Foot Odor Remedies & Shoe Odor Removal
Today we are going to address of on the more common odors that most folks aren’t speaking about and that is shoe odors and foot odors. This ultimate guide was designed to first identifying the underlying problem of shoe odors and provide you with what we feel is the industry best solution in our OdorKlenz shoe deodorizer. Shoes with unpleasant odors can cause frustration, discomfort, and in some cases, premature wear and tear on your shoes as well. There are plenty of scented sprays, creams, and home remedies that claim to dispel odors from shoes—but how do you know which to choose from?
This guide was designed to educate and inform on everything you will ever need to know about foot & shoe odors, why it occurs, and how to effectively treat it. When it comes to shoe odors, understanding the basics of foot odor can go a long way in keeping unpleasant smells away for good, so this guide will consolidate information on both the two stinky culprits.
What Causes Smelly Shoes?
There are a few reasons why you might get an unpleasant whiff of air when removing shoes. The most common reason stems from moisture.
Feet tend to naturally sweat, though some people simply sweat more than others. In fact, each foot has a total of 250,000 sweat glands! Given this, it’s no surprise that feet are prone to perspiration.Smelly shoes can also occur from the type of shoe material or the fit. If shoes are fitted too tightly to the foot, or made from a material that does not allow for air circulation, shoes are much more likely to smell. A tight fit and lack of ventilation provide a perfect environment for increased moisture.Without proper ventilation, this increase in moisture allows bacteria to grow, resulting in a musty, “smelly feet” odor. Fabrics that provide the most ventilation for feet include:
• Cotton
• Linen
• Leather
• Hemp
Aside from materials and ventilation, there is a common-sense approach to smelly shoes as well. Wearing the same shoes repeatedly can make for some truly unpleasant smells, as the shoes never get an opportunity to “air out.” Wearing the same shoes each day may only encourage the growth of odor-inducing bacteria, as the insoles retain moisture.
What Causes Foot Odor?
Foot odor can stem from an array of causes, and some of them are more easily fixed than others. When it comes to foot odor, there are a few different causes to consider:
• Excessive sweating: This can be from hormonal fluctuations, or from a medical condition called hyperhidrosis.
• Shoes that are too tight: If shoes don’t fit properly, the friction and tight space will cause feet to sweat, resulting in odor-causing bacteria.
• Shoes without proper ventilation: Airflow helps dispel moisture and prevent bacteria from forming.
• Poor diet: The foods you eat may have a greater impact on the body than you realize, particularly when it comes to foot odor.
• Socks that retain moisture: The type of socks you wear can be just as important as the type of shoes. For example, nylon socks are not made of a breathable material. As a result, they will hold in moisture, discourage airflow, and accelerate the growth of bacteria.
• Personal hygiene: Routine washing is an important part of keeping feet smelling fresh, and a lack of personal hygiene may contribute to unpleasant smells.
• Wearing the same shoes: Over time, this creates a vicious cycle of moisture and odorous bacteria, keeping both shoes and feet just as smelly.
Ultimately, the most common causes of foot odor come from ventilation and moisture. For an extended conversation on more specific causes, like diet and biological processes, continue on below.
Does Diet Play a Role in Foot Odors?
Though most people don’t consider the connection between diet and foot odor, they are intertwined more than you might expect. Take a moment to consider the relationship between the body and foods like garlic or asparagus, and altering your diet to eliminate foot odor may make a little more sense.
Here are some common examples of foods that may contribute to foot odor:
• Sulfur-rich foods: Coffee, onion, garlic, cabbage, cauliflower
Some people are sensitive to sulfites in these foods, resulting in unpleasant odors. While sulfites can be very healthy, cutting back a little may assist with persistent foot odors.
• Sweat-inducing foods: Spices, peppers, deep-fried food, chocolate
Because foot odors are commonly connected with perspiration, foods that are known to cause sweating should be avoided as much as possible when treating foot odor.
• Refined carbohydrates: Bread, pastries, pasta, white rice
Studies have pointed to carbohydrates as a source of unpleasant odors, particularly due to the use of flour.
While too many refined carbohydrates can produce unpleasant odors, not having enough can have a similar effect. Many low-carb diets have increased protein intakes, increasing ketone production inside the body and creating unpleasant odors.Some have also suggested that a zinc deficiency may contribute to foot odors. Thus, taking zinc supplements or adding nutrient-rich foods can potentially prevent foul smells.Although diet can certainly play a large role in foot odors, keep in mind that everyone is different. The best way to determine if your diet is playing a role in unpleasant smells is to consider how much you are eating the types of foods listed above.Moderation is key, as with any balanced diet. Sensible portions from these food groups should not be enough to cause foot odor—but excessive consumption could certainly be the culprit.
Excessive Foot Odor Causes
On its own, foot odor can be challenging enough. If the unpleasant smells become excessive, they can cause serious discomfort and anxiety. For some, excessive foot odor can be enough to avoid taking off shoes entirely.The medical term for persistent food odor is bromodosis, and it can happen to anyone. Whether stemming from internal or external sources, determining the cause of bromodosis is a key part of finding the solution.
When it comes to battling foot odor, there are a few common causes to consider:
• Hormonal changes: Changes in hormone levels may affect perspiration, meaning that teenagers, pregnant women, and those that have diabetes are especially susceptible to foot odor.
• Stress: Increased levels of stress influence hormone production in the body, namely cortisol. Dramatic fluctuations of stress hormones can create an imbalance, resulting in foul-smelling feet.
• Poor personal hygiene: The best practice is to wash feet on a regular basis to avoid unpleasant odors. For truly severe smells, however, frequent washing may need to be supplemented with another form of treatment.
• Hyperhidrosis: A medical condition which causes the body to sweat excessively.
