Calling All Parents: Stinky Shoes/Feet!!!

[Katie Dawn]

And this isn't even about teenagers!

My daughter is 8, and in the last few months the smell inside her shoes can knock me over! Her feet stink too but washing them takes care of that. I just can't figure out how to get the smell out of the shoes.

I've washed in the washing machine. Let them air dry. They smell a little better but then it starts right back up again.

I've thrown out perfectly good tennis shoes because I can't deal with the smell.

I have no idea if this is a normal 8 year old thing or more of a karate issue. She goes to karate for after school care everyday and they are barefoot on a mat during their karate lesson each afternoon. I'm sure she's picking up lots of fun bacteria there. <face palm> But after their lesson she tends to put her shoes back on Without Putting Her Socks On First and I'm sure that is exacerbating the issue. Even when I pick her up and tell her to put her socks on she's been wearing shoes without socks for a couple of hours.

Regardless: suggestions? Certain products I should wash them in? Soak them in something before washing? Should I try to find some type of insole I can throw out every few weeks and replace with new ones (not sure they'll stay secure in the shoe though?) Do any of the aerosol sprays actually work? Any ideas are welcome!

 

[BLAZEY]

I'm sure you are right about the no socks in her shoes. My daughter is 9 almost 10. I have found the runners with mesh uppers stink less as they dry faster. I have found that oxy wash additives help when you wash. Maybe some of those little balls that you put in the shoes that help eliminate odors. I found that making my daughter wash her own clothes made her more aware of the smell of her belongings and more apt to wear socks in runners.

 

[cabanafrau]

Shoes without socks always creates a perfect situation for stink. Back when my kids were in dance and frequently needed to wear some of their dance shoes without socks (sometimes even dance tights wasn't enough either) I would occasionally have to put shoes in ziploc bags in the freezer to attempt to kill the bacteria causing the stench.

Clean sealed bags, so nothing transferring to freezer or food. A friend who was struggling with her son's athletic shoes gave me the tip, which I was kind of grossed out by at first. Initially I would double layer the bags, but I realized it wasn't necessary so just single bags after a while.

 

[Wishing on a star]

This is a bacterial thing....
Go to CVS. Get the antiseptic anti-bacterial wash, the one that is not the nasty orange betadine.
Use on her feet frequently.

Wash socks on a steam cycle... or put them in a big pot of boiling water.
Yes, do replace all old socks and shoes.
I've never heard of using the freezer, but boiling hot water should do the trick. With some Dawn and if not white/colorfast, a little beach.

Have footwear that is specifically for the dance/karate/sport, and do not wear them except for then...
Always wear all other shoes, like tennis shoes/sneakers with clean socks.

Dance, Karate, etc... are all big causes of this.
Nothing negative.
Just something you have to know how to deal with.

It is not teenagers, or gender....
Even little girls who like to do dance are susceptible!

 

[Kae]

Shove Fabric softner sheets in them. If she sweats a lot get a boot dryer to put her shoes on.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I would not recommend yucky sticky fabric softener chemicals on my kids feet.
Especially my son, who had very sensitive skin.

The boot dryer might be an idea if it gets hot enough to kill the germs without ruining the shoes!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

Green tea. Seriously. Buy (or make) green tea wet wipes for her to use frequently on her feet. It's a gentle anti-bacterial, and really helps neutralize the smell. (My kid is an ice skater. Skate stink is in a league of its own.)

For storage, we make Tea Tree oil bags; they are a stronger antibacterial. Buy some pure Tea Tree oil. Pour plain raw rice into a small cotton drawstring bag and then sew across the top so that the rice cannot escape. Sprinkle TT oil onto the bag until it is evenly damp; the rice will absorb the excess moisture pretty quickly. Store her footwear with the rice bags inside. You should also wash her sneakers in the washing machine every couple of weeks, with a cup of white vinegar added. Stuff with newspapers and let them dry in the sun if possible. Wash socks with vinegar, too.

PS: I really feel for anyone who has this issue with pointe shoes. Those things are so expensive and have such a limited life that you probably have to live with it more often than not. It's not like you can wash the things.

 

[cabanafrau]

This is a bacterial thing....
Go to CVS. Get the antiseptic anti-bacterial wash, the one that is not the nasty orange betadine.
Use on her feet frequently.

Wash socks on a steam cycle... or put them in a big pot of boiling water.
Yes, do replace all old socks and shoes.
I've never heard of using the freezer, but boiling hot water should do the trick. With some Dawn and if not white/colorfast, a little beach.

