Remove bad smell in your shoes once and for all
Sweating a lot and shoes that smell bad can be uncomfortable, awkward and embarrassing. Even if sweating from your feet fills important functions to your body, like cooling it down and improving gripability, sweaty feet can be undesirable for the the one sweating and those around. Read this article to find out how you can get rid of smelly feet and odor from your shoes.
How can I remove the odor?
To get rid of the smell you have to eliminate the bacteria by destroying their “likeable” environment. By eliminating moisture you also get rid of bacteria and therefore the bad smell. There are plenty of remedies and tricks that are supposed to help in the fight against bacteria and odor, but maybe the easiest solution is putting a couple of SmellWell inserts in the problem area. You can use them almost anywhere. SmellWell actually goes to the root of the problem by neutralizing the environment, instead of just masking the smell like many other products. Read more about how it works here
Other remedies
When it comes to treating shoes that smell bad there is really no right or wrong. Here are som other remedies that you could try out.
- Wash your shoes in the washing machine. Read more about how to do that best and most gently here.
- Mix detergent with vinegar and citric acid. Use it in your shoes and let them dry outside.
- Dip a cotton ball in alcohol and use it inside your shoes. This can kill the bacteria.
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Put baking soda in your shoes and leave them overnight. Hopefully the baking powder will absorb the odor. Vacuum your shoes the next day.
Why do we sweat?
We sweat mainly to regulate our body temperature. If we get too warm or if we get stressed we start sweating. It is a natural reaction and our bodies own way to make sure we don’t get overheated. We can also start sweating because of spicy food and intense emotions.
What is sweat made of?
Sweat is 97% water. There are myths saying that sweat would be the same as urine, but that’s not correct, even if it’s the same hormones that controls both our sweat and urine production.
Why does sweat smell bad?
Actually it is not the sweat itself that smells bad. Sweat in its original form doesn’t smell anything. It's when the bacteria starts breaking down the sweat the bad smell arrives. The bacteria comes from the surroundings or from certain places at your body. For example the bacteria can already be living in the shoes you are sweating in. The sweat provides moisture and creates an environment that the bacteria likes to grow and live in.
How much is it normal to sweat?
A normal person can sweat multiple litres per day but usually we sweat about half a litre. There are people who sweat especially much at certain places like hands or feet. That can be a case of hyperhidros (excessive sweating).
What is hyperhidros?
There is no exact limit for what is excessive sweating and not. It is up to you to decide if you feel like the sweat is affecting you, your life and your every day in an excessive and bad way. Examples of hyperhidros can be that you feel it’s hard to shake peoples hands, having difficulties gripping paper or other material at school or work or to get skin damage or infections because of the sweating.
Sweat curiosa
Most people today think sweat smells bad and wants to get rid of the odor. But it hasn’t always been like that. Back in the old days sweat was considered interesting and exciting.
Even if the “sensores” that regulate body temperature are located all over the body, they can react differently to different things. For example you might sweat more in armpits, hands and feet when you feel intense emotions and stress, but more in your face when you eat spicy food. Here are 6 fun sweat facts.
