Get Rid Of Shoe Odor With This Simple Trick!

Written by Tanya Arora  • 

A byproduct of the 9 to 5 lifestyle, shoe odor is one of the nastiest damages you can inflict on your partner, roommate or family! Caused by bacterial growth, ill-fitting shoes, nylon socks, and fungal infections of the feet, food odor – needless to say – is highly embarrassing. So, if you suffer from it (and make others suffer too), it’s high time you looked for easy solutions to fix this problem.

Fortunately, you don’t have to perform an internet-wide search to get quick-fixes for shoe odor. We present to you the easiest trick to keep shoe odor at bay for good:

Baking Soda To The Rescue!

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Baking soda not only finds plenty of use in the kitchen but also in a wide variety of home remedies! You can use it as a mouthwash, treat skin irritation and itchiness with it, use it as an exfoliator or even whiten your teeth with the help of some baking soda (1).

However, one of its primary uses is as a deodorizer. From fridge and kitchen odor to that emanating from garbage, baking soda helps neutralize any kind of stink so that it’s not powerful enough to bother you or those around you. The odor neutralizing effect of baking soda also makes it the perfect remedy for stinky shoes! Here’s how you can use this simple ingredient to achieve odorless feet:

Image: Shutterstock

Method 1

If your shoes stink, before putting them on again for the next day, put 2 small packets of baking soda in them. The baking soda will help absorb the nasty smell. As for how long you should keep the baking soda packets in your shoes, that’s indefinite. You should let them stay in your shoes as long as they don’t stop smelling completely. Try wearing another pair of shoes that don’t stink to work if you think your stinky shoes are not odorless yet. Also, instead of placing packets in your shoes, you can also tie up a small amount of baking soda in a tiny cotton cloth and put it in your shoes.

Method 2

Want a particular pair of shoes to be odor-free quickly? Simply sprinkle a bit of baking soda on the insides of your shoes and let them stay this way overnight. The next morning, dust off the baking soda with the help of a clean, soft cloth. Your shoes won’t be as smelly as before!

Method 3

Another way to use baking soda to eliminate shoe odor is to use it with a coffee filter. Take a coffee filter and put some baking soda in it. Now use the filled-up coffee filter to sprinkle some baking soda in your shoes before going to bed. Allow the soda to sit in your shoes for the night. When you wake up, remove all traces of baking soda from your shoes and slip your feet into them as you normally would. That’s one way you can bid adieu to the shoe order!

If baking soda is not readily available in your home, you can try out a couple of other simple remedies too! Take a look at them below:

Image: Shutterstock
  • Alcohol is as good deodorizer as baking soda for it helps kill the bacteria that cause the stink! If your feet smell, you can simply apply a bit of pure alcohol on cleansed feet and allow it to dry. That should take care of it! As for your shoes, a bit of rubbing alcohol when applied on their insides should do the trick.
Image: Shutterstock
  • An effective way to clean dirty sneakers is to soak them in 3 gallons of water mixed with 2 cups of vinegar. Once wet, take your shoes out and let them air dry. There’ll be no odor of any kind in them!
  • As hard to believe as it may sound, onions can actually help in making your shoes odor-free! Onions are great at absorbing foul smells. For this remedy, you will need around 2-3 onions, which you must put in your shoes for a couple of hours. That’s it!
Image: Shutterstock
  • If onions are too gross a remedy for you, you can try using baby powder. Baby powder’s mild aroma and gentle texture will keep your skin dry so your feet don’t sweat and cause odor. So before wearing your shoes, be sure to dust some on your feet. You can also put some baby powder in your socks to prevent odor.
  • Freezing your shoes is the easiest way to get rid of the most stubborn footwear smell! Put your shoes in a Ziploc bag that’s big enough to hold them easily. Once done, place the bag with the shoes in your freezer, letting them stay overnight. The next day, take your shoes out and allow them to thaw. Once they’re dry, you can wear your stink-free shoes!

These easy remedies can save you from a lot of embarrassment of taking your shoes off whether in public or at home! Try them out to see which one works best for you.

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