Think about how many miles you run or walk on average in you running shoes – maybe 3 miles a day or even up to 10 miles a day. According to the New York Times, the average person should be walking close to 10,000 steps a day which equals out to five miles a day – this is a lot of time for sweat to develop and build up within your favorite pair of running shoes. Whether you are walking or running in your shoes, the sweat is bound to pour from your feet as they are trapped within a hot, humid environment that will elicit the production of sweat exponentially. In this article we are going to discuss the reasons behind your smelly feet and shoe problems and determine the best home remedies to use to remove the foul sweat odors that have accumulated in your running shoes.

What Causes Smelly Feet

Have you ever wondered why your feet produce such a foul stench that ruins your shoes so quickly? The human foot contains close to 250,000 sweat glands that will aid in the production of sweat on these parts of your body, particularly during physical activity such as walking or running. During physical activity there are only three places for sweat produced from your foot to go – on your foot, your socks, and eventually soaking into your shoes. The more and more that you wear your shoe the larger the build-up of sweat will be in the material of your shoe, this will produce a full-strength odor that will be both embarrassing and somewhat impenetrable to remove from the shoe material. Although sweat is a natural human production, there are some circumstances where you will have an increased amount of sweat production or even an increased odor issue with your feet called athlete’s foot.

Athlete’s Foot Smell

Athlete’s foot is a fairly common fungal infection that occurs on the feet between the toes. This type of foot fungal infection is commonly caused by sweaty feet that have been trapped in tightly confined shoes for an extended period of time. This type of fungus is caused by the same type of fungus as ringworm and jock itch, due to the damp and warm conditions in your socks and shoes where organisms grow in this favorable condition. The first sign of athlete’s foot will be a scaly red rash that will be followed by a strong smell from your feet due to the fungal organisms from the infection. If you begin to notice an excess amount of sweat and odor from your feet, you may need to contact your doctor to determine if you are dealing with athlete’s foot that is causing your feet and shoes to reek!

Why Do My Shoes Smell?

As we discussed earlier, shoes are at risk of collecting and accumulating a potential large quantity of sweat in their material due to the extraordinary number of sweat glands that are found in the human foot. Another cause of extra smelly shoes is from the conditions that footwear present to the human foot. Shoes are typically snug fitted and poorly ventilated, leaving your foot with no fresh air or room to properly air out which will leave your shoe smelling like a 10-year-old pair of running shoes that you have worn every day! What can you do to expel the smell from your stinky running shoes? Can you properly wash your shoes in the washing machine? Or better yet, is it okay to dry your running shoes in the dryer without ruining them? We are going to discuss below the ins and outs of properly cleaning your foul-smelling running shoes without destroying the shoe and learn the best home remedies to use to deodorize your sweaty sneakers.

Can You Put Shoes in the Washer Machine

The answer to this question can vary depending on the shoe and the material that the shoe is constructed of – some materials are not water-safe and should not be placed in the washing machine. Each shoe will contain a care label that will include instructions on whether or not the shoe is able to be washed and the process in which to use if you can indeed wash these items. Avoid placing shoes in the washer that are made of leather, suede, and other delicate fabrics that are not water-safe.

Can You Put Running Shoes in the Dryer

If you have ever dried your running shoes before you may have experienced an end result that was less than pleasant, such as ruined or damaged shoes that will come out with an odor that was worse than when you started. It is best to avoid using the dryer for any type of shoes, as it will only progress the issues with your shoes more and can actually increase the odor further. Heat is known to exacerbate smells, and the hotter the conditions the more the odor will be pulled to the forefront of the shoe.

Home Remedies for Smelly Running Shoes

The risks of putting your shoes in the washer and dryer only to have them come out smelling even worse than before is not something that you will want to go through. Instead, there are other home remedies that people can apply to their footwear to help it regain its original odor of nothing! We are going to discuss below the top methods that people use today to get the smell of sweat out of their running shoes.

Shoe Deodorizer Balls

A new popular method for shoe deodorization is the shoe deodorizer balls that are easily placed inside of the shoe to combat odors. These spherical shaped balls roll around in your shoes to help reach every inch of the shoe to deodorize the stench. The balls are filled with a fresh scent that is released into the shoe to help preserve the shoe and fight against the odor. These balls tend to last for upwards to six months, but it will depend on the amount of use and the strength of your shoe’s odor. Although this seems like a great option for your smelly running shoes, the fresh scent that is used within these deodorizing balls are actually masking agents that do not remove the odor, rather they mask it behind a fragrant scent – this will leave the odor sitting on the surface waiting for it to rear its smelly head again!

Charcoal Odor Eliminator

When it comes to odor elimination charcoal or carbon is a popular option as it absorbs odors well within its surface. Charcoal can be found in shoe deodorizers, air filters, and even toothbrushes – as it has many uses that are applied in a variety of products. Charcoal, however, has some downfalls over time due to the fact that the charcoal fills by weight and as it collects odors it will reach its maximum capacity and begin the process of releasing the odors back into the environment. This will be counterproductive and will end up resulting in your initial issues within your running shoes.

Best Shoe Odor Eliminator – OdorKlenz Sport Powder

Are you looking for a solution that completely takes away the odors without the risk of it coming back within a week? If you are than it may be time to look into the best shoe odor eliminator, the OdorKlenz Sport Powder. OdorKlenz provides complete odor elimination from a broad spectrum of sources using a patented earth mineral technology that is a fast odor-removing technology that actually adsorps, neutralizes and/or breaks down the odors from the source – without the use of masking agents or chemicals. The OdorKlenz Sport Powder can be used to remove any and all offending sweat and body odors from your shoes with a quick application that is extremely effective. OdorKlenz can be applied directly into the shoe and on the shoe where odors are stuck in the material. The easy flip-top allows for an easy squirt application that you can generously apply to the shoe. When the powder comes into contact with the sweat odors and bacteria it will neutralize and/or break it down completely, leaving you with fresh smelling running shoes finally!