My neighbour showed me this method for my son’s horrible shoe smell – and it actually worked
My son is eleven and plays football three times a week. His boots lived in the garage. Not by choice. We had tried everything we could think of, and the smell still met you at the door. Then one evening my neighbour saw me airing the boots on the step and said: “You’re fighting the wrong thing.”
- Designed in Sweden
- 4 million+ pairs sold
- 30-day fresh-or-your-money-back
Before she said that, here is everything I had tried. If you have a sporty kid, you’ve probably tried the same list.
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Shoe spray
Smelled fine in the hallway for ten minutes. By the time he got to training the boots smelled like a perfume counter that had done 90 minutes of football.
What I learned: covering a smell isn’t the same as dealing with it.
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Baking soda
Poured in, shaken out. White dust on the hallway floor, on his socks, in the car. The boots were still damp the next morning.
What I learned: if it’s still damp, it’ll still smell.
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Stuffing them with newspaper
Honestly the best of the lot. It helped them dry. But it meant soggy paper every night, and it did nothing for the kit bag they sat in all the way home.
What I learned: drying helps – but only if you remember, every single night.
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The washing machine
The boots came out clean, a little out of shape – and after two trainings the smell was back.
What I learned: the smell isn’t dirt. It comes back every time the boots get sweaty and don’t dry.
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The neighbour’s method
Her daughter plays handball. Same bag, same hallway, no smell. She went inside and came back with two small black pouches from her daughter’s shoes. “One in each boot when he gets home. Out in the morning. That’s it.”
They’re called SmellWell Freshener Inserts: sealed pouches filled with bamboo charcoal and minerals. The charcoal is full of microscopic pores that take care of the moisture and counteract the odor at the source – no perfume layer, no powder, no mess. She’d been using the same pair for most of the season; a few hours in the sun recharges them.
What I learned: the answer was the moisture all along. I just needed something that dealt with it automatically.
The problem was never the smell. It was the moisture.
Feet sweat into the lining. The boots go straight into a zipped bag. Warm and damp is exactly where odor-causing bacteria thrive.
Every “fix” I’d tried either covered the smell or dried the boots once. None of them took care of the moisture every time, without me having to remember.
See the routine we use now →3 things to do tonight – even if you never buy anything
- Insoles out, laces untied. Give the moisture somewhere to go.
- Never leave wet boots zipped in the bag overnight. Get them out the moment you’re home.
- Keep the boots off the radiator. Direct heat can damage them – let them dry slowly at room temperature.
Our routine now
- After training: one insert in each boot, straight away. A third pair lives in the kit bag.
- Morning: take them out. Boots are ready.
- Once a quarter: leave them a few hours in the sun to recharge. One pair lasts up to 12 months.
Sealed pouches, REACH certified, free from phthalates and biocides. There’s a light fresh scent – and a fragrance-free version if you prefer none.
The boots moved back inside after a week. My neighbour got a bottle of wine.
Other parents who got the same tip
“Every week I would sanitize his pads, air out, spray his shoes etc, tried multiple different shoe sprays, baking soda, nothing took the dead animal smell away. Got a 3 pack of these, put in shoes and keep in bag […] they are 90% less stink than before.”
Christina M. · 5/5 · verified purchase
“Nothing else worked for my son’s cleats. Ordering another set.”
Jennifer S. · 5/5 · verified purchase
Reviews from Amazon.com, lightly shortened. The story above is told the way we hear it from parents every week; names left out on purpose. Designed in Sweden · REACH certified.
Start where my neighbour started
Everyday Fresh Set – Camo Inserts 3-Pack
- A pair for the football boots
- A pair for the indoor or PE shoes
- A pair for the kit bag
- Reusable – recharge in the sun
Fresh or your money back – 30 days. If you don’t notice a difference, you get your money back, even if the pack is opened.
Packed and shipped within 24 hours · EU delivery 2–5 business days
Just want to try one pair? Single packs from 149 kr →
Quick answers
Does it work in a hockey bag?
Yes – for big bags, go for the XL inserts, made for larger spaces.
Will the insert itself smell strong?
They have a light, fresh scent. There’s also a fragrance-free option.
Is it safe around kids?
They’re sealed pouches meant to stay in shoes and bags. Keep them out of reach of small children.
P.S. I wish someone had told me in week one: stop fighting the smell, deal with the moisture. That’s the whole method. Bring the boots back inside →