My gym shoes smell so bad

emtbythesea
emtbythesea Posts: 32 Member
in Chit-Chat
It's totally disgusting and embarrassing. I tried washing them and it only made it worse. I tried febreeze and baby powder but it only works for like an hour. When I take my shoes off my feet smell like like death's feet. I love my shoes and don't want to throw them away, but I'm afraid I'm gonna make my trainer and those around me puke. Any ideas? Thanks!

Replies

  • anson808
    anson808 Posts: 47 Member
    sport suds detergent works pretty well.

    You can also try mixing some baking soda and vinegar together, and washing your shoes with that. After it dries out, it takes away a lot of smells.

    Good luck.
  • dixielawgirl
    dixielawgirl Posts: 437 Member
    What about fabric softener/dryer sheets or baking soda?
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    Kitty litter? Seriously, I've heard this absorbs odor and moisture. I also heard once to try inserting newspaper to absorb moisture, but less sure about the efficacy of this one.

    My podiatrist said to spray gym shoes out with one of those anti-fungal foot sprays from the pharmacy. She also said to NEVER wear the same shoes 2 days in a row, b/c it doesn't give them time to dry out.
  • kateanne27
    kateanne27 Posts: 275 Member
    Every so often I fill up my gym shoes, or any shoes I occasionally wear without socks, with baking soda, like I get the 10lb bag from costco and literally fill them up to the ankle and leave it over night. then shake it out and vacuum in the morning. seems to help.
  • peggydavalos
    peggydavalos Posts: 1 Member
    Sport suds detergent really does work
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Ew. Just buy some new shoes. :sick:

    tumblr_lxlwkpx4zJ1r1bcejo1_r1_500.gif
  • emtbythesea
    emtbythesea Posts: 32 Member
    I've never heard of sports suds, but my husband has the same problem with his protective pads and gear. Where can I buy it? I have used baking soda in the past, but it didn't seem to work very well. I'm gonna try the dryer sheets too.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    I know enzyme cleaners work really well...here:

    http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how to remove smell from shoes
  • mamma_nee
    mamma_nee Posts: 809 Member
    anti fungal spray soon as you take them off each and every day and you will not have a problem.
  • mamma_nee
    mamma_nee Posts: 809 Member
    Gold Bond powder may help as well?
  • kimosabe1
    kimosabe1 Posts: 2,467 Member
    Fe-breeze-
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    I keep dryer sheets in my riding helmet. I bet that would help in shoes too.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 666 Member
    I wash my boys shoes with bleach. It will ruin your shoes eventually, but they usually grow out of them right about the same time.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    Put them in the freezer. It will kill the bacteria causing the smell.

    AND

    Wash your damn feet yo
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    My kids soccer cleats could have been sold to the military as biological weapons until we picked up a UV-C sanitizing wand - it actually kills the odour causing bacteria rather than just masking the stench.
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
    Buy new shoes!

    Why are they smelly in the first place??? I change my socks pretty much every time I wear my sneakers, I figure I've sweated in them so they may get stinky if I wear them again (even if it is the same day).
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    I spray the anti-fungal stuff in my shoes...keeps them smelling nice, and I don't have to worry so much about accidentally picking something gross up at the gym since I slip my shoes off when I change.
  • GetSoda
    GetSoda Posts: 1,267 Member
    Sell them to a pervert for $200
  • emtbythesea
    emtbythesea Posts: 32 Member
    Why do they smell so bad? Because I work freakin hard at the gym everyday plus I live in a very warm climate. Sometimes I don't wear socks (I know I know) but it helps me spread my toes and grip the floor better. Nikes are expensive and my shoes fit my feet so perfectly, so I won't be trashing them - although selling them to a perv for $200 was a little intriguing ;) I'm gonna try alternating each day, sport suds and anti-fungal spray. Some really good ideas here. Thanks!
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    invest in vibrams then #GGeasycleaninglife
  • SaintGiff
    SaintGiff Posts: 3,679 Member
    Any type of what runners refer to as "tech gear", which is shorts, shirts, socks, shoes, pads, or anything else that is made from material designed to wick away sweat / dry quickly has to be washed in special detergents and without any type of fabric softener. The reason for this is because if you wash them in regular detergent or use fabric softener it actually clogs the pores in the fabric which draw the sweat away from your body. When this happens the sweat that the shirt / shorts / shoes or whatever collected never actually leaves the gear and instead gets trapped inside of it. You are actually making it smell worse every time you wash it. That's why it can smell fine straight out of the wash, but if you put it on a few hours later it already smells like you've worked out in it for a week without washing it. You're just adding more funk to it with every wear / wash cycle. I've never used Sports Suds, but I use a product called No Sweat, which is pretty much the same thing. You just wash all of your workout stuff together in that and hang it to dry and you'll be amazed at the difference. Febreeze, like regular laundry soap, only clogs it up. It masks the smell for a few hours but only makes the problem worse over time.
  • SaintGiff
    SaintGiff Posts: 3,679 Member
    Double posted for some reason.
  • darkrose20
    darkrose20 Posts: 1,139 Member
    **thumbs up**

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