How to de-stinkify your shoes
- by Francesca Clarke (RSS feed) on Oct 24th 2007 8:00AM
- Filed under household hacks, cleaning
When a little bacteria moves into your shoes, it's can start a nasty cycle that ends with the shoes in the garbage bin. First your shoes smell a bit, but you can hide it, then the little bacterial friends multiply and you start losing the odor battle. Finally, you condemn the shoes to the garage, and eventually you get rid of them. With all the wet weather we've been having, it's prime breeding ground for nasty smells. Unless you want to run your shoe shelf like a bowling alley and spray down every pair as they come in, you'll want to find an easier and more pleasant solution.
Dryer sheets to the rescue again. These useful little sheets are traditionally used to soften clothes, but they have a secret super power: the ability to give your shoes a clean fresh smell. Just put a sheet into each shoe when you're not wearing them. Next time you go to slip on those shoes you'll be impressed with the lasting fresh smell. The nice thing about these as opposed to perfumed insoles or other products on the market is that the smell is fresh but not overpowering. You probably already have them on hand, so why not give it a try.
Comments [27]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
10-27-2007 @ 2:19PM
kllveda said...
I do this too but with natural ones from http://www.shaklee.com/karlalloyd the chemical perfume smell in the drier sheets from any brand make me itch! I, like millions of people have sensitive skin...
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 2:27PM
Tom said...
I suffered with stinky sneakers and tried just about everything. Odor eater insoles, super odor eater insoles, white socks, washing the shoes often, washing my feet often. But, nothing worked for long. Then I happened to read somewhere that spraying antiprespirant on your feet would help. That IS the solution. No feet sweat for the bacteria that cause the odor to feed on. It works on your underarms, it also works on your feet.
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10-28-2007 @ 2:39PM
Pablo said...
Dear Kllvda,
I am allergic to, and get a rash from all you other people on this planet... please leave.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 3:06PM
Trlmrt2 said...
You can also put them in the freezer. This gets rid of the smell.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 3:11PM
Trlmrt2 said...
You can put them in the freezer. This works very well.
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10-28-2007 @ 3:13PM
Trlmrt2 said...
You can put your shoes in the freezer for a couple of hours or over night this works great.
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10-28-2007 @ 3:24PM
jai said...
don't wear the same pair of sneakers everyday-alternate them, and use baby powder before putting them on (not the powder with corn starch). even the cheap powder helps with the smell when you take them off, absorb the sweat and oder.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 3:22PM
Wanda said...
"Gran's Remedy"
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10-28-2007 @ 7:35PM
Angela said...
I have a great idea, wash those stinking shoes! Just don't dry them in the dryer. If you want to spray to get rid of those bacteria use a product like "Nature's Miracle" or another enzyme product to eat away those stains. Nothing is going to cover up the smell!
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10-28-2007 @ 3:58PM
Angela Klein said...
To kill smelly shoe odor put your shoes in a plastic grocery bag then put them in the freezer overnight. This kills the bateria. A chemist told me this. It works!!
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 8:58PM
Linda Tuthill said...
Y'all should wear socks with sneakers, and thank-you for the helpful hint, I'll give it a try with my grandkids sneaks.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 4:02PM
tana green said...
Sounds dangerous - unknown allergies. And no, I do not just have them on hand. They stink too. What a silly thing to do. You could try bacon grease - it's certainly no sillier - and you probably just have it around. Smells better.
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10-28-2007 @ 4:20PM
Carl Tapp said...
YOU PEOPLE HAVE OBVIOUSLY NEVER HEARD OF "ODOR EATERS" INSERTS AND SPRAY , WHICH USE BAKING SODA TO DE-STINKIFY .
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 4:42PM
Ruthe Hinson said...
This message is for the people who are allergic to the chemical in perfumed dryer sheets. I had this problem until my sister suggested using those blue rubber balls that you see on T.V. Just put the balls in the dryer, add your clothes , turn on the dryer and your clothes will come out twice as fluffy as they do when using the dryer sheets and they are fragrance free ! They also save you money , since you can use them over and over.
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10-28-2007 @ 5:14PM
Bonnie said...
Yes, I discovered that a few years ago. Dang, should have told everyone. hehehe
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 5:47PM
Chuck said...
I finally had both feet amputated. A little drastic, perhaps,
and the wheelchair is a bit of a pain. But PRESTO! No more
foot odor.
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 6:26PM
PHarris said...
Bathe daily and never wear socks more than once - no problems
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 6:41PM
pat said...
much cheaper and effective to use baking soda--worked wonders on some sneakers
Reply
11-06-2007 @ 2:22AM
adam said...
a couple years back a chemist friend that works for Reebok gave me a good, yet unorthodox solution: First you take the affected shoes outside and put them down on the ground. then you proceed to urinate in them AS MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN. it is recommended you drink a LOT of fluids in the 1 - 2 hours prior. then you put the shoes on the shelf inside your refridgerator and leave for 3 hrs. this will take care of the problem. if anyone needs help with this please contact me and i can provide the service with pleasure. enjoy
Reply
10-28-2007 @ 6:43PM
ukantseeme said...
Dryer sheets are great for bad breath too ! Just chew on one for 3omin. and voila !
Reply