How to Keep Kid's Shoes from Smelling

L.--I saw this on TV and told a coworker about it and he tried it and it worked----brew some tea (plain ol' tea bags) drink the tea and put the teabags on the soles of the feet for an hour or so. Sounds dumb but---it has something to do with the tannin in the tea. Hope this helps---trike1500

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L.,
I watched a special on Oprah that Dr Oz stated to eliminate ordors and sweting to soak your daughters feet in a warm tub of strong Tea. The tea drys out the feet and eliminates the smell. This process is to be a 7 day event with 20-30 mins of soaking.

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Dr. Oz on Oprah says tea! Make some tea and soak her feet in it. The tannic acid actually "tans" their feet and cuts down on the moisture. Look up Dr. Oz, Oprah and stinky feet on line for time frames, amounts, etc.

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I love the advice you've already gotten, but I wanted to add one other. If her shoes are a man-made synthetic material, they can not breathe. We would get tennis shoes from discount stores because they were less expensive, but they would smell awful and fall apart so quickly! Make sure she has leather shoes to wear- it costs more, but they last longer and are so worth it! Another one, maybe try some Febreeze.

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I don't know what to suggest beforehand, other than the talc or cornstarch before putting on socks... but at night when your kid takes the shoes off, try a fairly inexpensive product called ODO-BAN. They sell it at most Wal-Marts and their related stores. A household sized bottle of the spray costs about $3.50.

I have used Odo-Ban with great effect for things from burnt food smells, garbage can smells, cat urine, skunk spray on my dog, etc. I think a pair of smelly shoes won't be a problem. It smells like euculuptus or however you spell that.. lol

Or if you want something different.. try buying a filter for a fish tank.. yes a fish tank. The kind with the soft cloth kinda pouch and filled with charcoal (also fairly cheap at any store that sells pet supplies). Put one in each shoe each night.

Best of luck.

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Cotton socks are a must. Also have more than one pair so she doesn't wear the same pair every day. The shoes need time to air out to keep microbes from growing and making them smell. Stuff with newspaper when she isn't wearing them after they've had a few hours off her feet.

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Does she wear colored socks? Because the dye in most colored socks can cause your feet to stink a lot more than white socks. Also, I use talcom powder and let it soak into my shoes for a day when they start to not smell so fresh.

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Hi Lori

I would make sure she always wears white cotton socks, bare feet in shoes can really stink. If she has worn them in the past w/o socks I would just get rid of them and buy new, and not let her wear them w/o socks. Also wet feet can really make feet smell once they are in shoes so make sure she drys them 100% before putting her shoes on and then change her socks once or twice a day so the sweat does not keep her feet moist in her shoes and then get smelly. If she has had the shoes wet from the reain or puddles they may have mold in them and that is not going away so I would say buy a new pair. Also, avoid lotion on her feet. Moist feet are often times what causes the smell. The last thing I can think of is to make sure she does not have athletes foot, long dirty toe nails or a toe nail fungus, that too will make for smelly feet.

I hope this helps some. I did see once on an Operah DR. OZ say to a woman to soak her feet in warm water w/ tea bags because the tea will dry the feet out. I don't remember all the details as far as how often, for how long and what kind of tea to use. You could probably go to Oprah.com and look at her past shows to find those answers if you want to try it.

Good luck, I hope the air clears for you and her! :)

T.

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Hi L.,

I think all of these answers are very helpful. Here's one to add to the list; a pair of knee high stockings and fill them up with multi-cat kitty litter, then place in shoes. If you have a cat, this would be cool ;-)

Personally, I favor talc w/corn starch, and dump quite a lot in my shoes AND SOCKS. This lasts, cools the feet tremendously, you feel like you are walking on a cloud; a scrunchy soft cloud. When you take the shoes off, DO NOT EMPTY THE SHOES, but continue same use until it disappears on its own; don't brush your feet off. Keep whatever residue is left. IT DOES WORK !

As an afterthought, I wonder if you've tried Odor Eaters? Read what they have to say. http://www.odor-eaters.com/products.shtml

Good luck and all the best!

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It might be too late with this pair of tennis shoes. You might want to just get her a fresh pair and start over. Or, as another contributor suggested, put them through the wash. Then, make sure that she doesn't wear the same shoes all day but changes both her socks and shoes midway through the day, or when she comes home from school. Also, make sure that she is specifically scrubbing her feet with soap and wash cloth in the shower/bath.

Stay away from the chemicals, though. Dryer sheets have been connected with asthma or allergies (or both?). I wouldn't use them in my house at all if I were you. Shoe sprays, air fresheners, and other deodorizers have all kinds of harmful chemicals in them, as well. Also, talc can cause lifelong respiratory problems, especially in children and babies. You might not see the effects right away, but they're there and add up.

You can use a natural deodorant from a health food store - just apply it to the bottoms of her feet, or have her do it (depending on how old she is and whether she's likely to remember), before putting the socks on.

Another great trick is to put some loose tea in the shoes. I use just some cheap Lipton's for my husband and cut the bags open in the shoes :)

L.

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Try putting newspaper in the shoes after she takes them off. Somehow it absorbs the odors. Use fresh newspaper everytime. I have 4 kids and they all play sports and it works!

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Hi L.
Try Arbonne's Herbal Foot Cream it has been known to make foot order go away!! AND your child's tennis shoes will not smell anymore!
Visit my web site at www.betsygrant.myarbonne.com Sign my guest book and I will send you a NEW catalogue!! B.

