How to Prevent Your Shoes from Smelling

Imagine visiting your relatives or friends, neatly dressed. You get invited into the house and after sitting for about three minutes, you notice them giving you weird looks. “Did I not comb my hair right, or is it my dressing?” You ask yourself as you embarrassingly scroll through your phone. The odd looks are probably because of smelly feet or shoes. The humiliation that arises from smelly shoes is usually heavy to carry. Your friends might tease you for that. I’m quite sure you don’t want to find yourself in such a situation, right?

Shoes usually smell because of feet sweat, wounds or injuries, bacteria and even taking a long time without cleaning your shoes. Shoes should be cleaned well and frequently.

Some of the simple actions that can be taken to prevent shoes from smelling awful include these:

Rotate your shoes

You may rock that same pair of casual shoes for your morning walks, or wear that same pair of official shoes to work every day, but this is not recommended. If possible, you can avoid wearing same pairs of shoes for two consecutive days. As you wear a pair, store the other pairs in a cool, dry place. This will let them dry out fully from sweat and prevent bacteria which may cause them to smell, from growing rapidly. Have several sneakers, rubber shoes or even brogue shoes. The point here is to avoid putting on the same shoes daily because eventually, they might start stinking.

Clean Your Shoes Properly

There may be times you just need to wipe your shoes to make them appear clean, but there are also times you should wash them properly and let them dry out fully. Washing your shoes and their insoles prevent bacteria from rapidly growing in them. After washing, make sure you dry them in the open and not in direct sunlight. Drying under direct heat from the sun, over time will probably damage your leather shoes.

Read more: How to properly clean your shoes

Purchase Moisture-wicking Socks

If you usually wear boots for long periods of time, then it is recommended you purchase moisture-wicking socks. They can also be referred to as anti-odor socks. They keep moisture trapped against your feet, and not get to the shoes to prevent bacterial growth. Generally, they are encouraged to be used while wearing tight fitting shoes or shoes that are not breathable.

Purchase Sweat Absorbing Powder for your Feet

These usually absorb moisture and help keep the feet dry. This will help reduce sweat getting into the insides of your shoes, hence, preventing bacterial or fungal growth. Voila, no smelly shoes or feet.

Use Feet Deodorants and Antiperspirants too

Deodorants usually keep body odor away, while antiperspirants prevent sweating by blocking sweat glands. Antiperspirants can also prevent blisters from forming on your feet. You should try these in small amounts first, to check whether you will have any allergic reactions. If not, you can use them as preventive measures for smelly feet and shoes.

Wear Breathable Shoes while Exercising

Nike Joyride Run

If you are fond of morning runs or generally exercising, put on more breathable shoes. They are shoes made of porous materials which easily allow moisture to escape. Forstars Footwear has got them in plenty and they include Adidas ultraboost, yeezy boost 350, nike air vapormax, Nike Joyride Run and many more.

Save yourself the embarrassment of smelly shoes. Take care of your feet and keep your shoes clean and dry.