Odors in your shoes can be a real drag. Who has time for that amongst life’s other problems? YOU certainly do not. Shoe odor can be embarrassing for you and your friends, and may even cause some unnecessary relationship tension, which is never ideal. Get to the bottom (pun intended) of your shoe odor! Find out what is causing the odor and take steps to prevent any unwanted smells in the future.
1. Find the cause.
Before you start, you should try and get to the bottom of WHAT is causing the odor. Is it rain or snow? Sweat? Something else? This can help you sort out your best plan of action. If your insoles are damp or damaged, take them out pronto so that they can dry.
2. Get new insoles.
If you don’t want to buy new shoes, consider getting new insoles instead! That might be an easy and less expensive way to keep a favourite pair of shoes in your rotation without having to get rid of them.
There are all kinds of odor fighting insoles on the market that you can try to not only stop but also help eliminate this problem from giving you trouble! You can also try cedar wood insoles if you like a nice fresh natural smell to your shoes which also fights odors at the same time.
3. Dry them.
One of the big causes of shoe odor is moisture that is inside of them. If you have a sunny day on your side, simply put your shoes outside! This is an easy way to help them to dry quickly, and the fresh air will also help to freshen the smell at the same time.
If you do not have a nice day, you can try placing them besides a space heater to similar effect, or put them in your dryer at home (if your shoes can go in the dryer: always check the labels first).
4. Use fabric softener or dryer sheets.
Fabric softener and dryer sheets work wonders on your clothes for making them smell nice and fresh and clean in the dryer. Why not put them to use in your shoes as well?
Ball up a drier sheet, or even two, if the smell calls for more, and leave them in your shoes after you have worn them. This will not only give you a nice smelling perfume to your shoes, it will also help to wick away the moisture that is giving you trouble.
5. Wash your shoes.
Make sure you read the instructions in your shoes first. Not all shoes should go in a washing machine. Shoes are expensive: don’t wreck them by accident! Take the laces out temporarily, and place your shoes inside of a pillowcase. This will help you to avoid getting scuffs on your shoes as they are inside the wash.
If you can’t put them in the washing machine, use a clean cloth with in soapy detergent water to help you with these odors. You can remove the excess soap with a clean and damp cloth, and water and vinegar is another solid strategy as well if you are finding that the soap does not work. If you can, leave the shoes to dry outside after trying either of these washing strategies!
Another solution is to use rubbing alcohol if you cannot put your shoes in a washing machine. Use an old rag or a cotton ball to apply some rubbing alcohol at the source of the odor problem, which is usually the insole. Rubbing alcohol quickly evaporates and also is disinfecting at the same time, so it’s a win-win!
6. Use newspaper.
Crumpled newspaper can absorb both moisture and odor. Keep some scrap newspaper by your front door, so you can quickly crumple up some newspaper balls and get around to solving the problem! Try and leave them be for a few hours to completely absorb the odors between wears.
7. Use baking soda.
Absorb odor in your shoes overnight! The same principle of using baking soda in the fridge to get rid of odors applies for your shoes.
Sprinkle a bit of baking soda into your shoes at night and then knock it out of your shoes and into the trash in the morning. Keep in mind that if the smell continues you may need to repeat this process several times.
8. Freeze them!
This may seem like an odd suggestion but it can definitely work. Freeze your shoes for a couple of hours and then take them outside where they can thaw and dry out in the sunshine. Be sure that they are completely dry before you put them on or you will only encourage the smell to return, which you do not want, of course.
9. Use kitty litter.
Kitty litter is designed to remove the toughest of odors that a cat can produce, so why not give it a shot in your shoes? Fill up an old pair of socks with cat litter and stuff these filled up tubes into your shoes.
Having the kitty litter in a pair of socks reduces the potential for mess, and you can also keep them handy for easy re-use by your front door, or wherever you store your shoes.
10. Use fruit rinds!
Oranges usually work best, but feel free to try grapefruits, limes, or lemons to the same effect.
