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How to make basketball shoes smell better
How to Remove Shoe Smell and Make Them Smell Good. Nike.com
How to Remove Shoe Smell and Make Them Smell Good. Nike.com
Product Care
We all have a favorite pair of sneakers that have a little bit of a stink. Fortunately, there are some ways to deodorize your shoes and make them smell good again.
Last updated: January 5, 2022
4 min read
Time Required
30 min
Estimated Cost
$10
Supplies
Vinegar
Baking Soda
Soap
Essential Oils (optional)
Tools
Spray bottle
Smelly shoes are an all-too-common issue. It can be annoying; no matter how clean your feet are, they still end up making your sneakers smell. At worst, it can be downright unpleasant, forcing you to ask, “How can I remove the smell from my shoes?”
Bacteria are the culprit of stinky shoes. They grow in large numbers on your feet, producing organic acids — methanethiol, isovaleric acid, and propanoic acid — as waste products. While these types of bacteria aren’t harmful, they can leave a lingering stink.
For example, methanethiol is produced as a byproduct of Brevibacterium, the primary bacteria found on the feet. This organic acid has a distinct sulfuric stench that resembles rotting cabbages and smelly socks.
Even with the best foot hygiene, your feet may still smell. That's partly because your feet contain more sweat glands per square inch than anywhere else on your body. While sweat itself doesn’t smell, those bacterial waste products do. This makes shoes an ideal breeding ground for bacteria, because they trap sweat and moisture, creating an environment for bacteria to thrive.
8 of the Best Ways to Remove Shoe Smell
1.Baking Soda
Want to deodorize your shoes with a home remedy? Use baking soda. It’s a natural deodorizer that absorbs smells and bacteria. There are two different ways to use baking soda to deodorize shoes:
Mix ¼ cup of baking soda, ¼ cup of baking powder, and ½ cup of cornstarch. Put the mix in a pair of cotton socks or sprinkle the mixture in both shoes and leave overnight. For an extra scent booster, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
Alternatively, if you want to keep it simple, sprinkle straight baking soda directly into the shoes and leave them for at least 24 hours.
2.Spritz of Vinegar
Vinegar neutralizes odors and fights bacteria in shoes. Just mix white vinegar with water in equal parts into a spray bottle. Spray the solution inside the shoes after use and allow it to dry. Doing this to your running shoes after every run will keep them smelling fresher for longer.
Tip: To maximize the effect, clean your shoes thoroughly inside and out before applying the solution.
3.Soap
Another home remedy to remove sneaker odor is to drop a bar of soap into each shoe and leave it overnight. Soap kills bacteria and the smell they produce. Plus, soap is porous, so it’ll absorb the smell and replace it with a clean, soapy scent.
Tip: Make sure your bars of soap aren’t wet before adding them to the shoes, as moisture will only encourage bacteria.
4.Sunshine
Drying out any excess moisture from shoes is an easy and effective way to rid them of odors. Put your shoes in direct sunlight for a few hours after a run to let them dry completely before their next wear.
5.Wear Socks
Going sockless is a surefire way to make shoes smell. Socks absorb sweat and moisture produced by warm feet. This is particularly important if you’re prone to sweaty feet.
Tip: Consider a pair of Nike socks made with cotton — a breathable and sweat-absorbing fabric that will help keep your shoes smell-free.
6.Essential Oils
Tea tree, clove, and cedarwood essential oils are all popular natural deodorizers with antifungal properties. For example, one December 2007 study published in Mycobiology found that clove essential oil strongly inhibits bacteria growth on the feet to eliminate odor. These oils are a triple threat: fighting bacteria, eliminating odor, and leaving a nice scent.
Put a few drops of essential oil directly into your sneaker and let it air out. Alternatively, you can mix essential oils with other home remedies like baking soda or vinegar.
7.Good Foot Hygiene
It’s important to take extra care when cleaning your feet. Make sure to apply soap or a cleanser between each toe and across the sole of the foot and rinse well. Here’s a few more foot hygiene tips to eliminate shoe odor:
Only wear socks once between washings.
Change out of your socks and shoes straight after a workout to avoid any unnecessary smells getting trapped.
Once finished cleaning your feet, make sure to dry them fully. Any moisture left on your feet will encourage bacterial growth.
Let your feet breathe by going shoeless and sockless when you can. This will help air out any sweat without spreading bacteria.
8.
Check the Insoles
If you’ve been wearing the same insoles for years, it’s probably time to replace them. Often, insoles are the source of smelly shoe odors. You might just find that a new pair of insoles "magically" gets rid of that persisting funky smell.
