how to rid stinky shoes smell?

[scottie]

My DD plays volleyball in HS and I bought her another pair of new shoes about a month ago because her old ones smelled so bad. The new shoes are already smelling not so nice, any suggestions on a product to buy at a store or a home remdy to get rid of the smell in the shoes?

 

[englishteacha]

Spray the insides with Lysol, and make sure the shoes have plenty of time to air between wearings. If she can rotate between 2 pair, even better.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Put them in the freezer for a few days. It will kill the bacteria that is making them smell.

 

[debster812]

For the next pair you get, you need to be pre-emptive. When she is done with a practice or game, take the shoes off, stuff them with newspaper, and let the paper absorb the moisture and odor. We do this with all of DS's soccer cleats, and he's in them 5 days a week on average. Once they are dry, he puts an odor eliminator ball in each one when he's not wearing them. He does this with his outdoor cleats, and his indoor shoes.

For these shoes, this is what we just did with a pair he had that was NOTORIOUSLY stinky. Put each shoe in a 2 gallon size zip top bag. Put them in the freezer, yes, the freezer. Keep them there for a day or two. The cold helps to kill the odor. It worked fairly well for us, and lasted about a month or so. He has since outgrown those cleats, and Nike has allegedy fixed the problem, so hopefully that won't happen again.

 

[Coconut36]

For the next pair you get, you need to be pre-emptive. When she is done with a practice or game, take the shoes off, stuff them with newspaper, and let the paper absorb the moisture and odor. We do this with all of DS's soccer cleats, and he's in them 5 days a week on average. Once they are dry, he puts an odor eliminator ball in each one when he's not wearing them. He does this with his outdoor cleats, and his indoor shoes.

For these shoes, this is what we just did with a pair he had that was NOTORIOUSLY stinky. Put each shoe in a 2 gallon size zip top bag. Put them in the freezer, yes, the freezer. Keep them there for a day or two. The cold helps to kill the odor. It worked fairly well for us, and lasted about a month or so. He has since outgrown those cleats, and Nike has allegedy fixed the problem, so hopefully that won't happen again.

Yep..newspaper is great for absorbing the moisture and letting them air out totally (24+ hours) between wearings can be really important in keeping them odor free.

My ODS in particular has very very sweaty feet...I am totally dreading foot odor/smelly shoes when he hits his teens. He has a pair of Keen sandals he wears a lot in the summer that get stinky. I found I could wash them with some bleach and it zaps the odor completely. Depending on the type of shoes and car instructions you might want to see what your options are. Another option might be Clorox Anywhere (colorfast so it will not discolor them) to kill the bacteria inside..but they do need time to dry out before being worn.

 

[dancin Disney style]

My DD dances competitively and one style of shoe that she uses has neproene in the middle for stretch. The neoprene makes the shoes STINK. I found a great Dr. Scholls sneaker spray that takes away the nasty stench. As soon as she takes the shoes off she sprays them. For added stink elimination I found these little pouches that you put inside the shoes called Skunkies. The spray does a great job on it's own though.

 

[kacaju]

Dr Scholls odor spray

 

[scottie]

Thanks for everyones tips!! Might just try a mixture of all these wise tricks!

 

[scjo68]

My DD is a figure skater, so she has the same problem.

I found shoe inserts filled with cedar shavings, and she keeps those stuffed in her skates between wearings. They work great. I found them at a running store.

We also tried the little scented balls from the sport store. THey did not work. THey just made her skates smell like foot odor and perfume together. Yuck.

 

[ndelaware]

Both my daughters play HS VB and I throw their shoes and knee pads in the washing machine once a week.

Those knee pads can get plenty stinky too.

 

[lilsk8nmac]

I work with shoes, and shoe spray doesn't work half as well as these little guys...

http://www.penguinbrands.com/pdf/fresh_twist.pdf

They are called fresh twists. And they are fantastic. you can put them in her shoes after she wears them and they are also good for gym bags.
There is a little talc deodorant ball in them and you click them open as the freshener begins to diminish. When the talc in the middle is completely gone, you know to replace them. These things are really strong. IDK if you can order them straight from the manufacturers webpage, but if not, I know they sell them at REEBOK store and outlets.
Best of luck! :

I also agree with the person that said you have to be ahead of the game on this. Next time she gets new shoes, put these things in them right away, dont give them a chance to get gross first.