Save your orange peel and place them in your shoes overnight. Orange peels have a powerful smell (in a good way) which can overpower any of the smell you are experiencing and replace it with a new citrusy one! Simply compost your peels the next day after you have used them. Easy!
11. Try anti-fungal foot spray.
If you are looking for some chemicals which might help you cut out that odor and keep it away permanently, you might want to try some antifungal foot sprays. These sprays can help not only get rid of the smell but also kill the bacteria that is causing the smell to happen.
This solution is most often suggested for people who have athlete’s foot. If you normally do not have smelly shoes but are finding that you suddenly do seemingly out of nowhere, it may be a good idea to have yourself examined by a doctor. Athlete’s foot is not too serious of a condition but can cause some problems if you do not have it treated properly!
12. Wear socks.
If you are having trouble getting rid of odors in your shoe, and you do not wear socks, consider changing that right away! If you are not wearing socks in your shoes, chances are that your feet are sweating too much and you are working against yourself to fight and solve the problem. Wearing socks can be a great way to do this!
Try getting wicking socks as a handy solution for this problem. Having the right socks designed for sweat prevention can go a long way for you to solve this problem.
So there you have it! Follow these steps and you should have your shoes smelling fresh as daisies in no time at all. Shoe odor can be embarrassing for you, especially if you are trying to impress someone of the opposite sex! Don’t let it get you down. Follow these steps and you will be well on your way to solving your shoe odor once and for all! Lets face it though, some shoes are beyond all help and you might just be best off to toss them away and try your luck with a new pair!
i don’t know if this works, because I think it kind of makes it smell more (the heat vaporizes the organic smelly compounds), but I used to put my really nasty shoes in the microwave. Then afterwards, the shoes would be really nice to wear in the cold winter when I went outside (they probably also got wet quicker).
I soak them in colloidal silver then dry ’em out near the vent overnight.
After the above suggestions to removing the SMELL are used, use this as a PREVENTIVE MEASURE:
I went to the local convient store and asked for the moisture absorbant packets that come in the candy boxes. They are much like the small white bags with little round balls in it when you buy a new pair of shoes – only LARGER. Keep those little white packets! The large ones from the store for candy work much better. I take off my shoes and throw one of these bags in each shoe towards the toe. I have dry shoes all day and no smell! Good Luck. And have a great day!
When my wife complains about smeely shoes, I throw the shoes in a garbage can. They show up good as new somehow about three days later, usually after pay day.
Um, not to be pedantic, but most freezers aren’t cold enough to kill bacteria. The bugs will become inactive (hibernation?) but they won’t actually die.
I put fabric softner sheets in the shoes, skates, cleats…it absorbs moisture and masks the odors!
I wouldn’t recommend putting fabric softner sheets in the shoes as those chemicals will be absorbed by the skin and shoot right for the liver (as well as elsewhere)- also, inhaling talcum powder can cause many serious health problems, including heart disease! if you don’t believe me, google it… and keep those stinky feet away!
I like using fabreeze and anti oder fabric sprays. but for some reason my shoes still always stink.. whatever
charcoal will absorb orders, put a clean sheet of paper towel in your shoes and a few pieces of barbecue charcoal over night or longer.
use a cheap vodka! spray the inside of your shoes with just enough vodka to get them damp then let the shoes air dry. I have no idea why it works but it does (it is an old theater trick).
GUYS YOU HAVE TO READ THIS TIP:
i know it sounds ridiculous but it really works. i won’t waste my time sharing any foolishness, so believe it or not it will really help your problem.
your first pee/urine when you just woke up from bed really works. so instead of peeing on the toilet when you woke up in the morning, use it on your feet(so you can feel your urine is a little bit warm). leave it for about 10 mins then rinse. do this every morning and one day you just notice that you don’t have that stink feet anymore.
try it you won’t lose anything instead that bad odor, you won’t spent anything so give it a try. you can notice result maybe 2-4 weeks. and if that odor is gone you don’t have to do that routine/regime anymore. so goodluck guys try it i promise it works. my brother tried that and he has a happy feet now, lol!!!
put orange peel into your overnight after you have worn them and you will be amazed after a couple of days
ew…what ever you do, don’t pee on yourself. there are better solutions. Although I have heard of peeing while standing in the shower prevents athlete’s foot. I still dont like that idea. I personally don’t have smelly feet but my little sister does. She uses Lemon peels in her shoes. they soak up all the nasty gross odor and stuff in your shoes…and as for the feet…go get a pedicure.
