Eliminate Odor from Smelly Shoes

Shoes can get smelly easily, especially if you walk a lot throughout the day. Shoe odor can be an embarrassing problem and buying new shoes can be expensive. There are plenty of ways to eliminate the odor in old shoes. You can try washing the shoes, by hand or in the machine. If you're uncomfortable washing your shoes, you can try applying things like dryer sheets and orange peels to remove the scent. To prevent a reoccurrence, be sure to do things like wear socks and use foot powder to keep odor away.

Steps

Washing Your Shoes

  1. Clean your shoes with bleach and boiling water. You can wash your shoes in the washing machine. Beforehand, work to remove the odor with household products. One option is bleach and boiling water. You'll need a tea kettle, a sink, water, and bleach.[1]
    • Fill your tea kettle with water and heat it until it boils. Then, place your shoes in the sink.
    • Pour the boiling water from the tea kettle into each shoe. Then, pour in a small amount of bleach.
    • Allow the shoes to sit for a few minutes. Then, empty out the water and bleach. The bleach should kill the bacteria causing the shoes to smell.
  2. Wash your shoes in baking soda and vinegar. Another odor removal option involves common kitchen products. In this case, you can use baking soda and vinegar to remove the smell. All you need is some baking soda and vinegar, as well as a sink large enough to set your shoes.[1]
    • Fill each shoe with one cup of baking soda. Then, add a cup of vinegar. This will cause the baking soda to bubble.
    • Let the combination fizz for about 15 minutes.
  3. Wash your shoes in a washing machine. Once you've applied your chosen cleaning agent, you can finish removing odor via machine washing. You will need a pillow case and detergent to safely machine wash your shoe.[1]
    • If possible, remove the shoestrings before you begin washing your shoe.
    • Place the shoes in the pillow case and then transfer the pillow case to the washer.
    • Use a normal cycle and hot water. Use plenty of detergent so the smell is removed. For white shoes, you could consider adding bleach.
    • One cycle may not be enough if the odor is strong. You may have to run very smelly shoes through two cycles.
    • You should let the shoes air dry. A dryer can shrink shoes.

Removing Odor Without Washing

  1. Try a black teabag. Black teabags contain tannins, a substance that can help kill bacteria. Placing a black teabag in your shoe could potentially eliminate some odor by killing bacteria.[2]
    • You will have to place the teabag in some boiling water prior to use. After immersing the teabag in boiling water, remove it and let it sit for 5 minutes.
    • Place a teabag in either shoe. Let the teabags sit for an hour.
    • Remove the teabags and use a paper towel to remove any excess juice. See if you notice a reduction in odor.
  2. Leave kitty litter in the shoe overnight. Clean kitty litter is usually infused with a deodorizer. Make sure you purchase kitty litter aimed at controlling odor, as this can easily be used to remove odor from shoes.[2]
    • Line the insides of the shoes with kitty litter. Let the shoes sit overnight, or until you notice the smell is gone.
    • Clean all the kitty litter out of the shoes. You can try shaking the kitty litter out, which should get rid of most of it. Use a paper towel to remove any lingering bits of kitty litter.
  3. Use dryer sheets. Dryer sheets are meant to freshen the smell of clothing, so they can be used in shoes as well. Using dryer sheets to get rid of shoe odor is easy. You simply place dryer sheets inside each shoe. Then, wear the shoes as you normally would. The shoes should absorb the odor from the dryer sheets, minimizing a foul scent.[2]
    • Throw away the dryer sheets after using this method. You should use new dryer sheets each time.
  4. Place your shoes in your freezer. Freezing shoes may remove some of the odors. To freeze shoes, place both shoes in a resealable bag. Cold temperatures can damage shoes, so it's very important you place your shoes in a bag before transferring them to your freezer.[2]
    • Leave the shoes in the freezer overnight. The cold temperature should help kill bacteria-causing odor.
    • Wait until the shoes thaw completely to wear them again. The cold temperature should eliminate, or at least lessen, some of the odor.
  5. Set orange peels in your shoes. A fresh citrus scent can help get rid of odor in your shoes. It can also leave them with a pleasant scent. Place a couple of orange peels in each shoe and leave the shoes overnight. By morning, the shoes should smell fresh and pleasant.[3]
  6. Use socks and coffee grounds. If you have old socks, cut off the toe-ends of the socks. Fill the toes with about half a cup of coffee grounds. Tie the ends together and place the socks in both shoes. The coffee grounds should remove the odor overnight.[3]
  7. Try white vinegar. Add a cup of white vinegar to each shoe. You should hear some bubbling and fizzing. Leave the vinegar in place for 15 minutes. Then, rinse out the shoes. Some odor should be gone.[3]
  8. Use baking soda. On its own, baking soda can help neutralize odor. To use baking soda, all you need to do is sprinkle a small amount of baking soda in your shoe. Allow it to stay there overnight. By morning, some of the smell should be gone.[3]
  9. Eliminate odor with rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol can easily kill the kinds of bacteria that cause odor in shoes. Get a bottle of rubbing alcohol and gently coat the inside of the shoes. Make sure not to get rubbing alcohol on the outsides of the shoes.[2]
    • Place the shoe in the open air. Leave there until the alcohol dries.

Preventing A Reoccurrence

  1. Wash your feet. If you keep your feet clean, unpleasant odors are less likely to rub off on your shoes. Bacteria in feet can multiple fast, so always remember to wash your feet thoroughly in the shower.[4]
    • Lather your feet up with soap. Scrub them thoroughly, targeting dirty areas in particular, and then rinse with water.
    • When you get out of the shower, make sure to completely dry your feet.
  2. Avoid wearing the same shoes two days in a row. Your shoes need a chance to dry off completely. Moist shoes are more susceptible to odor-causing bacteria. Rotate which shoes you wear each day.[4]
  3. Use foot powder. Foot powder can help reduce foot sweat. This can lead to less odor being built up in your shoes. Try sprinkling some foot powder on your feet prior to wearing your shoes each day.[4]
  4. Wear socks. Socks can help provide a barrier between your feet and shoes. Make sure to wear a fresh pair of socks each day. Wearing socks regularly can help eliminate unpleasant smells in shoes.[3]



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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/removing-the-stink-from-shoes/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 http://naturalremedyideas.com/get-rid-of-shoe-odor/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 http://www.howtoremovethat.com/how-to-get-rid-of-shoe-odor.html/2
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 http://www.health.com/home/shoe-smell-removal
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