5 Best Ways to Deodorize Lug Boots

Are you one of those people with a seemingly impeccable sense of balance? Are you a graceful bean who seems to have crazy super-human powers of that most mere mortals could only ever dream of? Do you, perhaps, have a seamless sense of grace that allows you to float around as if gravity is nothing but a simple nuisance that only bothers the peasants of the world (obviously not your graceful self)? 

No? Well, me neither. Honestly, I have all of the grace of a tuna fish on land. Surely you know the feeling? Muddy hikes, icy streets, and other such slippery situation are absolutely the worst. I totally wish that I could say I was kidding when I say that the only way that I can do the splitz his when one leg goes flying up and the rest of me has a rather abrupt introduction to the hard ground. 

Why, hello there concrete! A pleasure to make your (slightly unanticipated acquaintance). Thank you ever so much for the new bruise! And to be completely honest with all y’all, that’s why I tend to really enjoy a solid pair of shoes with really good tread. Now, I’m not talking about the lame wannabe hiking boots that were on discount at your local Target or something like that.

Oh no, I mean lug boots! Not only are those well-treaded boots particularly trendy at the moment (although that certainly doesn’t hurt). Lug boots actually also tend to be really great if you’re working on your feet all day and just really need to make sure that you keep your balance. 

But how does one clean lug boots. It’s not exactly as though you could expect to be able to chuck their work boots into the washing machine or anything like that, am I right? 

Cleaning up stinky lug boots doesn’t have to be difficult, though! Use any of these upcoming quick smelly shoe deodorizing hacks to finally fix stinky shoe problems for good!

1. New Soles

 

So, you’re new to this whole easy shoe deodorizing thing, meaning that new soles probs sounds absolutely bonkers to you. Trust me, my soon-to-be stink-free acolyte, all of these tricks actually can work for you, and there’s actually a solid bit of reasoning behind all of it.

You see, new soles are actually going to be super great for helping to eliminate stinky shoe odor for good because of a wee lil’ bit of science. As it would so happen to turn out, funky feet totally aren’t your fault. They’re really the fault of bacteria that lives on your feet because they just love to feed off of the moisture leftover from your sweat and also the dead skin cells which just sort of naturally slough off on a fairly regular basis. There’s totally no reason at all to be embarrassed, m’kay? Literally every human being ever has had stinky feet because of this stank-producing bacterial, alright?

But don’t you worry, because taking on the terribly funky bacteria totally won’t take all that much work on your part. Replacing just the inner soles of your stinky lug boots is all it takes to really freshen up your (hopefully soon-to-not-be) funky footwear. 

You see, the sole of your smelly shoes helps to retain sweat (*read: moisture that the bacteria likes to chow down on), dead skin cells (a tasty treat for the aforementioned bacteria), and also the stank-producing bacteria themselves. 

So go on and take those soles out and replace them with something fresh– your nose (and quite possibly everybody else’s) will thank you.

2.  Corn Starch

 

Corn starch is also super fabulous for keeping work boots smelling fresh. Now, I totally get that when you hear the phrase “corn starch,” your mind might just go wandering down the culinary route. I mean, corn starch is actually really amazing and utterly incomparable at thickening pie fillings, puddings, gravies, and it’s even capable of making your (obviously already fabulous) fried chicken even more delectably crunchy than it already is (all you’ve got to do is add in a wee lil’ dash to your flour dredge, if you were wondering– you’re welcome!).

Corn starch is really great at doing all of those things in the kitchen (and probably even more that I don’t know off the top of my head) all because it’s utterly terrific at absorbing any and then probs ten more kinds of moisture– and that totally includes any leftover moisture in your shoes from sweat!

And you likely already have a spare tin of this stuff sitting in the back of the kitchen cupboard– am I the only one, or does corn starch always come in these humungous tins? I mean, that’s totes not a bad thing for my wallet, although kitchen space is already at a premium, so I suppose everything balances out.

You can easily deodorize smelly lug boots with just a couple of tablespoons of corn starch dashed straight on into the stinky shoes themselves. Alternatively, if you’re worried about making sure that you won’t have to worry about a difficult (and definitely dusty) cleanup for future you, then you can simply put about the same amount of corn starch in a sock that you’ve tied off with a rubber band or something, and then you can stuff that corn starch-stuffed sock right on into the funky footwear. 

Make sure that you’re leaving the corn starch inside of the stinky shoes for at least overnight, although going for longer will definitely help to pack a more pungent punch! 

3. Cinnamon

 

Can you use cinnamon to deodorize bad smells? Even stinky lug boots that smell like old cheese (and really likely to be considered a biohazard to anybody with functioning sense of smell)? Oh yes, cinnamon can even take on that level of radioactive variety of footwear funk!