We used to have a product called, ‘Stinky Pinkies’. They were bags of some chemical that you would place in your shoes overnight. They were about the size of a child’s foot. It worked. I can’t find the product any more and wonder if any of you have a clue where to find it. i didn’t turn up anything on a Yahoo search. prolly had the same absorbent that 🙂 uses. Appreciate any info.
I use crumpled newspaper and spray it with cedar oil. This keeps the shape of the shoes and deodorizes naturally. The newspaper itself is deodorizing and the cedar oil accelerates this.
100% bonafide if ur shoes/sneakers smell badd or even worse then horrible got to a 99cent store and buy yourself a box of moth balls….put about 5-10 moth balls in each shoe and take a pathmark shopping bag to place the pair of shoes in after placing the moth balls then close the bag with a small knot and place’em back in their shoebox and wait at least a day and a half or u can just place the moth balls into the shoes and put them on the floor in ur closet 2….it works for me and when u do it with brand new shoes lowe the moth ball count to 1-3 and keep the new sneaker smell much longer
After doing getting rid of the odor in your shoes and to keep it that way go to a shoe store they should have small balls that you twist in put in your shoes.
Change the flora on your feet. Use rubbing alcohol on your footsies to kill the bad bugs and then slather your feet in unsweetened/plain yogurt.
That’s my secret, my feet always smell good!
my feet smell bad and im really sad about it… im gonna try every remedy here ( except peeing on myself, of course…) wish me luck!!
haha.. i read everything and i like the orange peel staying in my shoe overnight, and the newspaper and oil..
but me, every time i go home i put my shoes against the wall with the rear on the upper tip, so that the warm stinky air can travel up and out of my shoes.
After years of having to leave my gym shoes out on the porche, I can now stick my nose in them. The soloution was, most Walgreen, Wal-Mart, or any drug store sells a giant bottle,1 Quart, for less than $2.00, of Queen Helene Lotion. Every morning, before shoeing up, apply a small amount of this (almost liquid) stuff to your feet, and you will be garanteed, no more foot smell!
If you get some old socks and sew them up into little squares and fill them with baking soda, you shoes will not smell^^. and for extras get a small spray bottle and fill it with rubbing alcohol and maybe a little perfume scent and spray it inside the shoes and then let them air dry.
I heard that if you drink the vodka you can’t smell stinky feet anyway. Do the rubbing alcohol spray in the shoes and on the feet. Then put baking soda in your shoes everynight. If you wanna pee on your feet in the morning that’s up to you it also helps with jellyfish stings heh.
I used to have terrible stinky feet. I was told it was athlete’s foot. I started using Micatin powder (Miconazole Nitrate 2%). My feet and shoes no longer have any oder. I now use Micatin only if I sense a problem between my toes – when the skin gets rough and crusty, it is time for treatment again.
I have always found spraying the shoes/sneakers with a good amount of shout (stain remover) and throwing them in the wash gets the odor out pretty well.
I’ve tried most everything, and I haven’t found anything that works other than buying new shoes every month. So, I’m going to list what I don’t recommend…
1. Baking Soda makes your feet sweat more, counter productive.
2. Lysol makes a new more irritating stink, much like Fabreeze…
3. Antipersperant is great, if you aren’t alergic to it, in which case see number 1.
4. Moth Balls are great if you like to smell like moth balls all day at work.
5. I simply refuse to pee on myself, regardless of the validity.
6. Freezer makes for good cold smelling shoes. Might help cut down on foot sweating for ahhhh a minute.
7. Shout is an irritant, see number 1. Removes stains, not stink.
8. Orange peels will jump out of really smelling shoes. Orange Oil, see number 1.
9. I love the ones that say change your socks and wash your feet 3-4 times a day. Where do these people work, and where do they keep their bag of smelly socks?
