Smelly Feet

Updated on September 01, 2008
B.E. asks from Inglewood, CA
27 answers

I'm currently taking care of my 7 year old niece and she is very concious of her feet smelling really bad. I have bought her sandals and different kind of shoes thinking that it might be the shoes that she was wearing but unfortunately not. I currently bought foot deodorant/spray but i was wondering if there is anything else that I can do so that her feet do not smell so much.

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So What Happened?

Thank you all for all the great advice. I am currently doing the soaking with the tea and she seems to be enjoying it. Now the two boys want the same treatment. My niece was so happy when I told her about your suggestions and she is just thrill in trying all of them, but for right now I am just doing the Tea and see how that works. Once again, thanks a million.

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M.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

Here is the link from Oprah about soaking feet in tea to reduce the smell. I love watching Dr. Oz so I saw this episode too. Hope it helps!

http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/slideshow1_ss_oz...

4 moms found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from Reno on

hi... I've heard of people using regular antiperspirant/deodorant and using that on their feet with great results.

Good luck!

3 moms found this helpful
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C.N.

answers from San Luis Obispo on

Dear B.,

Dr. Oz, on Oprah's show, said to soak the smelly feet in tea. One of the ladies had tried it and it worked for her. It doesn't seem to matter whether the tea is warm or cool. Good Luck

C. N.

2 moms found this helpful

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E.K.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi there,
Try soaking her feet in white vinegar. If the smell is caused by a fungus or yeast (athlete's foot), the acid in the vinegar should take care of it. Soak in vinegar and rinse before bedtime every other night. She should wear natural fiber socks-cotton, hemp or bamboo-and sprinkle baking soda into her shoes.
Poor kid. I hope this helps!
E.

3 moms found this helpful
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U.S.

answers from San Diego on

This may sound bizarre, and you will want to check dosage for a child, but the supplement Zinc is well known in the holistic community for helping with that. It could take a couple of weeks to truly work, but perhaps that might help.

2 moms found this helpful
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D.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Have her soak her feet in tea. I saw it on Oprah. The tannic acid in the tea helps dry out the feet.

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D.L.

answers from San Diego on

My niece had the same problem and this is what worked for her. Make iced tea from black tea and have her soak her feet in them. The tannic acid from the tea really helps with the odor. I think even Dr. Oz from the Oprah show reported on this awhile back. Also, open toad shoes and really absorbent socks. Good luck.

2 moms found this helpful
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W.A.

answers from Honolulu on

My little sister has the most horrible smelly feet also. No matter the type of shoes she wears, it's bad. We've tried powders, and sprays of many and nothing really works.Even the doctor was clueless cause there was nothing medically wrong, she just has stinky feet. I use a crystal body deodorant(It is a crystal that you wet and rub under your arms, etc.) and figure why not have her use it on her feet. ..well, it seems to be working. She rubs it under her feet after a shower and lets it dry, then in the morning before school she will rub it on again and let it dry. Something in the ingrediants(which are all natural) stop odor causing bacteria from forming. Try it out..it is in the deodorant section at Walmart for about $5 or try a health food store. Good luck!

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V.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello B.. I have this problem, too, and nothing seemed to work until I tried Johnson's foot soak (not to be confused with a Johnson and Johnson product). I get it at Target, but you can get it almost anywhere. It comes in a box, mainly orange and white colors, so it's easy to spot. This is, of course, providing she does not have a medical reason for the odor (I don't - my doctor can't explain it except to say I have overactive glands). My daughter makes fun of me and says I'm the only person she knows who can wear sandals and flip flops and still have stinky feet. You would think having your feet out in the open, getting air would help but it doesn't, much. I constantly wash my feet, I hav a foot brush in both bathrooms, and one under the sink in the kitchen for emergencies (lol), but nothing really seems to help. The foot soak does help when I use it, but I can't afford to use it all day every day. A co worker of mine, with the same problem, recommended it to me, saying when she uses it, her feet don't smell for two whole days (WOW!! lol), so it works differently for everyone. Good luck to the both of you :)

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S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

have her soak them in a foot bath of baking soda and vinegar. It should eliminate the odor. It probably was the shoes that started it - fake leather and shoes that don't breathe well will do that.

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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

i've heard that Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE)is really good to soak feet in, you can get that at a health food store and one other thing to consider is doing a yeast detox. a lot of times candida overgrowth in the body can result in creating odors, smelly breath, feet, etc. and cutting down on dairy products and refined sugar as well as taking a probiotic/acidopholus supplement helps promotes the growth of good bacteria.

good luck!

