Stinky Shoes/Sandals

I bought a pair of Chaco Z1s recently but I've been recently wearing them a lot more often since the weather is getting warm. Now that I've had them on almost constantly for a week and a half; they currently smell like dirty socks. The smell is either comming from the footbed itself or the straps.


I sprayed both pairs with Invisible Glass (only stuff I had containing alcohol) and wiped them down and it seems to help but there's still a faint odor; maybe I'll do a more through cleaning job later this week. Anyone else have a solution to getting rid of the smell from sport sandals ?

Try simple green. I love that stuff. Other than that. Baking soda.

Gross!!!! I'm not a fan of that whole Teva type shoe/sandal. It's the most unflattering thing ever invented for the human foot! Reminds me of the Flintstones shoes.

frisco

You can try to putting them in a bag (or two) and then into the freezer. The odour is a by product of bacterial metabolism. The cold kills the bacteria that causes the odour. Just a tip I saw on a show once.

Oddjob said:

You can try to putting them in a bag (or two) and then into the freezer. The odour is a by product of bacterial metabolism. The cold kills the bacteria that causes the odour. Just a tip I saw on a show once.

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My wife would kill me if I put my shoes in the freezer.:candle:

I hear you Beamhead. I still haven't tried it for the same reason. In the winter I used to leave my smelly hockey equipment in the garage which had the same effect.

frisco said:

Gross!!!! I'm not a fan of that whole Teva type shoe/sandal. I most unflattering thing ever invented for the human foot! Reminds me of the Flintstones shoes.

frisco

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Sounds like something a valley girl would say!

They're not gross at all. I never liked those sandals for me, either, until I bought a pair. I bought a cheap pair, which aren't very good for long walks, due to my bad ankle(s), but I quickly learned to appreciate their comfort. It feels really good to walk around in these "icky" sandals! I'm currently searching ebay for a cheap snag on a new pair of Ecco sandals in this style. I figure those should give me comfort as well as long walkability. I may look stupid wearing them--some may even say fruity (my brother would say that)--but the cool comfort you get from wearing them is well worth it.

Beamhead said:

My wife would kill me if I put my shoes in the freezer.:candle:

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You could try the oven.

I don't know how you would apply this to sandals. Stinky shoes can be cured by sprinkling a little boric acid powder in them the same way you would talc. Apply the powder in the morning and by the next day .. Stench all gone!

You could leave them out in the sun on a warm/hot dry day, bacteria dehydrate and die pretty quickly in these conditions. Sunlight is a great sterilizer.

Otherwise you could try a cool gadget that illuminates and write it off to flashaholism...

http://www.uvlp.ca/portable_uv_sterilizer.htm

I´ve got the same problems here in Tenerife with those kind of shoes.
After a few hours walking with my dogs my shoes are smelling like a dead fish..


Put them in the washing machine (on the 30 Degrees program) works fine and the fish has gone....

Baking Soda seems to work best for me.
If its shoes, I just sprinkle some in them every week or so.
For the sandals, I would sprinkle it on them, put them, and some more baking soda in a bag and seal it up over night.

~John

If all else fails, white vinegar should kill the smell. You'll have to wash them a couple times to get the vinegar smell out afterwards.

+1

i haven't tried it but also saw it or heard it somewhere

Oddjob said:

You can try to putting them in a bag (or two) and then into the freezer. The odour is a by product of bacterial metabolism. The cold kills the bacteria that causes the odour. Just a tip I saw on a show once.

Click to expand...

atm beat me to it. I second the sun treatment. maybe more than a day of it..
I had the exact same problem with a pair of Teva sandals. they stank so badly I had to keep them outside at night. I'm fairly sure it's a bacterial problem caused by just wearing tem all the time without allowing them to dry out..
also possibly contributing to the problem was the folding back of a the layer of thin clothlike material that covered the footbed..
I took the sandals outside and bathed them in a (weak) clorox solution, then let them dry in the sun for a couple days. then I hotmelt-glued the footbed material back in place.
maybe this material has some kind of antibacterial function..I suspect this because the smell hasn't come back, yet.. but maybe it's becauseI haven't ben wearing them 24/7

Love my Chacos! Hey, here in FL you need sandals.

The good thing about them is that they're completely plastic... relatively easy to disinfect, while you would destroy natural fibers/cloth with most of the chemicals you use to kill the bacteria.

The sun treatment and regular washing helps (take them into the shower for quick everyday treatment )... they'll get a beach smell, not too bad...

I stopped wearing tevas regularly for this reason. I usually only take them river rafting; in the water all day they stay nice and clean.

Just picked up a nice pair of Keen shoes. (They have closed toes, but they're like sandals). The rubber footbed started to stink the first day.

I like all the GOOD suggestions for solving the problem, but in my experience, the problem returns after wearing the shoes for a while. I might start sprinkling baking soda on them.

I have some Dr. Martin sandals with leather footbed. They don't get stinky.

I used to wear socks with my sandals... feet don't stink so much, but you get mistaken for a European...

Give them to your neighbor's dog to eat, then go and get yourself a proper pair of shoes while the rest of us read a new thread about the best way to clear up dog vomit.

Chacos are VERY comfortable and easy to wear. I also have the stink problem. What I do is pour some laundry detergent on the plastic insole and strap parts and scrub them a little bit and then just rinse them out with the garden hose. Put them out in the sun for half a day and their dry. Smells like Tide!

I hear Gold Bond powder also works good.

I have a very small fan turned to low located near a radiator which runs all winter. I put my boots and shoes downstream of the fan and in the morning, my footwear is fresh and dry. If you don't like the fan idea, park your sandals in an area where there's a continuous flow of air to dry them out.

A brief squirt of Febreze fabric freshener right after you remove them helps a lot too.