10. Washing sneakers only makes them stink worse 1 day later. (hint, open up an old pair and see all the cavities that trap water)
I haven’t tried Vodka, but after taking off my shoes I could use a shot. I think this one gives me hope.
Use dry soap inside the shoe before wearing it. Tested method/
Cheers
If bacteria are causing the problem, and bacteria like moist environments, you need to kill the bacteria. The alcohol methods would work well.
I have put my shoes into a pre-heated oven set at 200-250 deg f and letting them “bake” until they are dried out.
It is important to turn “off” the pre-heated oven after you put the shoes in so you don’t melt them.
I have used this method for both leather and cloth shoes but not for shoes with plastic uppers. Just be careful not to get them too hot as to melt the sole or upper part and you should be ok…
Can you tell me how to get rid of very strong odour from brand new boots made from cheap man made material that my daughter purchased. The smell is over-powering.
You know what I do? I just wear flip flops all day long! I don’t usually buy shoes.
try baking soda..just sprinkle in the areas you want to remove the odours from, shoes, cat urine areas,dog urine areas, toilets etc for the smelly feet, its from wearing the same pair of shoes over and over. Your feet,I think,smells only when you wear those comfortable favorite pair of shoes that you wear EVERYWHERE. I noticed this cause my feet smelt..well actually my flipflops smelled off,so I stopped wearing them and wore a new pair and noticed my feet didn’t smell at all,but then I got paranoid with stinking out the new pair with my sweat and bacteria so I switched shoes everynow and then or went barefoot around the house. sweaty feet causes bad odours as well. gotta sun the shoes out as well to kill whatever is lingering there lol
Do these techniques work for stinky shoes that you have been wearing alot? I sure hope somthing here works because Im not kidding you, my shoes smell like a full blown ******* yeast infection.Im only being descriptive, Im not trying to be offensive, but ladys come on you all know what Im talking about! You know the smell! We’ve all been there! Anyways… sometimes- after a long day at work, the shoe smell reminds me of Vinegar and McDonalds on a hot day. I will take thr dry your sh*t,oops sorry I mean, dry your shoes out advice before I put them back on…I notice I have a problem not caring about the moisture level when I put on my shoes again after wearing them all day..well I have a problem all around with not caring-but thats besides the point. Oooh you know whats even more embarrasing than the Foot funk? When your sitting at your desk at work and you are talking to a co-worker and then all of a sudden, it hits you- the aroma of your rank *** shoes manages to seep out your shoes and up from under your desk and you catch a whiff..If you can smell it, sure as **** your co-worker caught a nose full….Final thought/advise….Remember how Mr. Rogers Changed his shoes all the time? Well maybe he was onto somthing!
Here’s one my uncle swears by… Mouthwash. He said it worked for toenail fungus, athletes foot, and smelly feet. Put some into an ice cream pail, and soak each foot for 10-15 min at the end of the day. I can see how this would work to kill the bacteria, but to get rid of the fungus for yellowing toenails, seems plausible as well.
I tried the vodka trick on a trip to africa about a year ago. It worked perfectly for a few days, but the smell that came when I had them on for 8 hours during the plane trip, you have no f**ing idea. There must’ve been a friggin colony of yeast and **** down there.
two words, BABY POWDER, makes them dry and keeps em smellin nice.
After washing my foot with soapy warm water and drying thoroughly, I rub baby powder all over my foot and in between my toes. Then, I wrap my feet with cling wrap (ie Saran wrap) and wear two pairs of socks. My shoes stay perfectly dry all day and although my feet sweat, the baby powder generally minimizes the chance for fungus, etc.
