Sports shoes, especially if you use them intensively, can get very smelly. Find out how you can rid of that nasty smell naturally.
Depending on how bad the smell of your shoes is you can add or skip some steps in the process. Such measures will be marked as optional and you can add or skip them as you want.
Prefer rather watch the video, find it below
Procedure:
- Optional: Pour Hydrogen Peroxide on your sneakers and let it work for 30 minutes.
- Dissolve 1 Tb spoon of detergent and ½ cup of baking soda in warm water. Because we are talking about natural means of odor control, think twice about what detergent you use. As many conventional detergents contain fragrances, which can cause allergic reactions, and phosphates, which are dangerous to the environment. So “be the change…” as Gandhi said and switch to natural detergent. You can buy them at any store now. I, personally, use one from Seventh Generation. There are near hundred uses for baking soda, so don’t overpay for little boxes of baking soda in grocery aisles. Buy in bulk instead. I buy mine in a 13.5-pound bag at Sam’s club.
- Soak your shoes from 30 minutes to overnight
- Optional: Take an old toothbrush and scrape your shoes, as long as your patience will go.
- Rinse in warm water, you can do it straight under the tap
- Pour a cup of white vinegar into clean water
- Soak your shoes in vinegar solution for another 30 minutes
- Squeeze out as much water as you can and hang it to dry. The best way to dry your athletic shoes is outside in the full sun, if weather permitting. Ultraviolet sun rays have an antibacterial effect and can also kill odors.
Understandably, not all of us live in Florida and California, and it’s not the fastest option to dry shoes when it’s freezing temperatures outside. However, many shoe manufacturers do not recommend putting shoes in the dryer as the constant motion and heat can cause damage to them. In this case, you can use a special mesh bag which can be attached to the door of the dryer and use a low heat dry cycle. It will be better than to let your shoes dry at low room temperatures. The longer your shoes will stay wet, the more chance you give bacteria to grow and cause the smell.
And what are your tricks to keep your shoes smelling nice, share below?