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clothing - How can I get rid of my sneakers' stench?
Asked
Modified
7 years, 2 months ago
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6k times
I have basketball shoes that have a putrid smell and I can barely stand it. Besides the smell, the shoes are in pretty good shape and I hope to keep them a bit longer.
So far I have tried washing the shoes, which helped for about 2 hours before the shoes started smelling again, putting tea bags in my shoes (a hack I found online), but that did nothing to get rid of the stench, and using car fresheners, but that didn't do anything either.
Is there anything else I can try to get rid of the stench that wouldn't damage the shoe?
clothing
smell
6
Try the cheapest alcohol gel you can find (hand sanitizer from the 99 cent store)
That will kill the bacteria in an instant, instead of just masking their smell
I use it on all sorts of clothing when washing is not an immediate option, and never had any problems with dye fading, or anything like that...
6
I heard that sticking it into the freezer for an hour or so will help kill the bacteria. I wouldn't recommend doing so if your shoes didn't dried off completely.
Warning: do not microwave your shoes!
4
You can use baking soda to dry out the inside of the shoe and neutralize the smell. Just sprinkle a bit inside the shoe and it will work in a few hours.
It's the same principle as removing odors from a fridge.
You can also use the gold bond foot powder stuff that's supposed to prevent athlete's foot. It's pretty much the same thing as baking soda.
This should be perfectly safe for your sneakers, but I wouldn't use it on shoes made of real leather. I think the leather might crack if it dries out too much from the powder.
Wash the shoes in chlorhexidine surgical scrub disinfectant. The brand called Hibiclens is common. (WalMart has it.) You need to bump off the evil smelling bacteria you're carrying. Wash your feet with it and Use it on your armpits too and that can remove odors there, as well.
Use baby powder! It will keep the shoes dry and prevent bacteria from growing as well as provide a nice deodorant. Several of my basketball mates used it.
Try packing your shoes with newspaper and leave it in there for 2 or 3 days and then remove the newspaper... Then, if u can, put them in direct sunlight for about 3-4 days but make sure when u do - remove the laces and pull the tongue of the shoe as open as u can exposing the shoe to as much sunlight as possible. Oh and if u hadn't already, rip out the in-soles and replace them with new ones
Your previous attempts have failed because they haven't actually killed the bacteria.
The alcohol method will work however I have found freezing them over night, let them thaw out. You can then wash them after this process if necessary.
It's very important that they are 100% dry before freezing otherwise you risk damaging your shoes.
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How to get rid of bad smell in shoes: useful tips
When we buy a brand new pair of shoes, we all want them to stay dressy for longer. But sometimes, after a few days of wearing, we notice that our shoes have begun to emit an unpleasant smell. What to do if suddenly there is an unpleasant smell from the shoes? Let's approach the problem from several angles.
Folk remedies.
Wipe the inside of shoes with cotton soaked in either vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. This is a fast and efficient way. But do not overdo it if you pour too much liquid on the disc, then you have to dry the shoes.
If you are not allergic to oils, you can put a few drops of lavender oil or lemon juice on the insole. Both lavender and lemon juice kill odor-causing germs, and they also have a very pleasant scent.
Tea bags. This method is common in the military when there is no other way to avoid the problem of sweat odor. Leave the tea bags overnight and remove them in the morning. Tea has an amazing ability to absorb any smell like a sponge (which is why tea was previously transported only on special merchant ships, so that tea would not smell like something else besides tea).
Soda, baby powder, activated charcoal. All of these products are surprisingly hygroscopic (capable of absorbing moisture, which is a beneficial environment for the growth of bacteria that cause odor). What should be done? Just pour one of the products into the boot at night (the coal, of course, must be crushed), and in the morning either shake it out into a bucket, or quickly vacuum the boot. If you don't want to mess around with the vacuum cleaner, then use the following tip: put the crushed coal in a new canvas bag.
Freeze shoes. If it is a frosty winter outside, then shoes can simply be taken out to the balcony for the night. If the winter is warm and rainy (or even summer in the yard), then we put the shoes in the refrigerator for the night. In cold conditions, the bacteria that cause the smell of sweat die. Just do not forget in the first and second cases, before freezing the shoes, remove the insoles from it.
Dry with a hair dryer or dry well on a radiator. Option opposite to the previous one. But in this case, you first need to remove the insoles from boots or shoes.
