Smelly shoes are usually not only annoying, but very embarrassing as well. Shoes smell could be caused by any number of things – foot problems, injuries and bacteria. This odour is from bacteria that grows and live on your foot and in your shoes. Until you do something about it, the bacteria living in your shoes will just keep multiplying, which means the odour is there to stay.
So, here are some tips on how to keep your shoes smelling fresh and make them last longer.
- Choose the right shoe size: your feet could sweat more than usual (aside from been uncomfortable) when you wear the wrong size of shoe. This helps the bacteria on your feet grow happily. especially where it is warm and damp. Your sweaty shoes and wrong size are just the place they would love to stay.
- Wear shoe fabrics that are breathable: wearing shoes with more breathable fabrics like cotton, leather, hemp etc. will reduce the sweat and odour in your shoes. Synthetic fabrics usually do not breathe well.
- Store in an airy space: Don’t keep your shoes in places where it’s damp, rather they should be kept or stored in a cool and dry room that has lots of airflow, as this will help keep bacteria growth at bay.
- Give your shoes a break: Try to alternate your shoes, as wearing the same pair of shoes two days in a row means you are not giving your shoes enough time to completely dry out from the previous day’s wear.
- Wash your shoes: There are some shoes that need washing. Handwashing with cool water is the best way to wash shoes and you can add a little disinfectant to the washing solution, as this also helps with the odour.
- Alcohol helps: You can spraying alcohol on shoes, as this helps to kill any bacteria in the shoes. Remember not to drench the shoes with alcohol, though.
- Essential oils: Drip a few drops of essential oils (clove or tea tree oil) into your shoe to give them a refreshing smell. Drip it into a piece of paper or a tissue and put that in your shoe overnight to prevent odour.
Shortly, we will be discussing How to tackle smelly feet