Have you ever wondered what causes the stinky and unpleasant smell in your shoes? The reason behind this smell is because the feet often sweat when they are locked inside shoes for hours. Due to excessive sweating it becomes an ideal environment for bacterial growth, causing the shoes to emit unpleasant odours. Another reason behind this smell is the materials used for making the shoes. Shoes are usually made from synthetic materials and have rubber soles and plastic. These plastic inner soles are the main culprits behind unpleasant stinky smell in our shoes.
Removing your shoes in public can sometimes be embarrassing because of the smells that ooze out anytime you removed them. You may, a times, feel like throwing away your most favourite pair of shoes due to the foul smells it emits. If you feel ashamed removing your shoes in front of your friends, colleagues or anywhere at all, worry no more, because after reading this piece, you do not need to feel embarrassed about the unpleasant smell that comes from your shoes anymore, and you will feel comfortable removing your shoes anytime and anywhere.
Here are some simple and easy tips to help you get rid of bad smell in your shoes.
·        Use orange peel. Put one or two orange peels in the shoes and leave them overnight. Next morning your shoes will smell great.
·        Fill each shoe with boiling water and add a small amount of bleach. Let this set for a few minutes. When the water has cooled, dump out the water and wash your shoes. The bleach will kill the bacteria, thus removing the odour.
·        Add one cup of vinegar to each shoe. This will cause bubbling and fizzling. Let this set and work in your shoes for about 1 minute. Remove the mixture from the shoes, wash and place under the sun to dry.
·        Using a spray container, mix equal amount of vinegar and water and spray the inside of the shoes thoroughly. Let your shoes dry for a few minutes before putting your feet in them for a fresh feeling that will last for hours.
·        Cut off the ends of an old pair of socks. Fill each piece with about half cup of coffee grounds and tie off the end. Place in shoes overnight to absorb odour.
·        Pour some rubbing alcohol in a cotton ball and wipe the inside of your shoes with the same. Leave them undisturbed for a while. The foul smell is sure to fade away.
·        Collect fresh, unused cat litter in a pair of old sock and seal its mouth, then put the socks inside your smelly shoes and leave overnight. The litter, a great deodorizer, would absorb all the foul smell, making your shoe perfectly ready to wear.
·        Stuff the shoes with newspaper. Do this at night and next morning you will find stink free shoe.
·        If the shoe is not washable, wipe out the interior with a cotton ball dipped in alcohol to kill bacteria.
·        If the shoes are damp, you may be able to microwave them for 90 seconds to kill the bacteria.
·        The most known method to get rid of smelly shoes would be to wash them thoroughly. Using a soapy detergent and bleach, wash the shoes inside out. Thereafter, keep them under the sun to let them dry well. Don’t wear them until they are completely dry.
Removing the odour in your shoes is easy if you are ready to put in some efforts and a bit of care. After you have eliminated the odour from your shoes, prevent it from returning by keeping your feet clean and wearing socks as often as possible. Try to wear clean leather shoes and cotton socks and change shoes daily. Make sure to wash your feet once but preferably twice a day with an anti bacterial soap. Follow these tips and you will be saying bye bye to bad smells in your shoes.
By: Mercy Kukah
