My laundry room is not that big and is the main entry from the garage. All our shoes and coats drop there. I have open bins that we put the shoes in but I think the shoes are making the laundry room smell. It just doesn't smell fresh and clean like you would think a laundry room should. I am often cleaning up grass and debris off the floor that is carried in from outside. I threw a few of those odor eating packets and some cedar blocks into the cubbies with the shoes but they don't seem to be helping. Any suggestions to freshen it up?
We had the same type problem, until we bought a huge can of Lysol. Whenever someone drops the shoes in the bin, they should spray the Lysol inside the shoe real quick and that should help. Did for us.
Updated
We had the same type problem, until we bought a huge can of Lysol. Whenever someone drops the shoes in the bin, they should spray the Lysol inside the shoe real quick and that should help. Did for us.
An ounce of prevention -
A stiff door mat and/or a boot scrubber mounted outside the laundry room to keep the grass and debris from being tracked in.
Odor eating shoe insole pads.
A pound of cure-
Air out the laundry room.
Take the shoes and coats and bins all outside and air these out as well. Sunshine and fresh air will do you a world of good.
make sure that the shoes are getting a chance to breathe and rest. If they are perpetually damp they will stink.
toss the worst offenders in the wash, if they aren't salvaged, toss them out.
buy quality shoes with natural materials.
Fill socks with rice, charcoal and fabric softner sheets, sew shut. Put these in the shoes immediately upon removing.
The ionic breeze helps diminish all smells. It will tackle the shoe smell, but will also deaden the laundry room smell.
Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.
Moisture is the main culprit. I'd suggest several packets or a bucket of DampRid for the area, or a small de-humidifier. We keep a shoe/boot dryer by our door so wet or damp shoes can be dried out.
Our house has a similar lay out. We have a shoe rack in the garage and a laundry sorter (hamper with three sections on wheels). I have two older boys who play sports so it is good to keep their shoes/dirty clothes outside. Good luck!
Can you afford a small ionizer? I use that in mine since I have a small open room off the laundry where I keep the Guinea pigs I foster and rescue. Which isnt smelling BAD, but I use pine shavings, and that gets strong with 10 or more piggies. So our clothes (if I dont take them directly to their rooms) tend to smell like a paper mill. Not bad, but still not exactly what I want to smell like at a dinner party. SO I do an ionizer, and mop floors with bleach solutions, then take a big fan every few days and blow air in and out. Its not so bad, now. Smells pretty decent now.
get to the source of the problem. Put baking soda inside the shoes when not in use. Roll up newspaper in the shoes too, all of this will absorb the moisture which is growing the bacteria which smells.
Citrus Magic. You can get the disks at the grocery store. We have shoes in a foyer closet and lemme tell you, my stepson's shoes could walk themselves some days. I put one of the citrus magic disks on the shelf and shut the door. No more stinky closet. I tried FreshWave, but Citrus Magic works just as well and is easier for me to get. I use them all over the house.
Air out that space at least once a week. Shoes get a coat of baby powder or some kind of foot powder in them to freshen them up. Summer sandals get cleaned with with vinegar and water or bleach and water to freshen them up.
These things will help freshen up the space tremendously. Especially the powder in the shoes. You may even consider getting the spray they use at bowling alleys for the rental shoes it kills stinky foot germs.
Would it be inconvenient to put the shoe cubby in the garage? If not, try that in addition to use the fresheners. If so, sorry, I've got nothing else.