I use anti-perspirant/strong deodorant for my hubby’s smelly shoes.. it usually works..
the best way is to use charcoal padded footing. simple but affective. the pads have a layer of charcoal between them and this tends to absorb the moisture in the shoes when the feet sweat. thus due to absence of moisture shoes stop stinking. this works compared to many other products. but remember only by those shoe pads that specifically say that they contain charcoal.
Well, I perhaps have the most outlandish solution, and one not for the squeemish, but it works from the preventative end and as a biologist and athlete I can vouch for it. The fact that it works is ironic, to say the least.
The bacteria present in dog droppings produces a digestive, urea-like byproduct that is toxic to most foot-dwelling bacteria as well as many fungi such as which cause athlete’s foot and pitted keratolysis. In addition, these bacteria are stimulated by the particular sugars found in balsamic vinegar, thereby producing more of the helpful toxin.
By combining the dog droppings with enough vinegar to create a soupy texture, and then soaking the feet for about 10 minutes, you will have killed off all of the odor-causing bacteria on your feet. This leaves one remaining problem – dirty feet. Solution: this time, apply vinegar ONLY, and let sit for a few minutes. Then wash feet as normal with soap and water. They will then be odor/bacteria-free.
I learned this technique from a homeopathic medicine specialist on the Navajo Reservation as a treatment for fungus, but if you find yourself trying it, you should find that it works quite well for treating odor, if you can stomach it.
This works but if your skin is sensitive, it could be bad.
get a footbath or small tub that will hold water and eneough room to soak your feet. add a 1/2 cup of laundry bleach and soak for about an hour. kills the bacteria on your feet. do it everyday for a week. Then once or twice a week after. When you kill the bacteria on your feet, you don’t have to do anything with your shoes.
try charcoal capsules its suppose to absorb toxins in the body. If it works let us know.
xD. the thing I do [especially for flats!!]
i blowdry them inside and out. Then i spray then with rubbing alcohol and then i let them air dry over night. As for my feat i scrub them throughly then i put them in a small tub filled with warm water and salt for about 10 mins. then i dry them well [between the toes too! x333] and then i put baby powder on them! it reallt works. I do this every weekend. I relaxing to. haha
Hope it works for you too!
@ dave:
I wondered what ever happened to Stinky Pinkies products. I have 3 pair. I haven’t seen them around for a while. I used to see them everywhere. You put them in your shoes after you wear them to absorb the moisture and deodorize. And you stuck them in the sun when they “wore out” to revive them. Or you could even put them in a low oven to revive them.
I have seen a similar product for use at home stores to put in closets and in cars to accomplish the same purpose. I wonder if one could substitute them for use in shoes??? They were also able to be revived by putting out in the sun or in a low oven to revive them. Seems like they were filled with some sort of lava rock or something.
Before you go to bed, take your socks off. it is best to do this so that they get a chance to air out and it has really worked for me.
Someone told me years ago to pee in the shower to keep my feet clean. I didn’t believe them until I tried it and it worked. I’ve not had stinky feet in along time. My husband on the other hand has foul smelling feet that started about 2 weeks ago. He has always laughed at me for peeing in the shower, but look whose laughing now. When he gets home tonight, I’m going to try the other remedies I’ve seen and I hope that something works. Maybe I can convince him to pee on his feet. Really people, don’t be embarrassed to try – whose going to know unless you tell them. It might acually work for you.
I have been searching for Stinky Pinkies as well. We found them for my little sister years ago. To the person who found a similar product for cars, can you tell me what it is?
My son’s winter boots wreak, and I tried the baking soda yesterday. His other shoes don’t smell, so I’m not convinced on the foot bacteria thing. I think the bacteria grows in his boots because his feet sweat in the boots. But, I think the bacteria is limited to the boots and not his feet, if that’s possible. The boots are very warm, and he loves to wear them, so, he often slips them on without socks as well. I think drying them out over a heater vent has worked to diminish the smell as well. But, it always comes back. He’s only 6 and is not really helpful with remedies.
