Guide: 4 tricks to remove odor from your shoes

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. How to remove bad odor from shoes

- 1.1. 4 Tricks: How to get rid of the bad odor in your shoes

2. Prevention can be the way forward

3. Why do shoes smell?

 

Even the coolest Jordan 1 or Yeezy sneakers can start to smell so bad that you really want to remove the odor from the shoes. But good advice can be expensive—how do you even do that? And why did the shoes start to smell in the first place?

We will try to answer that in this blog post, where you can expect to get:

• 4 tricks to remove the bad odor from your shoes
• 5 tips on how to prevent a bad odor in your shoes
• The answer to why your shoes have started to smell so bad

 

How to remove bad odor from shoes

Let’s start with the most urgent issue. How do you remove the odor from your shoes if the worst has happened and your new Nike Dunks already smell terrible? There are several methods that can combat the bad smell. We have investigated the matter and found the 4 most common tips on how to best remove the bad odor from your shoes.

4 Tricks: How to get rid of the bad odor in your shoes

• Wash the shoes

Washing your shoes can be effective both as a preventive method and when the worst has already happened and your shoes smell really bad. You can either do it manually with a cloth or wash your shoes in the washing machine. After washing, the shoes should be dried, and you can also take out the insoles. Always check the washing instructions before you start washing your shoes to double-check that they can handle it. For example, you should always be careful with delicate materials like suede and leather.

• Freeze the shoes

Bacteria hate the cold—just like us. Therefore, a night in the freezer can be the salvation for your smelly shoes, even if it sounds crazy. The cold in the freezer will help kill the bacteria, which are one of the culprits behind the bad smell in your shoes.

• Baking Soda

The bad smell in your shoes comes from acid. This means that it can be combated with something basic. Fortunately, many households have a basic element hidden in the kitchen, which can now save your shoes. Baking soda is the name of the powder that can act as a deodorizer in this smelly scenario. Pour about one tablespoon of baking soda into each shoe and leave it overnight. The next day you can vacuum it away, and if you want to be extra thorough, you can throw them in the washing machine if the shoes can handle it.

• Cat litter

It might sound completely crazy, but cat litter can help remove the bad odor from your shoes. It has a sublime ability to absorb, which helps remove some of the smell.

 

Prevention can be the way forward

The above tips and tricks for removing the smell from your shoes are obviously only relevant when the 'accident' has happened. But actually, one of the most effective things can be to prevent smelly shoes.

You can do several different things here.

1. Wash your feet regularly. When you are already in the shower, make sure to be extra thorough around your feet. This way, you can effectively remove dirt, bacteria, and sweat, which are the causes of bad odor.
2. Keep your feet dry. Bacteria thrive best in a moist environment, so if you have sweaty and damp feet in your shoes, you will find that they smell more. Therefore, you should try to keep them as dry as possible.

• Keep your shoes dry. As mentioned above, bacteria thrive in moist environments, and therefore a wet shoe is a dream for them.

• Wear socks. Socks help absorb your foot sweat, preventing the sweat from penetrating the shoe's materials.

• Use shoes made of breathable materials. Another good tip to avoid a bad odor in your shoes is to use shoes made of breathable materials. If you use shoes made of synthetic materials, the shoe retains moisture inside, and as we have learned a few times, bacteria love moisture.

Why do shoes smell?

The reason why a bad odor can occur in your shoes, which you want to remove, is that bacteria thrive excellently in the environment of a shoe. And it is precisely the bacteria that are the main culprits when your shoes start to smell.

They love moisture, and there can be plenty of it in a shoe. It can come from sweat, rain, or something else entirely, and when the moisture mixes with dirt of various kinds, it is a true dream scenario for bacteria.

It is difficult to completely avoid bacteria, but you can keep them somewhat at bay by following some of our precautions above. By keeping your shoes and feet clean and dry, the bacteria lose the beloved moisture and thus have difficulty thriving.

And if the worst happens, you should be able to remove the bad odor in the shoes by following some of our tricks.