We all love the games during summer! Well, until in the evening when we get back to the house and someone removes the shoes. If you’re looking for an effective solution to shoe odor, don’t go away. You’re in the right place.
Back when I was in college, I hooked up with a girl I really liked. We hang out at the movies and went on restaurant dates a few times. And then she asked me go visit her at her place.
Well, I went, and everything was going just fine, until I removed my shoes. To cut the long story short, I got dumped.
At first, I felt bad about it, and then I realized she had really added value to my life. You see, I always had a shoe odour problem. And it wasn’t just during the summer or after the games. It felt like my shoes were just naturally meant to smell.
I had never paid much thought to it before, but after my first girlfriend at college dumped me, I thought about it and got serious about finding a solution.
I would later discover that the problem wasn’t even that complicated. I had long toe nails, which I thereafter kept trimmed at all times. I also started wearing wicking socks.
Ever since those days, I have also been using vinegar and baking to treat my shoes regularly, and needless to say, it has worked. How to go about it?
Read on to find out.
I’ll show you 14 different methods you can use to beat that shoe odor at home.
Let’s jump in.
How to Get Rid of Shoe Odour – 14 Different Ways
1. Baking soda
2. The Sun
3. Cotton balls and essential oils
4. The freezer
5. Rubbing alcohol
6. Lemon
7. Bar soap
8. Cedar Wood Insoles
9. Dryer sheets
10. Antibacterial spray or a foot antifungal powder
11. The portable washing machine and dryer
12. Shoe deodorizers
13. Vinegar, baking soda, and water
14. Cat litter
Read on to find out how to apply each of these methods to kick the smell out of those shoes.
Baking soda
There are numerous air fresheners on the market today. But what almost all of them do is mask odors. What makes baking superior is that it absorbs the odors. In addition to that, baking soda absorbs moisture.
Keeping in mind bacteria need moisture to survive, absorbing it is a step in the right direction.
What you need:
• Coffee filters
• Rubber bands
• Essential oil
• Baking soda
Steps:
– Get about four coffee filters.
– Put one or two tablespoons of baking soda in each of them.
- Add a few drops of essential oil into each of the four arrangements. The purpose of essential oil is to improve the scent.
– Use the rubber bands to ties and close each of the filters.
– Some people like to call these setups “stinky pinkies”. Put two in each shoe and let them sit overnight.
The odour should be gone by morning, but if it’s not, make more stinky pinkies and let them sit for another 8 hours. To make it more effective, you could even sprinkle some of the powder into the shoes directly. The only purpose of coffee filters is to remove the need to clean out the powder afterward.
The Sun
Did you know moisture is one of the major problems when it comes to shoe stench? It creates a habitable ground for the bacteria responsible for the bad smell.
What you need:
• A sunny day
Step:
– Put your shoes out in the sun. You want to place them at a spot where they’re unobstructed, such as on the roof. Let the shoes remain there the whole day.
Doing this for several days should reduce the smell.
Note: if the sun isn’t coming out or you cannot place your shoes out there for whatever reason, there’s an alternative – place the shoes near a heater. It works in the same way. The idea is to have a source of heat dry out the moisture from the shoes.
Cotton balls and essential oils
Essential oils have fantastic scents. The idea here is to mask the shoe odor.
What you need:
• Cotton
• Essential oil
Steps:
Make about 6 cotton balls.
Add about four drops of essential oil into each of the balls.
Put three of these balls into each shoe, and allow them to sit overnight.
The freezer
Bacteria hate two things – extreme heat and extreme cold. You cannot burn your shoes to deal with the odor-causing bacteria (the best you can do is put them in the sun), but you freeze them. Temperatures of about 0 °F (-17 °C) are what you need to inactivate these bacteria.
What you need:
• A freezer
• A ziplock bag
Steps:
Place both of your shoes in a ziplock bag.
Seal the bag and put it in the freezer for about 10 hours.
The freezing temperatures should get rid of the bacteria causing the odor, and thereby kill the smell.
