How To Maintain Good Hygiene In Your Shoes
Finally, we teach you how you must maintain proper hygiene to avoid bad odor from your shoes:
- Try not to wear closed shoes every day. It is terrible for the health of our feet and promotes an awful smell.
- When you get home, change shoes and let those shoes air out.
- It doesn’t matter if the shoe is of good quality. They all absorb the terrible smell. Hence, we must maintain good cleaning of them. You can use a damp cloth with detergent and brush them every day.
- Apply talcum powder if the sole sweat excessively. It is a simple remedy that helps us a lot daily.
Scrubbing With Soap And Water
Often, plain old soap and water are enough to clean the dirt and debris from your insoles, and remove the smell they might be emitting. Here is what you need to do to wash shoe insoles.
- Mild liquid dish detergent.
- Clean cloth or sponge.
The method:
Pro Tips
Try Coffee Grounds With Vinegar/baking Soda
Coffee grounds are a great deodorizing agent, and a fantastic source of caffeine! All you need to do is follow the steps outlined above , but use coffee grounds instead! Also use coffee filter before taking coffee grounds.
- Step 1: Mix baking soda with water until you have a thick paste.
- Step 2: Apply the paste to shoes and allow it to sit overnight.
- Step 3: Brush off any excess powder in the morning.
- Step 4: Spray coffee grounds onto shoes and allow them to air dry.
- Step 5: Follow the same procedure as outlined above for vinegar or ammonia, but use coffee grounds instead.
- Step 6: Then allow them to air-dry overnight. Repeat until they are odor-free!
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Use A Toothbrush And Baking Soda
Using a toothbrush to scrub out tough stains or salts from your shoes is a great way to ensure that they look as good as new. But did you know that old toothbrushes can also be used for removing odors? Its true! All you need is some baking soda and an old, dry toothbrush thats been sitting around for a while. Heres how to use your old brush and baking soda to get rid of stinky shoe odor fast!
- Step 1 : Ensure that there is a decent amount covering both sides of the bristles, as well as the top and bottom of the brush. Do this in a well-ventilated area, since you will be working with chemicals.
- Step 2 : Use this to scrub all areas of your shoes that are affected by odor. The coffee or tea stains should come out easily, but you may need to work a bit harder for other types of stains. Be sure not to use this brush on anything but your shoes, as the chemicals could damage them! Then rinse them well.
- Step 3 : Once you are satisfied with how much baking soda has been used, simply allow your shoes to air-dry in a well-ventilated area. Once they are dry, you can wear them again!
Why Do Your Shoes Smell Bad
The reason your shoes stink is that your feet contain 250,000 sweat glands. When those glands get confined in a shoe, the sweat and warmth create a breeding ground for bacteria. To get rid of the smell in your shoes, you need to destroy the bacteria causing the stink. You can do this by cleaning them properly. Using homemade shoe deodorizing sprays or powders also helps. Then follow good shoe and foot care to help keep feet from stinking.
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Easy Ways To Get That Stinky Smell Out Of Wet Shoes
You know the feeling, its not raining when you leave the house, so you decide to go for the cute pair of shoes that goes perfectly with your outfit, only to start raining the minute you leave the house and you cant go back and wear something else.
Unless you can avoid the rain altogether, youre fine. You can cover your styled hair and most of your outfit with an umbrella, but thats about it. Your shoes, poor things, are the ones who are going to pay the price. Chances are, when you get back home and take them off, they will stink, and no matter what you do, they will always have that funky smell you cant seem to get it off.
Thats because moisture in your shoes allows for bacteria to grow and thrive, hence the smell.
We laid out these simple tricks to help you get the stench out of them. Hopefully, youll have a fresh smelling pair that could never tell they went through a monsoon and survived. Give them a try and if the shoes are beyond help, you might have a valid excuse to shop for new ones!
How To Dry Them:
First things first. Never leave shoes to dry under the sun or using a blow dryer. It will cause materials to dry up and shrink, damaging the pair even further. Leave them to air dry and if possible, take the insoles out and let them dry separately. Do the same with the shoe laces.If You Need To Dry Them Faster, Try These Methods Instead:
How To Rid Stinky Shoe Smells With Essential Oils
A Purification blend is going to be a great choice for shoe odor. Thats because its going to lift and cleanse the odor from your shoe, versus just masking it with a new aroma.
Some specific essential oils that are good for removing odors are:
- Bergamot
- Rosemary
- Tea Tree
All you need to do is place a couple of drops inside the shoe and allow it to completely dry before wearing. Youll be amazed at how well it works and also how long it lasts!
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Baking Soda For Deodorizing
Baking soda has been shown to have excellent deodorizing properties. One study shows it canhelp reduce the odor in garbage cans by up to 70 percent. Now were not saying your insoles are that malodorous, but baking soda will help make them less smelly.
What you need:
- Ziploc bag or sealable container.
The method:
Pro Tip
If you dont have rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or white distilled vinegar in a slightly higher concentration will also work.
This YouTube video shows you how to clean your insoles using the methods we have outlined.
Tips For Preventing Shoe Odor
- Air out your shoes regularly by opening the laces and placing the shoes in a sunny spot. Sun is a natural disinfectant.