• Athlete’s foot: Since Athlete’s foot is caused by excessive bacteria, those who suffer from this skin condition may find that their feet come with significant odors.
• Medication: Some medications may have side effects that contribute to excessive foot odors.
Whether mild, moderate, or severe, foot odor is never a pleasant situation. Pinpointing the cause of foot odor can go a long way towards creating a successful prevention plan—but how do you choose the right type of foot odor prevention?
Foot Odor Prevention
There are plenty of methods to prevent food odor, ranging from home remedies, sprays, and medicated soaps. Preventing foot odor typically comes down to either preventing or limiting perspiration and odorous bacteria.
Common solutions for foot odor prevention usually include:
• Wash feet with antimicrobial soap to eliminate odor-causing bacteria
• Use baby powder or talcum powder to keep feet dry
• Pour baking soda into the shoes
• Wear breathable cotton socks to promote good airflow
• Wear athletic socks with “moisture-wicking” capabilities
• Use cedar or odor-controlling insoles
• Insert linings made with silver for natural anti-microbial properties
• Use detergent or bleach to wash the shoes
• Spray anti-fungal products inside the shoes
No matter how you look at it, removing shoe odor can be a tricky process. Lingering moisture and bacteria can create long-lasting odors, making it difficult to thoroughly remove unpleasant smells. While the above solutions rely largely on odor-removing chemicals, many home remedies follow suit.
Do Home Remedies Work on Foot Odors?
It may be tempting to turn to home remedies to get rid of unpleasant smells, but the truth is that even the most applauded home remedies are largely ineffective when treating foot odors. This is because unpleasant smells are typically covered up with scents and perfumes, rather than eliminated at the source.
Some common home remedies for relieving foot odors that linger inside shoes include:
• Putting dryer sheets inside smelly shoes
• Leaving shoes outside during the winter to kill off bacteria
• Spraying perfume inside shoes
• Putting shoes in the freezer
• Leaving shoes outside to air out
• Keeping dried ground sage in shoes
• Leave cat litter in shoes overnight
• Wipe the insides of the shoes with rubbing alcohol
• Microwave damp shoes for 90 seconds to eliminate odors
• Leave orange peels in shoes overnight
There are also home remedies that focus directly on the feet when curing unpleasant odors. Some of these common home remedies for foot odors include:
• Soaking feet in baths prepared with baking soda, lavender oil, alum powder, Epsom salt, black tea, or vinegar
• Applying a sugar scrub to feet three times a week
• Drinking sage tea
• Applying pureed ginger root to feet once a day
• Putting deodorant on feet
While many home remedies have natural components, they are not well-equipped to provide long-lasting relief from odors. Unpleasant smells have chemical compounds, and as such, perfuming agents are largely ineffective. Rather than dissolve the odor completely, these home remedies give short-term relief from unpleasant smells.
In fact, many home remedies leave people with no choice but to throw away old shoes and purchase new ones. It’s not surprising to hear that this is a costly—and largely ineffective—method of treating foot odors.
The challenge of removing odors from shoes is one that many of our customers face. With so many home remedies and over-the-counter products available, it can be difficult to weed out the good from the bad. Unfortunately, while many of these treatments claim to solve foot odors for good, many customers find that their odorous feet return a few days later.
Finding a long-lasting and effective method of eliminating food odors can certainly be challenging—but it is far from impossible.
How to Remove Odor from Shoes
Most products are simply not well-equipped to eliminate food odors for good. This is because many rely upon masking agents or fragrances on covering up the odor, rather than remove it at the source. When it comes to effectively and thoroughly removing odor from shoes, theOdorKlenz Sports Powder comes with everything you need to take away foot odors for good. Its patented odor-neutralizing technology works quickly to eliminate odors that can build up inside shoes.What puts the OdorKlenz Sports Powder above the rest is that it manages to neutralize odors without using harmful chemicals or perfumes, resulting in long-lasting relief from foul odors. For those who have allergic or dermal sensitivities to chemicals, OdorKlenz Sports Powder is perfectly safe for regular use.
Best Shoe Deodorizer
There are may shoe deodorizer on the market that claims to be able to remove tough odors from shoes but the majority of these products utilize masking agents and perfumes to mask the odors instead of addressing them. The OdorKlenz Sports Powder works to attack tough and stubborn odor head on by neutralizing the odors on contact without the use of masking agents or toxic chemicals.For athletes, the OdorKlenz Sports Powder is a valuable addition to any gym bag. In addition to shoes, the odor-neutralizing powder can be applied to helmets, pads, braces, sleeves, gloves, and any other type of athletic equipment that cannot be washed.Whether you are an athlete, avid runner, passionate about the outdoors, or simply on your feet for most of the day, OdorKlenz Sports Powder is a perfect solution to an often persistent—and putrid—problem. By removing odors at their source without the use of harsh chemicals or perfumes, the OdorKlenz Sports Powder promises an effective and long-lasting result. In fact, not only does it work, but the powder is also backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee, making it one the best solutions for the unpleasant foot and shoe odors.
Conclusion
It’s certainly no secret that noxious foot odors can be troublesome, stressful, and unpleasant. Rather than throw away a good pair of shoes because of odor, using odor-removing products is a great way to treat and manage bad smells.
The most thorough and effective means of treating foot odors takes an in-depth approach, more than home remedies and masking agents can provide. Removing foot odors from shoes requires neutralizing bad smells, rather than simply covering them up.
Luckily, the OdorKlenz Sports Powder makes eliminating odors from shoes simple and effective. Instead of temporarily covering unpleasant smells, the OdorKlenz Sports Powder seeks to permanently erase them, resulting in longer-lasting shoes and much happier people.
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