Any suggestions?
Oh my gosh! I have the worst smelling feet after i wear sneakers! The teqnique that works best for me is to drench your sneakers in baking soda… like put it everywhere. Next, put them outside (only if its winter) DON’T PUT THEM IN YOUR FREEZER because they only make your freezer smell like gross feet. Try it!!! It works… no joke
How what reallly works to get rid of smelly feee?
for girls
what really works to get rid of smelly feet
the reason peeing on your feet works is because after you pee on them you wash them quite thouroughly Correct? That would expalian it….Skip the pee and just really scrub them with soap. Pee is your body getting rid of WASTE
I have ballet flats and im not allowed to wear sandals to work! I need ideas for balletflats!
I use my own hand sanitizer. Apply a few drops on my feet and use my own feet to rub the moisturizing alcohol all over. Slip on my socks and shoes. No smelly feet! Make sure you’ve WASHED your feet, as in like right after the shower. Don’t go applying it when your feet are all cheesed up. Sweet!?
Urine is sterile. The reason it would be good for keeping odor out of shoes is because of its high ammonia content (also a cure for being stung by a jellyfish which is why they say to pee on the affected area immediately after being stung) which kills bacteria. instead of peeing on yourself though, which i wouldn’t imagine would be entirely enjoyable.. just buy some ammonia or ammonia based cleaner at the store.
don’t wear barefeet in your runners it makes your shoes and your feet smelly
In response to the “grossed out” comment:
Peeing on your feet works to kill the bacteria. Sure you wash your feet afterward but the ammonia in the urine is what kills the bacteria and/or any fungus etc. My boyfriend does it and he has great feet so I know it works. 🙂
viniger
FROM A CHIROPIST I USED TO KNOW. WASH FEET WITH SURGICAL SPIRIT MORNING AND EVENING FOR A WEEK OR LONGER IF SMELL PERSISTS. METHOD WORKS WELL….USED ON RESIDENTS IN LONG STAY WARD WITH PERMISSION
Well ummm……. How about you wash your feet dry them and spray your feet and shoes with lysol. Let them both air dry all odors will be terminated >,.,
I live in a warm humid climate and have very warm sweaty feet. Nothing worked for me at all – no sprays, powders, soaks, etc. I started putting plain Dr. Scholl’s insoles in my shoes (not even the odor-reducing kind, just plain white sponge-y insoles) and they seemed to absorb a lot of the heat and moisture. I have to switch them out every few weeks, but it is a lot cheaper than buying new shoes every few months!
Also, I am careful to let my shoes air out and dry completely before I wear them again – I never wear the same shoes 2 days in a row. That seems to help as well.
after freezing your shoes do you shake the baking soda out before you put them in a ventilated area or after?
These really cool shoe trees will dry your shoes and make them smell good too. I use them and they are great. I think you can find them at stuffitts.com.
Use kitchen anti-bacterial surface spray, remove inner soles, spray the whole shoe and the inner soles and let it dry over night.
My work boots stink so i use this, but my other shoes do never smell.
There are person problems and there are shoe problems. We know bacteria causes the smell but in my experience it only happens with some pairs of shoes. When the bacteria mingles with the man-made materials in my running shoes, that’s when I have a problem.
i had the same problem before i threw away my old sneakers and brought new ones and i got many socks so when youre going somwhere and you hav pink socks on the next day put on blue socks dont keep wearing the same socks everyday it will get worse
Peeing on your feet has been taught to soldiers for ever, it also kills athletes foot and many other fungi. it has nothing to do with ammonia, it’s a perfectly PH balanced mix of uric acid and urea…when doctors give you creams for a rash or something, check the ingredients you’ll see urea
Swicth shoes everyday spray alcohol inside footwear allow it to dry one or two days. Wear socks made of 70% cotton they absorb sweat and help keep your feet dry, change your socks two or three times a day. Clean and dry your feet when you change your socks. Wear sandals. Most antipespirants dont work on most people even prescrition types like drysol. A podiatrist can inject botox in to your feet that last about three months, most medical plans wont cover the cost ,and it’s expensive. This maybe a reason that some women love to have many shoes.
