ways To Prevent Stinky Shoes And Smelly Feet

Michele Stanten is a walking coach, certified group fitness instructor, and running coach. She is the author of Walk Off Weight and The Walking Solution.

Do you have smelly walking shoes and sandals? The foot and shoe odor comes from bacteria and fungi that grow happily where it is warm and damp. Your sweaty shoes are just the place they love. Here are a few tactics for keeping your shoes and sandals odor-free.

How To Use Vinegar To Remove Odor From Leather Shoes

Follow the steps below if you plan to use vinegar on your leather shoes to remove any types of odor. Remember not to leave vinegar on your leather shoes for too long, as it may dry out the leather.

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Glovestix Stankstix Shoe Deodorizer

ALSO CONSIDER

Thanks to its smart design, this Glovestix StankStix Shoe Deodorizer is particularly well suited to users who often misplace items or prefer choosing products with replaceable parts. To help prevent you from losing one of the in-shoe, odor-fighting tubes, they come joined by a brightly colored handle. Inside the two sticks, youll find a moisture-absorbing bag that fights odors and can be easily replaced when its odor-fighting action has run out. These bags are also lightly scented with plant-based essential oils to create a more appealing in-shoe environment. This deodorizer is a great option for athletes who need a reliable way to keep their sports shoe odor at bay.