Mint leaves, sage leaves, crushed oak bark will also help you quickly deal with unpleasant odors. It is enough to put them inside the shoes at night. If there are no fresh leaves, then dried ones are quite suitable. Just put them in a canvas or linen bag.
If your shoes have been left in a damp room for a long time, then an unpleasant smell of mold will appear. Getting rid of it is somewhat more difficult, but also possible. The first thing to do is to wash the shoes well inside and out with soapy water. Next, you need to wipe the shoes with a chlorine solution (this will help to disinfect it). For the next step, take ammonia and vodka in equal proportions (no vodka: it can be easily replaced with diluted vinegar essence). With this solution, carefully wipe the shoes inside and out and then put them in a well-ventilated place to dry.
Washing machine. This, of course, is not quite a “folk method”, rather a “modern”, but also quite common. If your shoes can be washed, then do it not by hand, but in a washing machine, using the desired washing mode for this.
Modern means.
Deodorant sprays. There are a large number of them. A fairly effective remedy that acts on the cause of the smell at the molecular level. The cost of deodorants depends on their volume.
Chlorhexidine (preferably 0.05% solution). Shoes need to be wiped on all sides, including the insoles. After processing, place your shoes or boots in a plastic bag for four hours. Then the shoes need to be dried for two days.
"Formidron". This is a formaldehyde-based solution and can be bought at a pharmacy. It has an antiseptic and disinfectant. Pour into a spray bottle and spray from the inside. But be careful: the solution is quite toxic.
Freshers and stickers with antibacterial properties are best suited for sports shoes. They will quickly rid your sneakers of the smell of sweat.
Insoles. The main question that will arise before you is which insoles to choose. There are disposable, there are with activated carbon, antifungal, insoles made of natural linen non-woven material. The convenience of insoles is that you can forget to spray deodorant, but without insoles you definitely won’t go anywhere.
Well, in conclusion, I would like to say the following: it is always better to prevent than to correct. The problem is not with the shoes, but with our feet. Keep them clean.
If material resources allow, then it is better to buy a second pair of shoes so that you can dry your boots, shoes, sneakers more thoroughly. Then the shoes will stay clean and fresh longer.
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How to quickly get rid of the smell in sneakers?
May 22, 2019
Leaving your sneakers in your bag after a workout, after a while, you can certainly detect a terrible smell. The same problem occurs on an ordinary hot summer day, when the so-called “greenhouse effect” occurs during long wear and the leg begins to gradually fog up. In addition, the use of synthetic socks, the lack of breathable mesh in sneakers, and certain features of human health (fungus, sweating) can provoke stink. In order to avoid unpleasant consequences when a smelly odor occurs, it must be eliminated in time.
The unpleasant smell in any case is a consequence of the multiplication of bacteria and high sweating. Inside the shoe, the dark and damp environment is ideal for the development of any kind of bacteria. And first of all, disinfection is necessary.
The most effective disinfection is freezing, because microbes die at low temperatures. To spend it, just put the sneakers in a paper bag and put in the freezer for a day. At the end of the period, take out the shoes and let them warm up.
Steam is also an excellent disinfectant. At high temperatures, harmful fungi and bacteria are destroyed, which emit unpleasant odors. For this purpose, you can use a regular iron (with a steamer) or a steam cleaner.
And of course, regular washing is the best way to get rid of unpleasant odors. However, sneakers must first be washed on the “Delicate” mode, wrapped in a pillowcase at moderate water temperature. It is better to dry such shoes in the air, having previously absorbed excess moisture with paper towels. It is not recommended to dry on the battery, as this may lead to a decrease in its size or the surface will crack at all. If it is not possible to wash shoes in a typewriter, then you can manually simply wipe them with a damp piece of cloth inside and out.
Remove stink from sneakers with professional products
The most popular professional odor removal products are:
Odorless aerosols (Dividik, Salamander Shoe Deo, Scholl Fresh Step, Kiwi Extra-Fresh, etc.) They are quickly consumed, but at the same time provide good antifungal and antibacterial protection, preventing the further development of pathogenic microbes.
Scented sprays (Solitaire Shoe Fresh Deo, Saphir, etc.). Effectively kill fungi and bacteria and with them an unpleasant smell. They come in a variety of flavors (fruit, lemon, floral, etc.).
Spray deodorants. Such funds are enough for a long time and at the same time they are safe for sneakers and the legs themselves, because they do not contain harmful gases. They mask odor and provide excellent antibacterial properties. The most popular products are Shoes Deo, Cliven, Odor Gone Shoes, Tamaris 4Ever Shoes.
