If you’ve got teens, you need to know how to deodorize smelly shoes. Even if you don’t have teens, you may still want to know how to get rid of that odor because, let’s face it, stinky feet are only funny to kids.
Here are five ways to get the funk out.
How to Deodorize Smelly Shoes
That horrible odor is the result of bacteria multiplying in the damp environment of a sweaty shoe. Your feet contain 250,000 sweat glands! When those sweat glands are stuck in a shoe that’s not ventilated, the sweat and warmth create a breeding ground for bacteria. To get rid of the smell, you need to destroy the bacteria.
1. Wash Them
Shoes made of fabric can be tossed in the washer with a couple of towels and run through a warm/warm cycle using your regular laundry detergent. Skip the fabric softener and use white vinegar which will kill the odor-causing bacteria.
Tumble freshly-washed tennis shoes in a dryer with towels or, if you can’t stand that banging sound, slip them into a bag that fits over your dryer’s door. Allow other shoes to air-dry thoroughly.
2. Use a Homemade Shoe Deodorizing Powder
The ingredients in this homemade deodorizing powder are powerful odor absorbers, and the tea tree oil’s antiseptic properties will kill odor-causing bacteria. Dump out the dust before wearing your shoes.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 drops of tea tree oil
Directions
1. Shake or stir until thoroughly mixed.
2. Sprinkle shoe deodorizing powder liberally into your shoes after each wearing and let it sit overnight. (You might want to keep a shaker can of this mixture in the laundry room for regular use.)
3. Dump the powder out before wearing.
OR Use a Shoe Deodorizing Spray
Some people swear by spraying their shoes with Febreze after each wear. If you don’t have skin allergies or sensitivities to corn, that’s worth a try. I do, so I use a homemade spray.
Ingredients
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
5 drops of tea tree oil
Directions
1. Lightly mist shoe insoles after each wearing.
2. Let the shoes air dry.
4. Store them stuffed.
Stuffing shoes with newspaper after wearing them does an excellent job of soaking up the sweat. The less sweat in your shoes, the less they’ll smell. Keep a stack of old newspapers in your closet, so you don’t forget.
5. Freeze them.
Sticking your shoes in the freezer is a great way to deodorize them since the smell-causing bacteria can’t survive the chill. Slip them into a pillowcase if you’re concerned about getting dirt in your freezer. Then, leave the shoes to freeze overnight. Defrost before wearing.
Tips to Control Shoe Odor
• Wear socks to absorb sweat.
• Don’t wear the same shoes two days in a row so that they can dry out completely between wearings.
• When possible, put your shoes outside. Sunlight is a natural disinfectant, so it also helps kill odors.
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I tried alcohol on a pair of Keds…it did rid them of “foot odor” but now they smell strong of rubber/chemical as if the alcohol broke down the inner sole. I’ll try some of these suggestions.
The rubbing alcohol probably did break down some of the inner sole. That’s why I don’t recommend it. The shoe powder I mentioned works very well, and hasn’t harmed my Keds or any other shoes I love.
Sneakers are the worst, so try this.
Rubbing alcohol, soak them for a couple of hours. Put them flat in a baking pan and pour the alcohol into them.
Or mix up a dilute clorox solution and do the same.
Then let them sit out in the hot sun for a couple of days. Wear other shoes while these dry. Rotate your sneakers too. Its the bacteria which you have to kill.
Kitchen sponges will stink too, so squeeze them full of dish detergent, and let them sit in sun to completely dry, rotate sponges too. Have 2 or 3 on hand.
Interesting ideas, Jane!
Leave them out in the sun to dry
That works to dry them, but doesn’t necessarily kill the bacteria that lead to foot odor. As soon as you put the shoe back on your nice, warm foot the stink returns.
Can’t wait to try this, I have several pairs of shoes that need help, as I hate to wear socks!
I hate socks, too, Jodi. These steps let me go sockless without worrying everyone I meet will smell my shoes. LOL
you totally saved me with this article!! tried everything under the sun – how did I not think of white vinegar!!
I’m glad to have helped, Zizi!
Thanks a lot! This really helped my shoes that literally could not be worn because they smelled so bad… It was embarrassing…
Thank goodness I live in Canada! I’ll just leave my shoes outside overnight tonight!
Charcoal works too 😉
Or just use Napthalene balls (Air/room freshners). Kills all the smell in no time. Powdering n sprinkling in shoe will help while traveling as well.
Uhh… Great post, but freezing doesn’t kill most bacteria or fungi.
I’ll definitely try the homemade powder idea though!
Freezing kills the microbes that thrive in warmth. And generally, feet aren’t sweating if they’re cold. So, I’d say freezing them to kill the microbes that are breaking down dead skin and causing the stink makes the most sense.
I like the idea of sprinkling the shoes with a deodorizer, but why use baking powder instead of baking soda?
Typo. Sorry.