Cleaning: On a regular basis, brush away any surface dirt with a soft brush. After extended, rugged use, wash with mild soap and warm water. Be sure to rinse off all soap residue to avoid attracting more dirt. Drying: Open footwear fully, remove the insole and laces and dry at room temperature.
Warm water and a mild dish soap should be enough to remove most grime and stains from your boots. Scrub with a soft cloth or, for stubborn stains, a soft bristled brush. If your boots are suede, use gentle pressure so you don't damage the material. Use a toothbrush to scrub hard to reach nooks and crannies.
Don't wash your shoes in a washing machine. After extended, rugged use, wash with mild soap and warm water. Be sure to rinse off all soap residue to avoid attracting more dirt.
Put baking soda in the offending shoes. If the freezer trick does not work, put in a healthy dose of baking soda and let the powder absorb the odor overnight. Place fresh orange, grapefruit, lemon, or lime peel into the shoes.
Wash them in the washing machine with a mild detergent, or - preferably - by hand with a mild, low-pH shampoo. In either case, air dry. The interior of the boot should be washed with a damp cloth and a low-pH shampoo. After the smell is gone, use a cloth dampened only with water and blot up any shampoo residue.
Using liquid detergent, run the washer on a cold delicate cycle. Depending on your washer, the wash time varies from 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the sneakers from the washer and allow them to air dry. NEVER put shoes in the dryer, as the heat may warp them or damage the glue that keeps them together.
Here is the step-by-step process I use to eliminate odor: First, I take out the insoles and wash them in the washing machine with scent-free detergent, and then I let them air dry. For the main boots, I rinse them out. Then I'll put a few ounces of scent killer in the boots, add in some water and shake.
The Best Sprays, Pods, and Pouches for Getting the Stink Out of Your Shoes
- Best Overall Spray. 10 Seconds Shoe Disinfectant Spray. amazon.com.
- Best Overall Pod. Gear Halo Deodorizer Pods. amazon.com.
- All-Natural Formula. Rocket Pure Deodorizer Spray.
- Leave-In Design. Zorpads Shoe Inserts.
- Best Anti-Fungal. Odor-Eaters Spray Powder.
Baking soda removes odors without adding other fragrances that linger and mingle with your shoes. Baking soda also acts as a fungicide and has mild antibacterial properties. Baking soda is by far the cheapest way to treat smelly shoes.
Simply slip a new dryer fabric softener sheet into each smelly shoe and leave it in overnight to cancel out odors (just remember to pull them out before wearing the shoes). It's also a smart idea to freshen and deodorize places where you store your shoes. Use dryer sheets to freshen these other items.
The best solution for smelly boots is baking soda. Sprinkle several teaspoons of baking soda into your smelly boots and let it stay overnight. If the boots still have the foul smell after 24 hours, give the process another shot for a longer duration.
On the other hand, distilled white vinegar, when reduced with 50 percent water, is effective at rubbing out or spraying away bad smells. Applying the mix with a cotton ball or spray bottle will combat smelly shoes. Just allow the mixture to set and dry for 30 minutes.
Soaking your feet in soap, warm water and two spoonfuls of white vinegar. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant. Add a few drops of tea tree essential oil and sprinkled bicarbonate soda in a pouch out of muslin and place it inside the boots. You can also use cotton balls instead of muslin.
Here are six ways to help stop—and control the side effects of—sweaty feet.
- Change your socks often and grab some antifungal powder.
- Wash your feet on the daily.
- Utilize your essential oils.
- Choose breathable footwear.
- Give yourself an ACV foot bath.
- Use shoe inserts.
When your feet can't breathe, bacteria proliferate, breeding on your feet, spreading to your socks, and making themselves at home in your favorite shoes. They release foul-smelling toxins, which are absorbed by your shoes, causing them to reek even after they've aired out.
Even if you haven't exercised in your shoes, your feet can still sweat. Put them in the freezer or outside: While this sounds like an unusual method, putting your shoes in the freezer is a highly effective way to kill the bacteria that cause shoe odors (the bacteria is no match for the extreme cold).
Hold the walking boots under warm water and give them a scrub with a soft brush. To tackle the dirt that's built up on them, throw in a little bit of washing up liquid or, even better, footwear cleaning product.
You can give your boots a gentle dry with a towel or clean rag to remove excess moisture, but leaving them to dry naturally is the best option. You should never dry your boots by placing them on the radiator or next to a direct heat source. It also has the added bonus of helping your walking boots retain their shape.
How to reproof leather boots:
- Clean the boots thoroughly (see how to clean hiking boots or shoes).
- Use a hairdryer to gently heat your boots up, this will help them absorb the dubbin.
- Apply a small amount of dubbin wax to a cloth and rub over the leather sparingly.
- Repeat as necessary.
- DO NOT wax too regularly, we would recommend once every five walks if regularly in use or once every couple of months if not, eventually you should be able to tell by the leather when it'll need waxing, it'll look dry.