Which means to give preference to is a personal decision of each.
Some folk remedies
Of course, not everyone has extra money for preparations for professional shoe care, but no one has yet canceled the use of folk remedies.
The most popular odor eliminators are soda, bleach, iodine, bay leaf, activated carbon, citrus peels, bleach and, of course, alcohol.
Each of these means is good in certain cases. Let's consider some of them in more detail.
Alcohol and vinegar. As a rule, ethyl, medical alcohol or vodka is used. These liquids are wetted with cotton wool, which processes each sneaker from the inside. After that, you should take clean fleece for each sneaker, moisten and leave them inside for about 5 hours, then ventilate well. In the same way, you can resort to the use of ammonia, but in view of its peculiarity - a pungent odor, the procedure for processing sneakers must be carried out in a ventilated space.
Bleach. Definitely not suitable for colored shoes. It is diluted in water or with liquid bleach, and the resulting solution is poured directly into sneakers for 2-3 minutes, no more. After that, you can drain the liquid and dry the shoes well enough.
Bay leaf. Crushed and poured into each sneaker for about 8 hours (best left overnight). Whole bay leaves can be placed under the insole to prevent odors.
Activated carbon. Such a simple remedy can absorb unpleasant odors well and even neutralize breeding bacteria. It is enough to take five tablets, grind them and, just like lavrushka, pour them into sneakers at night, and remove them during the day.
Soda. It is indispensable for white crosses, but on colored ones it can leave white spots, which are rather problematic to remove. The powder is covered with a dense layer and left for about 12 hours. Then simply shake it out. For best results, you can mix baking soda with starch 50/50 and pour this mixture into two socks and place in each sneaker at night.
Green tea. Not only invigorates in the morning, but also has good antibacterial properties that are successfully used to remove such odors. It is enough to take 5 bags and put in each sneaker at night. Brewed tea can also be used in the form of ready-made strong tea leaves, which are poured into shoes and can be dried immediately.
Citrus peels. Orange or lemon peels are perfect for this procedure. By putting fresh peels directly inside the shoes overnight, you can effectively mask the unpleasant odor, it will simply be interrupted by soft citrus notes. You can also use lemon juice, pour it into the sneakers and immediately wipe and air dry.
Unused cat litter. This is an unusual option for eliminating odor and excess moisture, but it is effective. The mixture is poured into socks and placed in each sneaker, preferably for a day. Socks can be dried after use for reuse.
Already when choosing sneakers, you can make a mistake. For the warm season, crosses should be “breathable” and not synthetic in order to avoid the very “greenhouse effect”. You also need to choose the right size.
Feet must be clean before each exit. They need to be washed regularly with soap. Especially if a person is active in physical activity, plays sports, you need to wash your feet as often as possible, as well as ventilate sneakers in a ventilated place.
Put the mix in a pair of cotton socks or sprinkle the mixture in both shoes and leave overnight. For an extra scent booster, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
These oils are a triple threat: fighting bacteria, eliminating odor, and leaving a nice scent.
Check the Insoles
Besides the smell, the shoes are in pretty good shape and I hope to keep them a bit longer. 
I wouldn't recommend doing so if your shoes didn't dried off completely.
But sometimes, after a few days of wearing, we notice that our shoes have begun to emit an unpleasant smell. What to do if suddenly there is an unpleasant smell from the shoes? Let's approach the problem from several angles. 
Option opposite to the previous one. But in this case, you first need to remove the insoles from boots or shoes. 
This, of course, is not quite a “folk method”, rather a “modern”, but also quite common. If your shoes can be washed, then do it not by hand, but in a washing machine, using the desired washing mode for this. 
They will quickly rid your sneakers of the smell of sweat. 
Inside the shoe, the dark and damp environment is ideal for the development of any kind of bacteria. And first of all, disinfection is necessary. 
If it is not possible to wash shoes in a typewriter, then you can manually simply wipe them with a damp piece of cloth inside and out. 
In the same way, you can resort to the use of ammonia, but in view of its peculiarity - a pungent odor, the procedure for processing sneakers must be carried out in a ventilated space. 
The powder is covered with a dense layer and left for about 12 hours. Then simply shake it out. For best results, you can mix baking soda with starch 50/50 and pour this mixture into two socks and place in each sneaker at night. 
The mixture is poured into socks and placed in each sneaker, preferably for a day. Socks can be dried after use for reuse. 