- Wet insoles, orthopedic inserts, or other wet parts of a shoe encourage bacteria growth . Remove any wet parts of the shoe and air-dry the shoe in a warm spot or a clothes dryer set on low heat.
- Dont wear the same shoes every day. Alternating pairs of shoes gives the offenders time to air out and dry completely.
- Wear socks with your shoes whenever possible. Socks will absorb the sweat moisture that fosters odor in shoes.
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Put Your Shoes In The Washing Machine
In a washing machine, cotton and canvas shoes may normally be washed. Whats always advised is a gentle loop of cool water. Drying in the dryer produces an irritating buzz that can damage the shoes or the drum, so stuff them with balled newspaper wads and/or just leave them dry in the light, which often removes bacteria.
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Use Powdered Detergent And Vinegar/baking Soda
Like baking soda, powdered laundry detergent is a great deodorizing agent. All you need to do is follow the steps outlined above , but use powdered laundry detergent instead!
- Step 1: Mix baking soda with water until you have a thick paste.
- Step 2: Apply the paste to shoes and allow it to sit overnight.
- Step 3: Brush off any excess powder in the morning.
- Step 4: Spray laundry detergent onto shoes and allow them to air dry.
- Step 5: Follow the same procedure as outlined above for vinegar or ammonia, but use powdered laundry detergent instead.
- Step 6: Then allow them to air-dry overnight. Repeat until they are odor-free!
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Use White Vinegar And Baking Soda
White vinegar is a common household product that has numerous purposes from cleaning to cooking. Its also very useful for getting rid of shoe odor quickly and safely!
In order to use white vinegar to remove shoe odor, you will need to mix it with baking soda and water. Once the mixture is ready, all youll have to do is spray it on your shoes and leave them overnight! Heres how:
- Step 1 : You can use more or less depending on how stinky your shoes are and how intense you want the smell to be.
- Step 2 : Add a tablespoon or two of baking soda and then top off your spray bottle with water. Shake it up well before each use to ensure the ingredients mix together evenly.
- Step 3 : Once you are done making the mixture, its time to use it! To do this, simply spray your shoes down completely. This includes any dry areas that could potentially hold odors, such as the tongue of your shoe or lining.
- Step 4 : Finally, all you have to do is allow your shoes to sit overnight with the vinegar mixture. You can then come back to brush off any excess baking soda that may be left over. Wipe it away gently with a wet cloth or paper towel until you feel satisfied with how clean they are!
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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Cotton Balls & Fragrant Oils
Another great way to get the smell out of your tennis shoes is to use some fragrant oils. Simply pour a few drops of essential oils onto a cotton ball or two and place them inside each shoe. Nothing smells more like clean to me than the smell of citrus, so I like using those scents.
My favorite method is the first one but each one of these will help you get that awful smell out of your shoes! Youll wonder why youve been putting up with stinky shoes all these years! Is there another method you like to use to get rid of the smell in your sneakers? Leave us a comment below and let us know!
How To Get Smell And Bacteria Out Of Shoes
Deodorizing shoes is not just important for the social factor of not being the person with smelly shoes, but it is also a practice in foot health. Remember, smell comes from the combination of bacteria and sweat. According to this article in the Journal of Athletic Training, athletes are more susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections on their feet. And while bacteria-rich shoes are not the only cause of infections like athletes foot, giving them some TLC is just one more way to keep feet healthy.
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How To Deodorize Shoes
This article was co-authored by . Marc Sigal is the Founder of ButlerBox, a dry cleaning and shoe care service based in Los Angeles, California. ButlerBox places custom-designed, wrinkle-resistant lockers in luxury apartment buildings, class A office buildings, shopping centers, and other convenient locations so you can pick up and drop off items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Marc has a BA in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 249,728 times.
Have your shoes become the topic of discussion in a bad way? Smelly shoes can be the source of great embarrassment. Luckily, there’s help. There are literally dozens of ways to get rid of shoe odor. Depending on how bad it is, the solution that’s best for you may be as simple as using a few household ingredients.
How To Get Rid Of Shoe Odor With Teabags
you will need 2 tea bags per shoe. Place the tea bags inside of your shoes, this is best done at night so they can sit overnight. The next day, take them out and let them dry completely before wearing them again. Replace with new teabags when necessary.Tea contains tannic acid which inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria. This is effective for killing foot odor along with making your shoes smell good!
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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, youll 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 its embarrassing. If youre worried about this, just keep your shoes on when youre in social situations, like when youre 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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How To Get Cat Urine Smells And Stains Out Of Shoes
Cats may urinate on our belongings for various reasons. They might think that their litter box is too dirty, or they may get carried away with playing and forget to go to the litter box until it is too late. Some cats, especially older ones, urinate outside their box due to medical reasons. Others seem to do it just for fun. No matter the reason, no person likes to find their shoes soaked in urine.
If you find that a pair of your shoes have become the victim of your cat, your first thought might be to throw those shoes away. But what if they are your favorite pair, or what if there is nothing else wrong with them? The good news is that there are a few things that you can do to get rid of the urine smells and stains from your shoes. Here are the steps to take to clean urine smells and stains out of your shoes so you can wear them again.
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