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H.F.

answers from Las Vegas on

My best advice is to put powder in her shoes. Gold bond or baby powder. It soak up the moisture and the smell. My hubby's feet reaks, lol! But this works great. Put the powder in after she wears her shoes so it can sit & soak up the moisture. Also, rub some on her feet a few times b4 wearing the shoes. It will help rub it into the fabric. Hope this helps her...

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D.P.

answers from San Diego on

Make SURE the shoes you are buying her are real materials and not man made. The man made pleathers and vinyls don't allow any "breathing". My 7mo old had the stinkiest feet, they would stink up the room, but as soon as I put her in leather shoes there was no more problem. I hate spending more money than I need to on things, but shoes are one thing I've had to give in to. I always shop clearance racks. Cotton socks will also help the problem. Stay away from Payless, Target, Walmart etc. I shop Nordstrom, JcPenney, and the outlets.

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K.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

Unless, she's playing lots of sports and not bathing, she shouldn't be having this issue. Sounds like a bacteria or fungus. Try lotrimin. That usually heps!

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T.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try soaking her feet in a tea. I saw Dr. Oz on Oprah and he says it will dry up all the bacteria wich creates the oder. You may have to do it a few times a week but it should work!
PS make the tea like sun tea, room temp.

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M.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

Sandals don't work. Buy her new shoes, or wash her old ones and make sure she wears socks with ALL of her shoes. It worked for my daughter.

1 mom found this helpful
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T.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hello B.. In addition to the other great posts, I also might consider the girl's diet. Poor nutrition could be the cause of the problem. Fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains should clear it up!

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G.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

You should get one of those home remedy books and I read this in one of those books but try putting under arm deodorant on her feet and socks at night. It should help the problem during the day.

G. T.

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S.W.

answers from Los Angeles on

have her soak her feet in tea for a while for the next two weeks and that should take care if the problem! nothing else seems to work got this advice from a doctor and it works

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J.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

My daughters are dancers. The older one used to have incredibly smelly feet. It was really hard to be in the car with her at times! She started vigorously scrubbing her feet with a loofah and soap every day when she took her shower. It has really been a permanent fix. Good luck!

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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

socks. Wearing socks will make a big difference

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W.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

SOMETHING NOONE ELSE MENTIONED: i am really surprised noone else mentioned this. When feet smell, it is not usually because of the feet, but because of the nails. It is vital to KEEP THE NAILS ULTRA TRIM. When nailS- fingernails and toenails- go beyond the bed of the nail, they become a breeding ground for bacteria. The bacteria eat off of our body and then defecate. What causes the smell is the bacteria fecal matter. No joke! This is the reason that nurses are required to keep their nails ultra trim, because if they dont, they spread bacteria around to people and infants whose immune systems are already compromised. I know it sounds weird, and gross, but its the truth. BACTERIA POOP STINKS!
:-) good luck!

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B.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Check with her dr. But generally smelly feet are from a foot fungus.

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S.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

I've heard Dr. Oz tell adults to soak their smelly feet in a large basin of tea. It helps pull toxins out of the body. It worked for the lady on the Oprah show who's roommate was complaining about her feet. Check with her doctor and see if it is safe for a child to detox with tea. They even have bags you can buy especially for feet at some stores that are basically the same concept.

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S.T.

answers from Las Vegas on

B.,
I think I saw this on Oprah with Dr. Oz once. Try soaking her feet in tea! I think he said for 5-10 min. but however long she'll do it. Something about the acid in the tea helps smelly feet.

Hope this helps!
Steph

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A.K.

answers from Las Vegas on

My son is 10 and has had the same problem. We have him spray the inside of his sneakers with Lysol after he wears them. Alternating shoes each day helps too, that way they are completly dry before he wears them again. He use to have to wash his feet and change his socks (or go barefoot) every day after school. But since we started the Lysol, he really hasn't had to do that much.... mainly just on gym days.
Hope this helps.

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L.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

Do her feet sweat a lot? That problem runs in my family. If so, we use corn starch on our feet before putting on our socks. It really is a natural deoderant. Also, try letting her run around barefoot for a couple hours a day. It IS the shoes that make your feet sweat and smell - no matter what brand. If none of this works, you may wnat to visit the podiatrist foot doctor).

1 mom found this helpful
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