What can you do about smelly shoes? (2023)

Causes of sweaty feet and smelly shoes

In my case, the smelly shoes were caused by my long walks. I've been walking about six kilometers every evening in my sneakers for some time now. Unfortunately, in the beginning I made the mistake of walking barefoot in the sports shoes every now and then. I also occasionally wear socks that are not entirely made of cotton. These are the two main causes ofsweaty feetand smelly shoes. Your feet sometimes sweat up to half a liter a day and this moisture is then not absorbed by your socks, but by the shoes you are wearing.

There are bacteria in the sweat and these will start to smell after a while. Other causes are athlete's foot and rubbing the feet with lotion or oil. So if you want to prevent smelly shoes, always wear cotton socks and try to rub your feet as little as possible. Do you suffer fromathlete's foot, then contact your doctor, who will help you get rid of almost all fungal complaints within a week. Don't you suffer from sweaty feet or smelly sneakers again.

What to do about smelly shoes?

However, if you've just boarded the bus and happen to smell that your shoes may have had their day, you're too late to do anything about it right away. You don't have to throw away your precious walkers, though! There are countless lifehacks to make smelly shoes smell nice and fresh again. With the tips below you can wear your shoes again within a day and you don't have to worry about crooked facessweaty feet.

1. Diaper or sanitary napkin

   The highly absorbent properties ofdiapersor sanitary pads come in handy with smelly shoes. The moisture with the foul odors is absorbed into the diaper and the majority of the foul odors leave with it. Leave the (clean) diaper or sanitary napkin in the shoe for a few hours to a whole day and then they will smell like new again. Unfortunately, the diaper will not absorb all bacteria, so it is advisable to treat the shoes with a disinfectant after this trick against smelly shoes.antibacterial shoe deodorant.

2. Tea bags as a remedy for smelly shoes

   Like having diapers and padstea bagsa strong absorbing capacity. In addition, tea bags have another property that is very positive for strong-smelling shoes. The tea gives off a nice scent when it gets moist. Don't think that after 24 hours you will find a soaking wet tea bag in your shoe and that you have to wash the shoes because of stains, because there is not that much moisture in your shoes. Here too, it is advisable to treat the shoes afterwards, because not all bacteria that cause odors will have disappeared.

3. Coffee pods

   Whether you use tea bags orcoffee pods, it makes little difference. The pads also absorb moisture and therefore remove unpleasant odors from your shoes and take a large part of the bacteria with them. Do not buy super expensive pads, but just buy the house brand or those from theleaflet from the Aldi, that really saves a sip on a drink.

4. Alcohol

   No idiot, not right now that bottleBacardipulling out of the closet, it's not going to help you with your mega stinky shoes. You will only wash this pig withdenatured alcoholwhich you will also find in the maternity package. So you just buy this alcohol at the drugstore and can clean everything with it, including your rancid sweats. Make sure you clean up the bottle properly and store it in a well-ventilated area, because the stuff is not suitable for consumption and can have an intoxicating effect. Soak a cotton pad in the alcohol and rub it into the inside of your smelling shoes. You don't have to worry about getting wet shoes, because the alcohol evaporates quickly.

5. Stinky shoes in the freezer

   The best thing is to completely kill the bacteria that cause your smelly shoes. An environment below freezing is therefore the solution to get rid of your problematic smelly shoes. Put the shoes in a plastic bag and put them in the back of the boxfreezer. You can put your shoes back on immediately after 24 hours. The question is whether it is cool to store your sweaty shoes in a place where food is also stored, but I leave that decision entirely up to you. After all, they are your feet and also your food.

6. Talcum powder

   Talcum powder has a highly absorbent effect and usually has no additives other than the mineral talc. A little bit of talcum powder in your shoes and after a night you can knock out the smelly shoes and put them on right away. Also powder your feet with talcum powder while wearing them, you will notice that you will have less friction in the shoes and therefore sweat less. You run nice and cool and dry.

7. Vinegar helps against everything, including smelly shoes

   If you can't stand the smell of vinegar, this tip isn't for you.Vinegar helpsme with hundreds of household things and smelly shoes, too. In each shoe you simply put a cloth that you first put in a vinegar mixture and then wrung out. After a day you remove the cloths from the shoes, let the shoes smoke for a while and Kees is ready.

8. Cat litter helps against smelly shoes

   This is often the first tip you read when you search for terms like “How do I get rid of my smelly shoes”. Since I don't have a cat and don't plan on buying a whole bag of granules, it's a bit lower on my list. So I haven't tested this tip myself, but if it can mask the smell of a rancid litter box, then I assume that your rancid-smelling sneakers won't be a problem. Put a hand full of granules in a sock or pantyhose and put it in your dirty-smelling shoes, after a day they should be as fresh as a daisy.

9. Coffee filter with washing powder

   Absorbing is actually the magic word with smelly shoes. If you put a coffee filter with some washing powder in your shoe, the sweat and the bacteria will get into the filter and into the powder. In addition, the enzymes in the detergent also have a bacteria-killing effect. To top it off, the detergent also spreads a nice scent. If this doesn't rid your shoes of nasty odors, then I don't know what will.

10. Baking soda against smelly shoes

    Baking soda is good for everything. There are a thousand and one uses for this wonder drug, both for heartburn and for unclogging your sink. You can whiten your teeth with it and therefore also fix your smelling shoes. Just clatter a generous amount of the powder into your shoes and let it set for a few hours. Knock the powder out of your shoes after a day and possibly even thevacuum cleanerthrough and your shoes smell like shoe again instead of French cheese.

11. Wash stinky shoes in the washing machine

    A tip I received from many mothers was to simply wash the shoes in thewashing machine. I'm not a fan of this myself, because you don't know what the moisture does to the rubber or plastic components of the shoe. It is also possible, for exampleNike Air Maxmoisture will settle in the soles, which will affect the position of your feet. However, it is effective against odors. Put the shoes in the washing machine together with an old bath towel (against the banging) in a pillowcase and then let them dry. Fresh pattas guaranteed!

What to do against sweaty feet?

Of course it is nicer to have no smelly shoes at all. Prevention of smelly shoes is better than cure. What can you do against sweaty feet?

• Make sure there is adequate ventilation and do not wear your shoes if it is not necessary. Wear instead, for exampleslippersindoors.
• If you are in the house, take off your shoes. There's no need to have those things on inside.
• If you walk a lot like me, it is advisable to do so with cotton sports socks instead of your cheerful onesHappy Socks. Those things really absorb zero moisture and that sweat ends up in your fresh sneakers.
• If you also put a layer of talcum powder in your shoes, then you are good to go and you can continue with what you were doing without shame and without smelly shoes.