Rubbing alcohol
You might already know that rubbing alcohol is an antiseptic. That means it kills little disease-causing organisms, including bacteria. This benefit will, of course, go a long way, considering it is bacteria that create the odor in shoes.
But there’s something else about rubbing alcohol – it evaporates speedily. And as it does, it causes moisture to evaporate. Considering bacteria thrive in moist conditions, removing the moisture sort of “starves them”.
What you need:
• Rubbing alcohol
Steps:
Spray the inside of your shoes with rubbing alcohol.
Repeat this every day until the bad smell is gone.
Lemon
We all know that lemons have a great fresh scent. This scent can be relied upon to deal with shoe odor.
Note: lemon is just a suggestion. There are other flavors to choose from. You can use grapefruit, orange, or lime.
What you need:
• Lemons
Steps:
Peel a couple of lemons.
Place the peels inside the shoes and let the peels remain there overnight.
Lemon peels don’t remove the odor. What they do is add their own nice scent, which should ideally mask the shoe odor. Here’s my suggestion – comnbine this method with another method that removes shoe odor.
For instance, start by freezing or putting your shoes in the sun to remove the odor. After that, place lemon peels in the shoes to introduce a nice scent.
Bar soap
One thing you probably didn’t know about bar soaps is that they are porous. That means that when placed in a moist area, they absorb as much moisture as possible.
If you have a bar soap that is scented, that’s a plus as it will also leave behind a nice scent.
What you need:
• Bar soaps
Steps:
Put a dry bar soap in each shoe.
Allow the soaps to sit overnight.
Cedar Wood Insoles
This method is more preventive than curative. Still, you can use it if you already have a shoe odor problem.
Cedar wood insoles have one thing that other shoe insoles don’t have – antifungal properties. These insoles, therefore, are able to actively fight the odor problem at all times.
Moreover, wood cedar insoles have a nice scent that counters any odors that may try to develop.
What you need:
• Cedar wood insoles – you can find these online
Steps:
– Remove your factory shoe insoles.
– Use one of the other odor fighting methods discussed above to remove the odor that is already present.
Put the new cedar wood insoles in there. The new insoles should prevent the development of new odors. Still, you got to keep your shoes moisture-free.
Note: using cedar wood insoles doesn’t mean you’re free from the obligation of taking care of the shoes to prevent the development of odors. Be sure to keep them moisture-free and don’t over-wear them.
Dryer sheets
Let’s admit it, the main reason why we love dryer sheets is not that they remove the static, but rather that they smell great.
Well, you can use that same benefit to fight shoe odor.
What you need:
• Dryer sheets
Steps:
– Make 4 balls of dryer sheets. 2 or 3 sheets should be enough for each ball.
– Place the sheets in the shoes.
The balls will not only impart their fresh scent into the shoes but also drain away moisture.
Antibacterial spray or a foot antifungal powder
Apart from household products, store-bought items can also be used to get rid of shoe odor.It is people with an athlete’s foot that typically use antifungal foot powder. But that doesn’t mean you cannot use it. If you have a shoe odor issue, this powder can be incredibly helpful.
What you need:
• An antibacterial spray or a foot antifungal powder
Steps:
Spray or sprinkle the product into the inside of your shoes.
Let the application set in overnight before wearing the shoes.
In the event that you actually have an athlete’s foot, try this solution:
– Get a lotion or cream that contain tea tree oil. Tea tree oil contains anti-fungal properties and on top of that, it smells great.
- Rub the lotion or cream onto your feet. Every day before doing to bed.
That, combined with the methods of fighting shoe odor, should give you a reliable solution.
The portable washing machine and dryer
No, I am not talking about giving your shoes a thorough wash.
The function we’re interested in here is the steam feature on your portable washing machine or dryer. The idea is to use steam to eradicate the bacteria in the shoes. It’s the heat in the steam that we’re relying on to do the trick.
What you need:
• A portable washing machine or dryer with a steam feature
Step:
– Put the shoes in the portable washing machine or dryer.