Have footwear that is specifically for the dance/karate/sport, and do not wear them except for then...
Always wear all other shoes, like tennis shoes/sneakers with clean socks.

Dance, Karate, etc... are all big causes of this.
Nothing negative.
Just something you have to know how to deal with.

It is not teenagers, or gender....
Even little girls who like to do dance are susceptible!

When my daughters went through this they were wearing various types of dance shoes that they only wore for dance, including pointe shoes -- pretty impractical for anything else. They could literally come out of a single jazz or lyrical class and the shoes were so sweaty that the topsides were soaked with sweat.

I've heard recommendations of cleaning the insoles of sneakers with hand sanitizer, but I've never actually tried it myself. I doubt the feet themselves need washing with anti bacterial. Simple soap and water should work just fine, and be much easier on the skin too.

 

[Mamabun]

We dealt with something like this a while ago - and a podiatrist friend told us never wear the same shoes two days in a row. I can't recall the exact reasoning, but something like giving the shoes a day of rest allows them to completely dry out (from sweat) and kills any emerging bacteria. From my experience, it doesn't really help with already stinky shoes, but the every other day thing is great for keeping new shoes smelling okay.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

 

[iivye]

We spray a generic version of Lysol in the shoes and let them dry overnight. My daughter had the stink so bad we asked the doctor about it and she just recommended putting deodorant on her feet. We are always going round and round about wearing socks in shoes.

 

[design_mom]

Does it happen with ALL of her shoes, or is it worse with specific ones? My son went through something similar and we determined he just can't wear Sketchers shoes. I'm not sure what it is about that brand, but they made his feet stink (several different styles). My daughter could wear Sketchers without issue. And I once had a pair of sandals that made my feet stink. I'm not sure what it was specifically about them but -- whoo-wee. I've never had issues like that with any other shoes.

 

[TheConsciousness]

To get my shoes to smell better I get some SCENTED dollar store baby powder, and then fill the shoes with a few squeezes. Knock around the powder to coat everything and then sit them outside overnight (assuming its dry out).

 

[RangerPooh]

Our younger daughter has always had stinky feel. We really miss the period of time that she lived in Crocs as her feet aired out more. The girl has stinky feet! Wearing shoes without socks only makes them worse. We've left them to air outside, rubbed deodorant on her feet, frequent washing, etc. Have you tried washing with vinegar? This has helped rid some stink smells from clothing.

 

[Wishing on a star]

I think this might be what we used when DS was doing Karate.
No red/orange color like Betadine.

www.cvs.com/shop/cvs-health-antiseptic-skin-cleanser-prodid-864765?skuid=864765

Human skin does not stink.
Bacterial infections do!

 

[OneOftheB's]

My DD's shoes also stink. She's 8, so it may be the new trend, lol. But, to combat the odor, I filled socks with baking soda and put them into the shoes. I actually filled one sock, then put it inside another sock so the baking soda would stay inside the sock. So far, so good. It seems to help absorb the dampness and the odors. My daughter's shoes were so bad I knew immediately if she took her shoes off in the car.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Here is the similar product from Walgreens:
www.walgreens.com/store/c/walgreens-antiseptic-skin-cleanser/ID=prod6051051-product?ext=msnKBM_PLA_-_All_Products&kpid=sku6048601&sst=15743598-b15b-45ce-8fa8-b06b490878d2&msclkid=962d91397a6d1dac35e9cd4f84370e4d

 

[dclpluto]

At least she knows karate so No one will pick on her about her stinky feet.

 

[momto3pirates]

We bought some charcoal inserts from Amazon for my sons shoes. They seem to help.

 

[NotUrsula]

[snip]
Human skin does not stink.
Bacterial infections do!

Skin doesn't need to be infected to smell bad; it just needs to perspire in an environment where certain types of bacteria can flourish. The composition of your sweat can change a bit depending on diet, exercise, medications, hormones, etc., and the resulting environment can be more -or- less hospitable to certain bacteria. People who sweat more heavily tend to end up with a more pungent odor if they do not take care to make sure that sweaty skin dries quickly, before the bacteria get a chance to multiply in the damp atmosphere.

DD's dermatologist has recommended having her get her feet Botox'd when she is older if she wants to reliably keep the odor down. Botox can temporarily take sweat glands out of action, and less sweat tends to equal less odor potential.