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Have you washed her shoes? Wash them and then let them air dry. It is not good to put tennis shoes in the dryer. If possible sit them in the sun for a few hours.

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The answer could also lie in her diet, and could possibly be a sign of systemic infection. Does she also have common yeast infections? If not, treat her feet. Tea tree oil is a good natural anti-fungal. Apply it with a cotton ball after she bathes and put her in some clean socks until its absorbed, once a day for at least a week. If she runs around in her bare feet alot, discourage her from putting dirty feet in shoes. If she spends most of her time in shoes, always wear socks, or try incorporating sandals and flip flops if possible. I got a kid with smelly feet too, and these tips usually help.

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Try having her put anti-perspirant on the bottoms of her feet after she showers and before she puts her shoes on each day. Make sure it dries before she puts the shoes on.

She might have some excessive sweating on her feet, and anti-perspirant should help.

If it doesn't, consult your pediatrician, who might have other good ideas about not only how to treat it, but what might be causing it.

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Wash the tennis shoes AND your child's feet in apple cider vineagar........don't wash off the vingagar on the feet....let it dry maybe every other evening for a week or so....

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Arm and Hammer has a detergent out now that is basically baking soda...the key is to soak or boil the shoes in the baking soda or detergent. I find over night is most helpful. My washer has a heavy soil soak setting. But we found a $5 bucket at Atwoods works just as well. Both of my sons have feet that sweet horribly. They can't help it but the sisters scream to high heaven if either one takes his shoes off in the van. LOL We go through a pair of sneakers every 3 months per son.

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Put white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray the insides of her shoes with it when she takes them off at night.
They will smell like pickles at first, but by morning, the vinegar smell and the foot odor will be gone. Stick them in the laundry room overnight if she doesn't want the vinegar smell in her room.
Vinegar is a natural anti-bacterial.

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I would soak some cotton balls in rubbing alcohol and put those in the shoes over night. My sister had horrible smelling feet and that is the only thing my mom found that worked. Also wearing socks helps if she doesn't wear them consistently.

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Hi L., Hopefully your child has at least 2 pairs of tennis shoes and you are alternating them. Also, try having him/her wear white socks ONLY and use a vinegar & water mixture to spray inside the shoes after daily wear and have them wear their 2nd pair the next day while the 1st pair dries (do not soak the inside, just spray a couple of times and let dry). Vinegar is a really good odor eater and I have used this before. I mix it 50/50. Hope this helps. Daily washing of their feet as well. T. Pennington

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L.,

You have gotten great advice. All of our kiddos in my family suffered from stinky feet. The advice from our pediatrician as this: IT has been super effective in all 4 of them so far for over 20 years.

1. where cotton white socks as often as possible

2. never wear leather/tennis shoes without socks

3. DO NOT wear the same pair of shoes 2 days in a row

4. Have at least 2 pairs of shoes for her even if they look exactly the same.

5. as soon as warm enough wear sandals as much as possible ( again more that one pair , never 2 days in a row)

6. make sure shoes are properly fitted by a TRUE shoes specialist. ( I love Feet First for Kids at 81st and Harvard, there is also Trippets at 27th and Harvard)

The problem is most likely her feet perspire during the day. the shoes do not completely dry out , so fungus, mildew etc grow and accumulate. Her current shoes are most likely toast. Time to start over and see what happens.

the newspaper thing works great!!, Darling hubby has to wear socks even with sandals. ( I know totally scandalous) but if he doesn't they will smell so bad you can smell him coming.

Don't let her sleep in socks/footed pajamas so she has time to dry out in the evening. let her go barefoot when at home.
Podiatrist will tell you barefoot is best anyway

good luck let us know what works

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Does she take a multi-vitamin? Try giving her some zinc. It worked for my aunt, maybe it will help your child. Best of luck anyway!

I have the same problem with my son who plays alot of sports.
I have him put foot powder on his feet before socks and febreeze his shoes at night. It doesnt completely work but helps out alot.
T.

I heard on Dr Phil's show one day to soak your kids feet in tea.. somehow it tans the feet and keep them from smelling. It said to soak for 30 minutes every day for about a week and then once or twice a week after that. I would also change her shoes once she soaked for a week.

Good luck!!

My little sister used to have problems with canvas shoes giving her a rash, and did much better with leather.
If you have a synthetic leather product it won't breathe and keeps sweat in all day.
Bottom line: pay attention to what shoes are made from and try something different next time you buy shoes. Different people react poorly to different substances on the skin.

Hi, my mom always put baby powder in my brothers shoes because he had really stinky feet growing up.

Hi L.,

Have you tried removing the insoles that come with the sneakers and putting in odor control insoles? (I assume you mean 'stink', instead of 'stick'.) Some kids just seem to have really bad foot odor problems. My son did. I thought he would outgrow it, but he never did. He will be 30 next month, and it has not improved! You might also try 100% cotton socks. He may be allergic to synthetic fibers. I hope this helps you! Good luck!

The only one I did not see was Listerine. I have read this somewhere. Surely it would be safe for feet since it is used in the mouth. You might want to dilute it at first or check with your pediatrician before you try this. If vinegar does not harm the skin, surely Listerine will not. Good luck.

Have you tried odor eaters? Also, washing the insoles of the shoes helps a lot too.