– Turn on the steam feature for an appropriate duration, like 10 minutes.
Note: steaming your shoes gets them damp. As letting moisture remain in there will recreate the bacteria issue, you have to dry the shoes afterward, by putting them out in the sun or near a heater.
Shoe deodorizers
Household products for removing shoe odors are good, but if the problem won’t go away, shoe deodorizers are the ultimate solution.
These are store-bought chemical products that effectively eliminate all forms of odors from shoes.
Shoe deodorizers can be made from a range of products, including charcoal, essential oils, and other chemicals.
Where to get them? Online. There’s a sea of these products on amazon and other sites.
What you need:
• A shoe deodorizer product – A sprayable model is the best as it is easy to use.
Steps:
– Spray the product into the shoes’ insides. Let the application sit overnight.
– Note: directions vary depending on the exact product you’re using, so be sure to read the package.
Vinegar, baking soda, and water
Vinegar contains anti-microbial properties. As such, you can use it to kill the bacteria in your shoes causing the smell.
The work of baking soda in the mixture is to absorb the moisture and smell in the shoes. And the purpose of water is to dilute the vinegar.
What you need:
• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Water
Steps:
– Mix up equal parts of distilled vinegar and water.
– Spritz the solution into the shoes.
Allow the application to dry in the air for an hour. Feel free to use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process. Once it is dry, apply baking soda to the shoes’ insides. You can put the baking soda in coffee filters if you don’t want to deal with clean-up afterward.
Cat litter
I bet you’re wondering – how on earth is cat litter going to help with my smelly shoe problem?
Cat little might put you off a bit, but it works. You see, cat litter contains deodorizing benefits.
What you need:
• A pair of clean socks
• Fresh cat litter
Steps:
Put cat litter into each sock.
Seal the socks by tying a knot at the top.
Stuff one sock into each shoe and let it stay there overnight.
FAQs & Answers
What is the main reason for shoes having a bad smell?
Bacteria and fungus. Contrary to what many people believe, sweat is not the main cause of bad odor. The main cause is bacteria, which produce the foul odor. These bacteria thrive in moist conditions.
How do you prevent feet from smelling?
Make the conditions unfavorable for bacteria and fungus. The first step is to level up your foot hygiene. Be sure to trim your toe nails as the spaces underneath can be a nursery for bacteria and fungus. Also, avoid putting on the same pair of socks for more than 5 hours.
And lastly, be sure to change your shoes more frequently and make certain every pair of shoes you wear is completely dry.
Can I use deodorant powder to remove odors from shoes?
If you’re looking for a quick and effective means to remove unpleasant odors from your shoes, deodorant powder/spray is the best solution. As long as the product is high-quality and it works, and doesn’t irritate your skin, you’ll most likely love it.
Does wearing shoes without socks make them smelly?
One of the purposes of socks is to absorb sweat. Thus, putting on shoes without wearing socks makes it possible for sweat to get to the shoes directly. That provides bacteria with the moist conditions they need to thrive, subsequently resulting in odors.
My new boots are smelly. How can I get rid of that?
Try vinegar and baking soda. First spritz a mixture of vinegar and water into the boots. Once the application is dry, sprinkle some baking soda in there. It will help get rid of the smell.
Will it help if I warm up my socks before wearing the shoes?
Some people believe that warming up socks before wearing them helps with the sweat problem. But honestly, that barely works.
Try tea tree oil instead, and wear “wicking socks”, which are designed to absorb the sweat. Tea tree oil will counter the smell of sweat. Also, apply antifungal powder to the shoes to kill the bacteria.
Final Word
The secret to solving a smelly shoe problem is to first understand the cause. For shoe odor, the main cause is bacteria and fungus, which create the smell in the first place.
You can fight these using deodorizing sprays, vinegar, baking soda, and the other household ingredients I have talked about above. It also needs cutting what they need to thrive – moisture. That means wearing dry shoes and dry socks, and solving the sweat issue by putting on wicking socks.
I hope my methods of fighting shoe odor will help you and give you a stink-free summer 😊