Odor is caused from bacteria multiplying in a damp sweaty shoe. To keep the smell away you need to kill any bacteria and deprive them of their nice sweaty home. These are the 5 best ways to eliminate odor with household items.
If your shoes are really bad, scroll to the bottom for some extra strength alternatives.
Baking soda is great at absorbing odor and moisture. Eliminating moisture is key to killing odor causing bacteria.
If you're worried about getting powder on your socks make sure to use the baking soda at night, and then wipe it out of your shoes with a paper towel in the morning.
Essential oils are great at eliminating shoe odor. Many essential oils have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties which allow them to kill the odor causing bacteria in your shoes. Essential oils also have the added benefit of smelling nice!
The best essential oils to use are: Eucalyptus, Tea tree, Lavender, Lemongrass, Clove Leaf, and Peppermint. Any of these essential oils can be used, or they can be combined for added effect.
Try sticking your shoes in your freezer. The freezing temperatures should kill most of the odor causing bacteria in your shoes.
Sometimes your shoes just have too much bacteria and other stuff going on. Many shoes can be washed in a washing machine, if not you can hand wash them (Check the care label to be sure). Do not put your shoes in the dryer.
For our shoe spray we hand picked essential oils that have the strongest antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, while still smelling pleasant.
For our shoe powder we use antibacterial & deodorizing powders & clays that prevent bacteria from forming.