5 things I tried on my daughter’s football boots – and the one that finally worked
My daughter loved football. Her boots… nobody loved. They smelled so bad we couldn’t keep them in the house. Not in the hallway. Not in the closet. They lived out on the patio for a whole season.
- Designed in Sweden
- 4 million+ pairs sold
- 30-day fresh-or-your-money-back
I’m a parent, not a chemist, so I did what everyone does. I tried things. Here’s every one of them – and what each taught me.
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Leaving them outside overnight
Fresh air, problem solved? For a few hours. Then they went back in the bag after training and we were right back where we started.
What it taught me: airing helps a bit, but only if you remember. Every. Single. Time.
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Baking soda
Poured in, shaken out. White dust on the hallway floor, on her socks, in the car. The boots were still damp the next morning.
What it taught me: if it’s still damp, it’ll still smell.
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Shoe spray
For about ten minutes the boots smelled like a perfume counter. Then like a perfume counter that had played 90 minutes of football.
What it taught me: covering a smell isn’t the same as dealing with it.
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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 it taught me: the smell isn’t dirt. It comes back every time the boots get sweaty and don’t dry.
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Stuffing them with newspaper
Honestly, the best of the five. It helped them dry. But it meant soggy paper every night, and nothing for the kit bag they sat in all the way home.
What it taught me: 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. So we developed something that does.
See what we developed →3 things to do tonight – even if you never buy from us
- 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 and evenly at room temperature.
SmellWell Freshener Inserts
A small sealed pouch filled with Moso bamboo charcoal and minerals. The charcoal is full of microscopic pores that take care of the moisture and counteract odor at the source – no perfume layer, no powder, no mess.
Our routine now:
- After training: one insert in each boot.
- Morning: take them out. Boots are ready.
- Once a quarter: leave them a few hours in the sun to recharge.
The boots moved back inside.
More parents who’d tried everything
“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. Designed in Sweden · REACH certified.
Start with the Everyday Fresh Set
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 →
P.S. I wish someone had told me in week one: stop fighting the smell, deal with the moisture. That’s all SmellWell does – and it’s why we started the company. Bring the boots back inside →