I know that using cinnamon to fix smelly lug boots sounds absolutely loco, but trust me, cinnamon is good for more than just smelling like the autumn candle discount section! Of course, that’s not to say that cinnamon isn’t the actual best at being one of the best scents for any comparably basic items. You know what I’m talking about– the aumtumnesque Krispy Kreme donuts, the Christmas potpourri, and (oh yes) the ever-famous (and much sought after) pumpkin spiced latte from Starbs– don’t go on and try to deny that you wouldn’t wait in a line ten miles long for it! We all know that pumpkin spice is life, even though it’s literally spring at the moment– there’s no denying it!

Cinnamon is totes the kind of smell that we all want more of in our lives– unlike that weird old cheese smell that is presently wafting up from your smelly lug boots. 

All that you need to use cinnamon to deodorize smelly lug boots is a few tablespoons of the spicy stuff dusted right on into the stinky shoes in question– or, if an easy cleanup is a worry for ya’ (as it would be with us all, of course) then you can also totally stuff the cinnamon into a securely tied-off sock, just like we might have done with the aforementioned corn starch. 

Make sure that you’re leaving the cinnamon inside of your stinky lug boots for at least overnight, although longer is only going to make it smell even more like a Yankee candle store during the holidays, so the longer the better, of course.

4.  Charcoal Envelopes

 

Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of charcoal before if you’ve ever been party to a local summer BBQ. Ah yes, those adventures in culinary catastrophe where it always seems like every adult in the nearby vacinity suddenly becomes a complete pro of a chef. Your uncle who usually does cereal and sandwiches? Oh yeah, obviously he can now do grilled vegetables? Or how about the old man? Dad surely can cook seemingly over a hundred hamburgers, hot dogs, and the like without a single one getting burned. 

Those are (crispy and charbroiled) fever dreams, of course, given as that every BBQ seems like a prime time for (not ribs, but) charcoal creation. I mean, maybe that one vegan friend going for the salad has the right idea? Charcoal ain’t seasoning, despite what that one “expert” family member insists– even after they’ve burned half of the spread, sadly enough

You can’t tell me that the last time it was s’mores night with the fam that at least one (or 20) marshmallows met their toasty doom at the end of an overly enthusiastic (and perhaps somewhat impatient) roaster. *Raises hand* I’m definitely guilty as charged when it comes to burning marshmallows like no tomorrow– for real, who has the kind of patience it takes to get that epically golden, crispy texture that I just can’t seem to wait long enough for without simply sticking the marshmallow closer, setting it ablaze in a wee lil’ sugary torch.

Charcoal really actually works well to deodorize plenty of things (like your stinky lug boots with the fabulous tread). You see, charcoal is basically just carbon that’s been super heated (basically burnt times a million gazillion), and when that happens charcoal forms these tiny lil’ pores that help to absorb odors. Pretty rad, am I right?

Now, obviously we aren’t going to be scraping the (abundantly) spare charcoal from any of those aforementioned adventures in outdoor cooking. Nowadays, it’s actually super easy to get charcoal in the form of small capsules or tablets. You can easily get these things from your local grocer or even online, if you’d like.

Just dash a couple of tablespoon’s worth of powdered charcoal into a small envelope (straight on into the stinky shoes would probably stain something, of course), and then stick that envelope right on into your smelly set of lug boots. Leave everything be for at least one night, but a little longer likely won’t hurt anything. The charcoal-filled envelope ought to last for about a day or so before you need to toss the old charcoal and restock the envelope.

5. LUMI’s Citrus Tea Tree Natural Shoe Deodorizer

 

LUMI’s Citrus Tea Tree Natural Shoe Deodorizer is fifth of our fabulous and super easy ways to quickly deodorize stinky shoes of all kinds. LUMI is a super amazing, all-natural shoe spray that can take on even the crazy level of funk that you’ve got in your old lug boots!

And you don’t just have to take my word for it, ma’ dear yet-dank-smelling reader! There are over 1000 people over on Amazon who have given LUMI’s Citrus Tea Tree Natural Shoe Deodorizer an utterly perfect 5 out of 5 stars, averaging out to solid 4.4 star rating overall– that’s pretty swell, btw. Amazon reviewer “Katherine house” here says that she sprays both her and boyfriend’s factory shoes with LUMI right when they get back from work:

 

 

LUMI also just so happens to be a pretty freakin’ amazing company all in their own right. Besides making pretty fantastic shoe sprays, they’re a small, family-owned business that only uses the highest quality of all-natural ingredients, and they also make all of their products in the United States! Go on, you have my express permission to feel free to cue all of the glitter cannons, the parade of unicorns, and absolutely don’t forget that you include the choir chorusing in the back, because yes, they’re actually that rad.

Beyond all of that, LUMI can also totally be used to deodorize a whole bunch of other things besides your stinky lug boots. Do you perhaps have a smelly kitchen sink? Spray a bit of LUMI! How about a rank bathroom garbage can? Yeah, a spray of LUMI can def handle it, no worries.

All you need for your funky footwear to smell like new again is a quick spray or two of LUMI’s Citrus Tea Tree Natural Shoe Deodorizer and you ought to be all set to go! Whether it be hiking, work on a factory floor, or any other kind of long-standing activity where you need your smelly lug boots to… well, not smell anymore, then a quick spray of LUMI and you’re covered!

