Dude My Feet Stink
Last weekend I was discussing second-hand shoes with my friend Jen, who’s prepping for a costume party. “You should put them in the freezer inside a tight plastic bag to kill the bacteria. That gets rid of the stink too.” She told me I had to tell the dear readers about the shoes in the freezer.
The thing is, my shoes get stinky. Ted thinks I’m crazy for putting my stinky shoes in the freezer but he has no sense of smell. You’ll want to get as much air out of the bag as possible before freezing (I often double-bag) otherwise moisture will freeze and your shoes will dampen upon defrosting. I leave them in the freezer for a few days, or until I remember them.
My friend Tina B. buys cheap shoe inserts for going sockless. The inserts, not the shoe, soak up the sweat and stank. Smart.
Sometimes it’s the shoes that stink, or the socks are stinky-making. If it’s your feet that are the problem, here are some tricks:
- I learned this one on Oprah: Soak your feet in tea for 10-15 minutes. Brew some strong black tea (like Lipton) in a bucket and let it cool to a comfortable temperature. The acids or tannins or something in the tea will kill off the bacteria.
- You’ll need to remember to bring your socks into the bathroom before your shower which makes this one somewhat advanced. After your shower, dry your feet. Wet and then rub one of those deodorant crystals all over the bottom of your feet, one at a time, and finish off with a clean sock.
- Lavilin Long Life Foot Deodorant works overnight. It doesn’t have any nasty chemicals but it sure does work. Wash your feet, apply the foot deo, put on some clean cotton socks and hop into bed.
- Flip-flops, especially the inexpensive kind with a more porous sole, are not made to be worn for years. Throw them out when they start getting small dings.
- Take a scrub-brush and mild soap to the footbed of your sandles and wipe down with a damp cloth.
Now go forth with happy feet!
Dude! The Freezer worked wonders. Not only do my summer sandals no longer stink, but Marc’s ultra-stinky sandals came out completely smell-free. It takes a few days (okay, a week) but it’s so worth it not to pollute the environment. Way to save the planet, Molly!
Hey, I just wanted to make a little point about soaking your feet in the tea bath. Not that it really matters because it offers the same final effect of relieving your foot stank, but the method of action of the tea is that it acts as an astringent, closing your pores and cinching off your sweat glands for a while. Since you don’t sweat as much, there’s less food for the bacteria on your feet to turn into stank, so your feet stink less. This also works if you’re preparing for a social get-together or an interview and you have a problem with sweaty palms. Just steep a teabag and hold onto it for a while, or do a tea bath like with your feet, and your palms will be noticeably drier come hand-shaking time!
This is a much easier sounding method than soaking the feet. I never would have thought to use the tea elsewhere, thanks!