Baking soda naturally absorbs odors, which makes it great for cleaning out smelly shoes. Want to replace that stench with a new scent? Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the baking soda before putting it in your shoes. Don’t have baking soda? Use kitty litter instead.
Vinegar is another natural odor fighter. Try using your vinegar solution every time you take your shoes off to combat odor over time.
Always let your shoes dry before putting them back on. Wearing wet shoes will only make the stench worse.
Freezing your shoes is a great short-term hack, but experts warn that it can cause shoes to degrade faster over time.
UV rays can cause the color on your shoes to fade, so put them in a shady spot if you want to keep them bright and new-looking.
Always throw away used dryer sheets, and insert a fresh one daily to keep your shoes smelling great.
If your insoles are still stinky after a wash, consider buying new ones. Fresh insoles will vastly improve the smell of your sneakers, even if you don’t do anything else to clean them.
Baking soda and vinegar work well separately, but together, they’re even more powerful. Don’t worry if you see some fizzing when you combine your ingredients—that just means they’re working!
Try to use cold water, not hot. Hot water is hard on your sneakers, and can strip the color from them. If your shoes are very smelly, one wash cycle might not be enough. Wash your shoes twice using cold water to make sure the stench is banished.
Lather your feet up with soap. Scrub them thoroughly, targeting dirty areas in particular, and then rinse with water. When you get out of the shower, make sure to completely dry your feet. Fungus, which causes a stinky smell, loves to linger on damp and wet feet.
Try to let your shoes dry out for at least 24 hours before wearing them again.
Never reuse your socks or put on a dirty pair, since that can intensify the smell inside your shoes.
If you struggle with treating athlete’s foot, foot powder can also help with that.
