Stomp Out the Stink!

Don't you just hate shoe odor? Whether its coming from your own slip resistant shoes or someone elses, shoe funk is no fun. But the problem isnt your shoes, its your feet. Did you know each foot contains over 250,000 sweat glands? That many sweat glands can produce almost a pint of sweat a day! (Yuck!) The ugly truth about shoe odor is that it occurs when all that excess sweat being mass produced by your feet soaks into your socks and the lining of your shoes and has nowhere to go. Its this sweat, combined with our body temperature, that create the moist, warm environment that make for the perfect bacterial breeding ground. Once the bacteria start to grow, they proliferate, feeding on your sweat, and producing isovaleric acid which is what causes that terrible odor. And its that acid-formed odor which infiltrates our shoes in the form of a stubborn stink.So, now that we know where that awful stench comes from, what are we going to do about it? Well, the team here at SR Max^® put our heads together and pooled our knowledge of smelly shoe remedies to share with you. Read on for some simple, interesting (and maybe surprising) ways to de-stink your shoes.BAKING SODABaking soda has long been known as a great deodorizer it can pull the most offending, noxious odors from the air and other items. Put its freshening powers to work for you - it can help eliminate the stink from your shoes by actually absorbing the odors.To use this super simple remedy, liberally sprinkle baking soda directly into each of the smelly shoes. Allow them to sit through the night (or longer if possible), then empty the loose powder out in the morning. By the time you toss out the baking soda, the smell should be long gone.

*Word to the wise: take care when deodorizing with baking soda, particularly when using on leather shoes, as repeated applications can dry them out.*

BLACK TEATime for a tea party! Tea (yes, tea), specifically black tea, is another great solution to stinky shoes as well because black tea contains tannins, which can successfully kill off the odor causing bacteria living inside your shoe. While the tannins go to work on the bacteria, the pleasant aroma of the tea leaves themselves will leave behind a nice, light scent.To use this remedy, simply place a few bags of black tea in boiling water for a 3-5 minutes, remove, and allow to cool. Place the moist tea bags in the offending shoes and allow to sit for 1-2 hours. Remove the tea bags and wipe out any residual moisture from the inside of your shoes.RUBBING ALCOHOLRubbing alcohol, the most common and effective disinfectant of them all is no shocker here a great way to kill off the stench living in your favorite shoes. This absolutely eliminates odor-causing bacteria and has the added benefit of helping to remove dirt while simultaneously preventing the growth of any new or lingering bacteria.To utilize this remedy, thoroughly spritz the inside of your shoes with rubbing alcohol (take care not to spray it on the outside of the shoe, as this may damage it), then allow to sit, while making sure that enough air can circulate inside of the shoes to aid in the destruction of the bacterium. Repeat this process once or twice a week to keep bacteria (and odor) to a minimum.FREEZERThe freezer? Yep! Put em in the deep freeze! This odd little smelly shoe fix-it is an old standby. By placing your shoes in these chilly temps for long enough, the bacteria causing all that stink should die off, leaving you with a pair of freshened up kicks.To use this method, seal each shoe in a gallon sized plastic storage bag. Make sure each is seal thoroughly (or your freezer could end up smelling like the inside of your shoes for a while). Leave the shoes in the freezer as long as possible up to two days is preferable, but overnight will do in a pinch. Remove the shoes from freezer and allow them to return to room temperature before wearing.A SIMPLE WASHSometimes when it comes right down to it, nothing can get the smell out of fabrics better than a little soap and hot water. Its as simple as that. If your shoes are washable, you can toss them into your washing machine. A spin through the rinse cycle will clean the insole and lining of the shoe (where that stench tends to come from). You can also wash by hand, just take a little bit of soap, warm water, a brush or rag, and go to town scrubbing them down.KITTY LITTERThis one may seem weird at first but think about it: kitty litter is intentionally infused with deodorizers, so its no wonder that a little litter can go a long way in whisking away the funk in your shoes.To put this remedy to use, simply fill each of the offending shoes with kitty litter. Allow to sit overnight. By morning the smell from your shoes should be fully absorbed into the litter. Dump the litter into a trash can (make sure to get it all you dont want to find pieces of litter between your toes after youve worn your shoes again!) and presto! Youre done.DRYER SHEETSDryer sheets are an obvious choice to improve the smell of your shoes, but they also carry the added benefit of a mild antibacterial property that can help cut off the stink at its source.Simply slide one dryer sheet into each of your smelly shoes. This will help fight the smell and leave a pleasant, lasting fragrance. This is a solution you can even employ while youre wearing the shoes its a great fix for embarrassment over foot funk dryer sheets in your soles can keep you confident all day.ORANGE PEELSEver peeled an orange and just stopped to enjoy the amazing aroma that comes from the peel itself? Its certainly smells a lot better than your shoes, doesnt it? Well, did you know you can use that peel to freshen your shoes? Yes, seriously! The peel will naturally absorb odors while the oils in the skin leave behind their fantastic fragrance.Its as straight forward as peeling an orange. Then take the peel and place one half in the sole of one shoe, and one half in the sole of the other. Allow the shoes to sit for a full 24 hours. Remove the peels and discard. Your shoes should now smell a heck of a lot better!

*Word to the wise: If youre using this method on leather or canvas shoes, wrap the peels in parchment paper before inserting into shoes to prevent staining from the peels natural oils.*

A NEW PAIR OF KICKSIf, after trying all these foot fix-its, youre still plagued by foul feet, maybe its just time for a new pair of shoes.So, check out all the great shoes SR Max^® has to offer - with over 200 men's and women's styles available from 14 brands, with prices ranging from $30 and up, youre sure to find something youll love (and your nose will thank you for it!)

Do you have a personal tried and true remedy for shoe odor or know of any stinky shoe solutions that werent posted? Wed love for you to leave a comment and share it with us!