- \n
- Use baking soda<\/strong> – This helps reduce smells and gets rid of moisture.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use a hairdryer inside your shoes<\/strong> – (Caution – See instructions<\/a>). This can kill most bacteria that cause odors in your shoe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Spray the inside of your shoes with rubbing alcohol<\/strong> – This kills the bacteria that causes the odor in your shoe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Spray a mix of water and vinegar inside your shoes<\/strong> – This kills some bacteria that cause the odor in your shoe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Wash your shoes (or a shoe spray)<\/strong> – These can help get rid of most of the bacteria in the shoe that cause odor and make them smell nice. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
One of the best ways to keep your shoes odor-free is to take them off as soon as possible and let them dry completely before using them again. Bacteria need water to grow. Wearing shoes that breathe when your feet sweat can also make a big difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n\nTable of Contents<\/p>\n
- \n
- Dry Your Shoes Before Next Use<\/a>\n<\/li>
- 1. Use Baking Soda to Stop Odors<\/a><\/li>\n
- 2. Place Hair Dryer in Shoe to Stop Odors<\/a><\/li>\n
- 3. Spray Shoes With Rubbing Alcohol to Stop Odors<\/a><\/li>\n
- 4. Spray Shoes With Water and Vinegar to Stop Odors<\/a><\/li>\n
- 5. Wash Your Shoes or Use Shoe Spray to Stop Odors<\/a><\/li>\n
- Myths About Fighting Shoe Odor<\/a><\/li>\n
- Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nDry Your Shoes Before Next Use<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"Dry](\"\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Dry-Your-Shoes.jpg\" "\\"Dry")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nIf you have moisture in your shoes, it may be time to dry them. The moisture in your shoes mixed with bacteria makes for smelly conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whenever possible, wear shoes that breathe well and use moisture-wicking socks. If my shoes started to smell, I would switch to more breathable shoes and most likely wear some running socks or wool socks<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you get home, you may want to do one of the following to dry out your shoes<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Place charcoal shoe deodorizers (Amazon.com link<\/a>) in your shoe<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Place socks with rice in them in your shoe<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Place some newspaper in your shoes<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Place your shoes near a fan<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Hang them up to get fresh air<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Use a shoe dryer (Amazon.com link<\/a>)<\/strong><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
This will help get rid of some of the odors all by themselves. If your shoes are still smelly, you might want to try one of the five methods mentioned above to help get rid of odors more thoroughly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Use Baking Soda to Stop Odors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"Baking](\"\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Baking-Soda-in-shoes.jpg\" "\\"Baking")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBaking soda is an easy and effective way to reduce moisture and odors in your shoe. It may not get rid of the bacteria, but the smell in your shoes will likely be greatly reduced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- What does baking soda do to help shoe odors?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Baking soda can absorb moisture, so there’s less water for bacteria to grow in. The baking soda also helps neutralize the acids that the bacteria make, reducing the smell inside your shoes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Do bacteria die from using baking soda?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
No. It does help stop growth because they need water to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- How much baking Soda Should I use?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
1 or 2 spoons full should work for most people. You can always put more in if you think your shoes need it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n2. Place Hair Dryer in Shoe to Stop Odors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"Hair](\"\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Hair-Dryer-on-shoes.jpg\" "\\"Hair")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nUsing a hairdryer might work to kill most of the bacteria in your shoe, but be careful <\/strong>to hold the hairdryer away from the shoe enough that it doesn’t overheat<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, be careful not to ruin your shoes with too much heat<\/strong>. Most bacteria should die within a minute or two. You’ll need to decide if your shoes can handle the heat or will get warped if the glue holding it together loosens or if it is mostly stitched and can handle some heat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bacteria will still survive in your shoe for a while unless it gets too hot <\/strong>(over 140 degrees). Hairdryers can get up to almost 200 degrees, so I imagine that most bacteria would not survive long. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n3. Spray Shoes With Rubbing Alcohol to Stop Odors<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
\n![\"Rubbing](\"\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Rubbing-Alcohol-in-shoes.jpg\" "\\"Rubbing")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nFor this method, sometimes spraying the inside of your shoes will work well to kill most of the bacteria, but if you sweat a lot or there’s lots of bad smell in your shoe, you may need to soak your shoes in a 70% or great rubbing alcohol. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The key is to only apply a light spray that will evaporate by itself or soak an item for only 1-2 minutes at most. After about 60 seconds, the bacteria should be killed. Letting your shoe soak too long can damage it a bit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Spraying your shoes lightly should not damage them, but soaking them in alcohol could have a damaging effect on some shoes and insoles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rubbing alcohol is a solvent. It tends to dry out materials, which is fine for fabrics, but not on some other materials shoes are made of. Try not to get rubbing alcohol on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- How much baking Soda Should I use?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Do bacteria die from using baking soda?<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Place socks with rice in them in your shoe<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 1. Use Baking Soda to Stop Odors<\/a><\/li>\n
- Use a hairdryer inside your shoes<\/strong> – (Caution – See instructions<\/a>). This can kill most bacteria that cause odors in your shoe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
![\"Spray](\"\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Spray-Vinegar-in-shoes.jpg\" "\\"Spray")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"Elite](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/511oPod2WtL._SL500_.webp\")
![\"Lasso](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/lasso\/admin\/assets\/images\/lasso-icon-brag.png\"){kind=icon}
![\"Myths](\"https:\/\/helpshoe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Myths-About-Shoe-Odor.jpg\")