Smelly Shoes Remedy

There are three main reasons why shoes smell. The first, very common reason for the odor is because some people's feet sweat a lot. Many people have a problem of sweaty palms and feet. And as socks absorb the sweat from the feet, some people sweat more than the normal socks can take. This leads to the sweat being absorbed in the shoes and thus they stink. The second is, if you persist using your smelly socks. In this case the socks will pass on the smell to the shoes. And the third case is when they get wet in the rain or on the beach and you forget to dry them. While reasons are many, the result is the same: stinky, smelly shoes. So what is the remedy? How do you get that unholy stink out?

Solutions to Smelly Shoes

Now you might ask, why did I delve into the disgusting topic of what are the reasons behind that disgusting stink. This is because the cure varies depending upon the reason behind the stink. If your shoes stink just because they were wet for a long time, you may just have to dry them, but if they stink due to a sweat problem, there's more to do than just drying them.

• If the stink is due to excessive sweating, it is essential that you wash the shoes well with soap. If you do not, there may be a bacterial or a fungal build-up which cause athlete's foot.
• A simple cure is to leave them out in the sun. Direct exposure to sunlight kills all the bacteria, which cause the pungent smell.
• You could also use baking soda. All you have to do is sprinkle the insides of the shoes with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). Make sure that you spread the soda evenly and don't miss a spot. Leave them overnight and shake the soda out before wearing.
• There are special deodorizers and disinfectants designed for such a problem. So you could disinfect your shoes daily before wearing them or at night after you remove them.
• Another interesting remedy is to spray some rubbing alcohol on them. Like baking soda, rubbing alcohol too can absorb odor. And it's cheap and easy. But make sure you do not leave them close to a fire or a stove as alcohol is highly inflammable.
• Other solutions include spraying a deodorant on those dirty, stinking shoes, packing them in an ice box and thawing them out in the sun, use inserts which absorb odor and don't let them become stinky.
• And if nothing works, throw them out and buy new ones.

It is an embarrassing fact and may become the butt of all the jokes at a social gathering. So you could take some of these steps to avoid the problem by finding ways to cure them, such as :

• Change your socks regularly. The smell of the socks may be piling on to your shoes.
• If that stink is due to excessive sweating, you could sprinkle some sweat absorbing talcum powder on your feet before you venture outdoors.
• For some people, tight leather shoes cause their feet to sweat a lot more than usual. So try on some shoes which will let your feet 'breathe'.

Remember, if you're having a problem with sweaty feet, it's better that you wash them regularly, so that you prevent any infections from coming on to your feet.