Smelly shoes are an endless battle for any sport fanatic that is constantly slipping into their special sporting shoes for a bout of exercise and fun! Each sport has different requirements that their shoes must meet such as a rubber bottom, spiked bottom, or even a specific material that is necessary to successfully play the sport. However, no matter the style or material of the shoe, odors are no match for shoes as they will retain and permeate the odor, which will leave you searching for any solution possible to eliminate the smell before your next game starts. Golf, in particular, is a sport that can leave its player with not only sweaty and smelly apparel but also will leave golf shoes smelling like a combination of sweat and funk that will emit the most rancid odor imaginable – no joke! What can be done to get rid of this rancid smell that has developed in your golf shoes? Keep reading to find out!

Why Do Feet Sweat

Most people sweat when it is hot outside, or when their body temperature elevates, which will lead to the development of sweat from your body. However, some people may experience excessive sweating that can leave a significant impact on apparel and shoes – and an odorous mark to say the least! The reason for excessive sweating, especially of the feet is called hyperhidrosis, a common condition for men and young/older adults. According to the International Hyperhidrosis Society, 3 percent of the population suffers from hyperhidrosis, but just because you are not diagnosed with hyperhidrosis does not mean you do not experience sweat problems. Did you know that there are 4 to 5 million sweat glands on the human body? Over 250,000 of those sweat glands reside on your feet, which can explain sweaty & stinky feet issues that a person may experience, especially when playing sports. Shoes also can be a contributing factor to excessive sweating on the feet, as shoes will create the ideal environment for sweat to develop. Sweat forms in hot environments with limited airflow, the exact environment created for your feet when wearing shoes. However, when you are playing a sport like golf, shoes are a necessity – and thus sweat will develop when wearing your golf shoes, and worse, sometimes a condition will develop on your feet that can contribute to the incredibly odorous smell issue in your shoes.

Athlete’s Foot Odor Issue

Athlete’s foot is a fungal infection that occurs in people whose feet have become very sweaty while confined within tight fitting shoes such as golf shoes. Athlete’s foot typically causes a scaly red rash that occurs between the toes and will start to cause itchiness that is severe when you take off your socks and shoes. This condition is caused by the same type of fungus that causes ringworm and jock itch, and thus a strong stinky odor will begin on your feet and spread to your golf shoes.

Golf Shoes Stink?

Whether you are dealing with athlete’s foot, hyperhidrosis, or just extra smelly feet, your golf shoes will take quite the odor beating! Golf is a long sport that is played outdoors, in the heat, which will add to the smell problem inside your golf shoes. A typical game of golf is usually played for a couple hours and involves 18 shooting holes. And after 18 holes are played and you get home to slip off your shoes, the smell may just knock you over! How can you get rid of the putrid odor that is now claiming your golf shoes?

How to Deodorize Golf Shoes

What can you turn to in trying to deodorize and eliminate golf shoe smell? There are several ‘miracle’ products or remedies that claim to completely remove the sweat odor from golf shoes, but do they really do what they claim? We have compared five solutions to deodorizing golf shoes, to see what the best method is to eliminating odors in your golf footwear!

• Wash Your Shoes: One of the most obvious odor eliminating solutions is to wash your shoes in the washing machine. Shoes that are made of fabric can be tossed in the washer and ran through a warm cycle. However, often times golf shoes are made of leather which are unable to get wet, therefore they would not be applicable for the washing machine.
• Use an Effective Golf Shoe Cleaner: Golf shoes are complex item(s) to wash because of the leather material on the outside of the shoe, which limits its options for cleaning methods to utilize. But, with the help of a specially created odor-eliminating powder, a golf shoe cleaner has been developed to eliminate the odors stuck in your shoes. This odor-eliminating powder for golf shoes is the OdorKlenz Sport Powder for shoes. OdorKlenz utilizes a patented earth mineral technology that adsorbs and breaks-down chemicals and odors, completely eliminating the compound all together from the surface. The OdorKlenz Sport Powder has an easy flip top dispersion that allows for a quick squirt into the shoes to eliminate the odor.
• Freeze Golf Shoes: A simple DIY that some people may use to fight off the odors in golf shoes is to freeze them. When you freeze golf shoes it deodorized them since the smell-causing bacteria can’t survive the brutal chill. However, with this method, you will have to wait for your shoes to defrost, which can lead to water on your shoes once the defrosting process is complete.
• Store Shoes Stuffed: Lastly, try stuffing newspapers in your shoes after wearing them, as this will help to soak up the sweat. The less sweat in your shoes, equals less smell.

Golf shoes can become a smelly monster, but with the right tips and solutions you can eliminate those odors quickly and effectively!