My husband suffered with really bad foot odour for years and tried everything you can think of and more. The only thing that works is Borax powder. Sprinkle a little in every pair of shoes you have and before you put your shoes on every day dust your feet with the powder. It’s inexpensive and is amazing for getting rid of all types of odours. Try adding some powder when you wash your carpets to illiminate pet odour you’ll never look bck again.
do u put baking soda in the soles too?
Hey folks,
unfortunately I’m an expert in the matter of foot and shoe care. I had so many problems on this topic. Foot smell, exessive foot sweat, even athlete’s foot. And I tried so many things… all the home remedies (vinegar, soda etc.) and purported miracle cures. It all costed me money, times and nerves. But finally I found a cure which really works after using it a few weeks: Insoles made from cedarwood (Manufacturer: Zederna.com). The wood absorbs any moisture. So foot smell has no more basis. These insoles are worth the money charged for.
My Feet Like Reek Out The Class Room.
What Do i Do, I try Deodorant and Like Shower powder, But they Still Stink.
Please Help.
I had athletes foot and applied pine-sol directly on the affected areas of my feet and the infection would dry up and die within 3 days.
Lysol also helped on the odor problem in my shoes.
Hi All!! I saw this and wanted to tell you about this product I started using. It’s called B.A.D.
It works amazing and made my shoes like new!! I also use it on the rest of my gear, I won’t use anything else. I found out not only does it deodorize my gear, it also decontaminates it to the point where it even kills staff! This stuff is amazing, definitely give it a try, I live by it. They also have AutoVaccine and RoomShocker, I keep them all on hand no matter what, they have saved me a lot of money, time and stress. Good luck and enjoy!
I started using this product at Drionics that is for the treatment of Hyperhidrosis or excessive sweating. It has changed my life. My feet are dry for months at a time. It can also help sweaty hands.
Hand sanitizer! Apply it all over the inside of your shoes. Only thing that worked for me.
Put baking soda in your shoes. Add an orange peel if you want.
My DPM introduced a method to me that beats baking soda, spraying and washing: He recommended a shoe tree that uses UV light to kill all bacteria. The shoe tree is called Sterishoe. This tree has removed the odor in some of my shoes in one day. UV light kills bacteria 100%.
One thing they failed to mention in the article – do not put a dirty foot in your shoes. Don’t walk around barefoot and then put your feet in your shoes – dirt carries bacteria. Also, don’t drive barefoot use heel shields, putting your foot back in your shoe after coming in contact with the car mate will also put bacteria inside your shoes – creating an environment for the smells to grow!
Baking soda and freezing your shoes works. But who has the time and patience to do this frequently? I also tried Lysol for a while because it is cheap. But Lysol is not good for your feet and shoes. I now found something dead simple on Amazon: A shoe tree that kills all the bacteria in your shoe with UV light. It is not so cheap compared to Lysol but it takes only 30 sec everyday and I always step into a clean shoe. And it doubles as a shoe tree. I haven’t seen any advertising for this method and don’t understand why something like this would not be shown in magazines or on TV. This is one of the coolest products I have seen in a long, long time! Frank
Another thing I’ve found that works is filling the shoes with dryer sheets. The sheets absorb the moisture and odor, and leave your shoes smelling like bounce.
Yea sweaty feet can definitely contribute to bad foot odor in a really bad way. In order to minimize odor its best to wear shoes that have good ventilation and dont tie your shoes too tight. The ventilation helps to minimize sweating. I found an article with some other really helpful tips that naturally fight foot odor.
Use an anti-fungal. You can get it at any drug store. After a few days all gone. Inexpensive too.
Tack a shower and wash your feet every day and u wont have that problem!!!!