Stinky shoes - what's your solution?

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carlaringuette
carlaringuette Posts: 158 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I change at work and head to the gym on the way home to make sure I don't get lazy and skip it.
Having a little problem with the odor....P U.....

My shoes are Brooks running shoes

Can I put them through the washer?

Any tricks of the trade you can share with a newbie?

I head to the gym every weeknight except Tues and Thurs. and I workout on the weekends too.
I take a HIIT class, Zumba, do cardio and upper one day, cardio and lower another day and a full body workout on my early day.

Would love some suggestions for this stinky situation.

On the positive side it shows that I'm definitely working out.....Lol

Replies

  • jwoodrum90
    jwoodrum90 Posts: 1 Member
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    I know this sounds weird. Lol. But you can use tea bags to get the smell out.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Are you wearing absorbent socks? If the shoes don't get damp they are less likely to stink

    Do you regularly remove calluses from your feet? Sometimes bacteria can build up in the little cracks and dry skin. Bacteria is what causes odor.

    You can also buy the shoe deodorizer/disinfectant stuff bowling alleys use. Sometimes people just have stinky feet ;)

    https://amazon.com/10-Seconds-Shoe-Disinfectant-Deodorizer/dp/B00BSGDZVQ/ref=sr_1_11_s_it?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1548378524&sr=1-11&keywords=Shoe+Deodorizer+and+Disinfectant

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,689 Member
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    Rotate shoes. By wearing more than one pair of shoes, they get a chance to dry out between uses, so the bacteria that makes them stink doesn't grow. Putting newspaper in your shoes will help dry them out and absorb damp. Putting them in the sun will also help. If you have athlete's foot they will really stink, so using antifungal spray on your feet and in your shoes can help.
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
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    Sometimes if mine stay wet too long, particularly if packed in a bag, they become a fungii farm and it is time for new shoes...try washing them with a bit of clorox or pine sol (not both)
  • carlaringuette
    carlaringuette Posts: 158 Member
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    No athletes foot here. I will try the tea bags and newspapers. Thanks ya'll!
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 694 Member
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    Bicarbonate of soda absorbs odour.
    Chuck it in, leave overnight, tip it out. Don't need to worry about any leftover in the shoes, it won't do any harm.
    Repeat as necessary, doing it regularly should prevent the buildup.
  • tirowow12385
    tirowow12385 Posts: 698 Member
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    Don't wear polyester socks.
  • IThinkICan_Dejay
    IThinkICan_Dejay Posts: 17 Member
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    Put them on a shoe drier every night - it makes a huge difference.

    https://www.amazon.com/DryGuy-Forced-Boot-Dryer-Garment/dp/B010A5J5FU/ref=asc_df_B010A5J5FU/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312111564423&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11827114131669377331&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027188&hvtargid=pla-480796221594&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=62506515499&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312111564423&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11827114131669377331&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9027188&hvtargid=pla-480796221594
  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
    edited January 2019
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    carlaringuette wrote: »
    I change at work and head to the gym on the way home to make sure I don't get lazy and skip it.
    Having a little problem with the odor....P U.....

    My shoes are Brooks running shoes

    Can I put them through the washer?

    Any tricks of the trade you can share with a newbie?

    I head to the gym every weeknight except Tues and Thurs. and I workout on the weekends too.
    I take a HIIT class, Zumba, do cardio and upper one day, cardio and lower another day and a full body workout on my early day.

    Would love some suggestions for this stinky situation.

    On the positive side it shows that I'm definitely working out.....Lol

    It's good to have extra pairs so rotating use isn't an issue.

    I throw mine into the washer and air/sun dry with the flaps opened up and laces removed for sunning too. This is where extra pairs are useful, although, with proper sun exposure, dries in a day.

    Edit: Each pair gets a thorough wash weekly. More washes if it's raining.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    It's the bacteria that makes this odor, so you have to control this. I cycle through two pairs of running shoes and freeze them both once a week and expose to sunlight. I use odor eaters powder daily and change my socks frequently.

    Also make sure you take good care of your feet.

  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
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    My husband sprays the insides with Lysol
  • wanderingrat
    wanderingrat Posts: 16 Member
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    I can agree with what has been said before:
    Rotating two pairs of shoes so they have time to dry.
    Store them in the trunk rather than inside a bag, so they can get more air.
    Putting them in a Freezer for 12 hours regularly.
    Anything moist absorbing to stuff inside (paper, teabags, special moist absorbers ect)
    There's also anti-smell soles you can put inside (and exchange once a week) but they're only mildly effective in my opinion.

    I wear gym shoes for work five to six days a week for 10-11 hours straight, my solution to avoid smelly situations is two pairs to rotate and every time I take them off, I spray a pump of athletic shoe deodorant inside and put them on top of my locker instead of inside of it. And every now and then I take them home for a freezer treatment (or they go outside for a night in the winter).

    Also: change socks regularly and make sure they have a good wash inbetween as well, so they don't collect bacteria. Same goes for your feet, wash and moisturize regularly.
  • richardbarlow2
    richardbarlow2 Posts: 3 Member
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    Burn them :D:D:D

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