Now there are several different things that can make a shoe stink: either you’re a heavy sweater, have shoes in a smoker’s home, or just got them wet and now the bacteria’s having a field day.
First off, there are several products out there to help. There’s foot deodorant and foot powder to keep foot sweat to a minimum, odor balls can be found at any local fFootlocker.com!, Champs Sports
and even febreeze can help for textile liners (mesh, cotton, etc.).
Before beginning any odor solution, sometimes a nice airing outside will do the trick. Yes, you’d want to avoid damp areas as well as places where the sun is beaming down. What you’re basically looking for is a place with a nice airflow. So if you want to keep it indoors next to an open window, that’s fine.
This is really ideal for bacteria problems after the shoe has been holding a significant amount of water. Water + sun = bad. The airflow will aid in drying the shoe and hopefully the smell. Once you’re sure the shoe is completely dry or you can still sense the stench, then you can try the following methods.
- For bacteria, place the shoe in a plastic bag, and place in the freezer. The cold should kill them off. Making sure they’re dry is the key. If the water should freeze inside the shoe, expect a lot of damage to be done esp. in the sole region.
- For sweaters, aside from the foot powder, maybe the problem lies in your socks. From what I’ve seen, cheap socks = hot feet. Athletic socks are a plus.
- For the shoes that just can’t seem to shed their stink, they may need time to just settle. Put them back inside their shoe box. Sprinkle baking soda inside the box and around the shoe. I wouldn’t spinkle it inside the shoe. Close the box and just let it settle for awhile and then check on them.