But how about wee lil’ summary of all of these easy and quick shoe deodorization hacks and tricks? I don’t know about all y’all, but I tend to have the memory of half of a hamster, and so a summary tends to do a world of wonder when I need to remember and understand something important, such as finally fixing your stinky shoes for good!

Getting new soles for your beloved (yet definitely bad-smelling) set of lug boots is the first of our options for easy ways to fix stinky shoes quickly, and it’s just about as easy as it gets. On a regular basis, the soles of your shoes soak up plenty of moisture from your sweat and they also retain a whole lot of the dead skin cells that naturally slough off of your feet– both of which are some of the stank-producing bacteria’s fave things to chow down on. Think of the soles of your shoes as a sort of refrigerator for that stinky bacteria– totes not great for any of those of us who still have a  functioning sense of smell. But never you fear, because all you need is another set of soles to fit inside of your stinky lug boots, and then you’ll be well on your way to freedom from the footwear funk! Musty mayhem averted!

Corn starch is our next super simple stinky shoe hack. Like we’ve mentioned, the aforementioned stinky bacteria really loves all of the leftover moisture from your sweat and any extra dead skin cells. Like in all seriousness, your shoes are basically an all-you-can-eat buffet that the stank-producing bacteria have access to literally 24/7, whether we like it or not. Corn starch saves the day (and any of our remaining sense of smell) because it just so happens to be utterly fabulous at at absorbing any and all kinds of moisture– including the leftover moisture from the sweat inside of your shoes! All you need are a couple of tablespoon’s worth of corn starch dashed straight on into your stinky lug boots (or into a securely tied-off sock. Make sure to leave the corn starch to do its thing for at least one night, but leaving the corn starch for a lil’ bit longer will definitely help your shoes to go back to smelling brand new before you know it!

Cinnamon sticks it to the shoe stank with its own vibrant and totally amazing autumnesque scent. Cinnamon is reminiscent of everything amazing about that time of year– the baked goods, the glowing candles, and the like. Cinnamon helps to replace the sour, old cheese stank presently wafting up from your smelly lug boots, leaving instead a pleasantly spicy odor. Dash a couple of tablespoons of this classic spice straight on into your smelly lug boots, or alternatively you could instead just put the same amount into a tightly tied-off sock that you can then place in your boot. Regardless of which method you go for, make sure that you keep the cinnamon inside of your stinky set of lug boots for at least overnight, although I totally won’t stop ya’ from going for just a bit longer, should you have the time for it.

Charcoal envelopes are up next and trust me when I say that they totally make for some of the easiest and most successful shoe deodorizing tricks out there. Charcoal is essentially just superheated carbon (even more toasty than when you accidentally set your last marshmallow meant for a solid s’more on fire), and when this carbon gets superheated the underlying material forms these sort of pores that a really amazing at absorbing any and all kinds of oder (and that means the super stank that’s totally taken over your very favorite set of shoes)! Seriously, this stuff can take on all kinds of funk, and that’s great for anyone with pungent peds! A plus for us is that nowadays you can absolutely get charcoal from your local grocer or even online with ease. You can totally get charcoal in these wee lil’ convenient tablets that makes this next step super easy. All you need are a couple of tablet’s worth of charcoal that you’ll pour into a small envelope– NOT straight into your stinky shoes, or even a spare set of socks, otherwise you’ll be facing some pretty hardcore stains, sadly enough. A small envelope’s worth of charcoal out to last you overnight, maybe two, but if you’d like to really make sure that the super shoe stink is gone, you can empty out the original envelope and refill it with a fresh supply of charcoal to absorb the shoe stink.

Then number five for you and your funky shoes is LUMI’s Citrus Tea Tree Natural Shoe Deodorizer! It’s a solid solution to literally any kind of stankThis super amazing and all-natural shoe deodorizing spray literally only takes a spritz or two directly into the soles of your smelly set of lug boots and you ought to be all set to go! Feel great because you smell great (and probs look great in your utterly fabulous shoes)! 

Lug boots are great for any number of things. Whether you’re using your fabulous lug boots for fashion’s sake or because their really amazing tread makes for great work boots, we all know that shoes can get a bit, well… funky, which totally sucks for anyone around you who hasn’t already singed off their poor nose hairs from the musty mayhem that is your footwear. Trust me when I say that I know that it can be tough to truly take out the super stank that has seemingly infested your poor pungent peds.

Any of these five options for figuring out how to quickly deodorize stinky lug boots ought to be able to help ya’ out, but if you’re worried about making sure that the footwear funk doesn’t make a smelly comeback then you can also totally feel free to go on and try a few of these simple stinky shoe deodorization hacks out in combination. I mean, if one will work well, two or three in tandem really ought to show the stank who’s in charge (that’s you btw, in case you weren’t totally sure).

So go on and take your pick out of these quick stinky feet hacks. You and your poor used and abused nose hairs deserve it!