Eliminating Shoe Odor

[AZShoeNut]

Howdy, I searched the forums and did not find an answer so I will go ahead and post this as a new question. Are there any suggestions for eliminating shoe odor? I absolutley love my Hilt Patent Pumps from Payless and wear them almost every day while I work. Even in winter in AZ it can get a little warm and sweaty feet have led to shoe odor. Thsi is the first time I have ever worn a pair of pumps long enough for them to have an odor and I am hoping that there are some good suggestions out there for getting rid of it. Thanks in advance, Larry

[sendra45]

Okay, two things Larry, First of all, I am sure most members here think that the smell of a shoe or a boot is wonderful and part of the enjoyment of wearing nice footwear. Secondly, smelly feet, not many here will like that or though there will be a few I know. I can wear a pair of leather boots all day long and they still smell great at the end of the day, but they are leather and they are £200 worth. If your payless shoes are similar to the priceless shoes over here they will be plastic and cheap and they, I am afraid to say will not stay fresh or smell nice. You might have to go down the route of cleaning the inside of the shoes with some anti bacterial spray or cleaner, perhaps like they use in a bowling alley? Also treat yourself to a few more pairs and let the smelly ones rest for a few days while you wear the others. good luck,

[Bubba136]

change your socks regularly and pay particular attention to keeping them clean. There are, however, some people that can't help that their feet smell. It's a natural condition caused by the oils mixing with the perspiration caused by enclosed feet in shoes. Perhaps a foot dr can advise what over the counter meds are available to help.

[shoerepairer]

Do not mistake shoe odor with foot odor! Foot odor is because your dirty & shoe odor is because your shoes are! First question has to be what are we dealing with? The answer is bacteria living in the shoe that have become damp & haven't dried out sufficiently between wears (like damp walls in a house, you get a distinctive odor) So what do we do? get your self a pair of Cedar wood shoe trees, cedar is a great wood for absorbing moister from shoes. Secondly as suggested spray the insides with an antibacterial spray, like fly spray its great for killing the little creatures that are causing the smell! & thirdly let them dry! but avoid using a heat source to achieve this as this will dry out the upper & this in turn will make them deteriorate all to quickly! (this applies to leather or synthetics) if the inside feels damp or smells then let them breath another day & wear something else. Prevention is better than cure! always avoid wearing the same shoes day after day. it is always advisable to allow your footwear to breath between usage, leather is naturally more forgiving to constant wear than synthetic uppers because of it ability to absorb & breath but the same principles still apply. Don't forget to put them in a box marked Lee

[RPMindy]

not an expert here.. so take my opinion wit a grain of salt. 1-alternate wear of shoes.. so they have ample time to dry between wear....... so much for wearing them everyday multiple days in a row 2- though i don't practice this, but heard that wiping the inside with alcohol kills anything that can metabolise your sweat and create stink. 3- those silicon packs that comes with new shoes/sneaker/boots/trainers are very good at killing all things that can eat shoe material and also metabolize sweat to make stink. put them in the shoe after wearing. hope this might add to the other ideas you'll try. good luck RPM

[quidam]

not an expert here.. so take my opinion wit a grain of salt.

[...]

2- though i don't practice this, but heard that wiping the inside with alcohol kills anything that can metabolise your sweat and create stink.

RPM

Not sure about that alcohol thing. Alcohol may kill some bacteria but will fix some others, which by the way will metabolize alcohol and smell might worsen. Besides that, alcohol may also crackle leather.

The better advice is always rotate your shoes, let'em aereate and dry. To this last step you can buy silica gel which comes in handy packs and insert one into each shoe. This will not only absorb any remains of humidity, but also prevents any humidity into your shoes, and this is surely a bacteria killer.

[RPMindy]

thanks. the silica idea to me makes the most sense! cool

[AZShoeNut]

Howdy, Thanks for all of the great information. I think that the problem really lies in the shoes as I wear a pair of Men's boat shoes barefoot regularly, they are pretty old, and there is no odor after a couple long sweety days. I will follow the advice to switch the shoes out more regularly. It is so hard to find a pair that fit so well and have so many qualities that I like that this pair sees the most wear. Also, it looks like I will have to go back to working on site so I will not be wearing them as much now. I also might just invest in a ceder shoe tree as well. Agian, thank you all very much! I'll follow up and let you know things work. Larry

[sandalluver]

This is a problem I am familiar with. Sprinkle a little baking soda in each shoe and the odor will dissapear. I hope this helps.

[jetheelsfan]

I read somewhere placing them in a freezer will kill the bacteria as they cannot survive the temperature.

[chizboco]

from time to time i apply some body deodorant on my feet before using my high heels. i use the same non staining body deodorant for women i use under my armpits. i love women shoes smelling women's perfume...

[AZShoeNut]

Thanks for the additional great ideas! Larry

[quidam]

Hello folks,

It's been concluded that good hygiene is the most effective feet odor prevention treatment.

We can resume it in the following points:

• Dry your feet thoroughly after showering.
• Use absorbent (preferably antimycotic/antifungal) powder. Any talc with zinc oxide will do, yet there is more specific treatments such as clotrimazole, ketoconazole, etc. against athlete's foot.
• Rotate your shoes and let them aereate.
• Dry your shoes. Use silica gel packs to keep them from humidity.
• Whenever possible, use antifungal washable insteps.
• Spraying your feet with antiperspirant may work, but may be expensive as well. Instead try rubbing your feet with alcohol, or soak them in a water-vinegar (2:1) solution at night. Remember alcohol is a natural dryer; DO NOT USE ALCOHOL TO WIPE YOUR SHOES, it'll crackle leather, or mattify man-made components.
• Take life easy!. Stress makes you sweat, and that's the best thing you can feed bacteria, which will lead to "odorify" yourself and -yes- your much valued shoes. Hakuna matata, gusfraba, and keep on heeling!.

[tsraina]

baking soda works wonders for getting rid of fungus and keep your feet dry

[jmc]

Silica gel packs were mentioned earlier in the thread. Those silica gel packs are packed with new merchandise to absorb moisture -- silica gel is a "desiccant". Desiccants can absorb a lot of moisture but they do have limitations. Once they are saturated, they will not absorb any more, and they will absorb moisture from the air. If a desiccant pack is left out in the air for a length of time, it will become saturated. So packing desiccant with shoes after wearing them will not accomplish much, after the first couple of times the desiccant is used. (Unless, of course, you use fresh desiccant packs every time). Moisture can be driven out of silica gel or zeolite by heating it, such as in a dehydrator. Then it can be used again. For eliminating odors, baking soda or power and rotating shoes is probably the best option.

[sendra45]

Take life easy!. Stress makes you sweat, and that's the best thing you can feed bacteria, which will lead to "odorify" yourself and -yes- your much valued shoes.

Oh yeh!!!!

[chris100575]

I read somewhere placing them in a freezer will kill the bacteria as they cannot survive the temperature.

Freezing doesn't kill bacteria, you need heat for that and if it was hot enough to kill the bacteria it wouldn't do your shoes any good.

[radiodave]

This is a problem I am familiar with. Sprinkle a little baking soda in each shoe and the odor will dissapear. I hope this helps.

I second that. I had to wear some flat sandals with cushioned insoles for a stage production, and even in the short time on stage they suddenly started smelling pretty nasty. I sprinkled some baking soda in them when I got home, and for the rest of the performances they were fine.