I have this pair of shoes that I love. They are black leather ballet flats that I bought in the fall and I have worn them five out of seven days of every week since I brought them home. They are so comfortable and classic and I just love them. There is a small (and smelly) problem, however. I always wear the flats without socks since it looks goofy to see socks with flats, don’t you think? As a result of this socklessness my foot sweat has no place to go except into the shoe itself and back into the slimy pores of my feet. In other words, my feet reek. It’s so nasty that when I take these shoes off at the end of the day I gag a little.
Does anyone else have this problem? It seems like everyone and their dog is wearing flats these days and they’re all the rage. But how do you avoid the foot stank?
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I have a suggestion. At Aldo they have these terry cloth insole inserts that cost about $10 and you put those in your shoes so that it’s not bare feet on leather. Your feet don’t seem to sweat as bad. Once the insole gets smelly and dirty you can throw them in the wash. It works pretty fantastically!
Funny that you should mention that. Jon Tesh on “Intelligence for your life” (pretty cheesy radio program in Edmonton) just said yesterday that there are antiperspirants/deodorants FOR FEET. He said there are over a quarter of a million sweat glands on your feet, so when feet are stuffed in shoes, they really have no choice but to stink blah blah blah… Yes, Jon is a wise man.
You know I love me some flats…and I agree with Kindra on the terrycloth insoles from Aldo, I use them in a few of my shoes, but sometimes it just makes them feel too tight. However, often when I come home I have a few dryer sheets tucked away that I shove into my shoes to absorb the excess moisture and make ’em smell purrty. It makes you pretty self-conscious when you’re going to someone’s house, doesn’t it? You want to wear your cute shoes, but you want them to want you to stay…not shoo you out due to the foul smell emanating from your feet.
Dude! I totally have the reekingness going on as well!!!! It could kill a small country – I swear!!! I wear black dress socks with mine during the winter months or nude nylons which help. But once I actually put baking soda in them and left them in the garage overnight and then vaccumed it all out. It seemed to help.
But I think the others gave you WAY BETTER advice, so go with their ideas :-)
Hope you don’t kill any small countries before you can take care of the reekieness!!! hehehe
OH and also, I sometimes put deoderant on my feet and especially the bottoms of the toes!!! I find the toes are the smelliest! Maybe designate one deoderant for the feet and one for you underarms :-)
It’s always got to be the favourite pair that stinks, eh? I’ve tried a few creative things but none of them have worked so I’m not about to share them!!! Love your flats!
I know exactly what you’re talking about. I thought I was the only one with the problem! I also like the foot sweat stains in my shoes that appear over time.
In the 90’s, I used to wear these things called “Not-Socks,” they were like little nylons that barely covered the ends of the toes and heel. You could achieve the sockless look, but still wear socks. It was a nice theory, but the Not-Socks never quite stayed in place.
Oh yuck, me too. With my favorite pair, too, of course. I had to throw them in the washing machine but the nasty black outline of my foot still remains on the bright pink insole of the shoes. Permanent stains! Before I washed them, it smelled like someone had poured vinegar inside of them. So I feel your pain. Blech! If you come up with a good solution, let me know! Sometimes I could even smell mine before I took them off. Super gross.
Hmmm … I have no idea … my feet always smell like roses.
I’m so glad you asked! Because I too want to know! I use The Baby Powder, but it doesn’t always work, and my feet end up sliding a bit.
I totally need deodorant for my feet, apparently.
HOORAY! More people with the death feet! I always feel so awkward because I have stank foot that I never want to go anywhere that I have to take my shoes off!
Yet, I hate wearing socks. I admit to using the Arm & Hammer carpet deodorizer in my shoes at night, and sometimes dishsoap and a good scrub on the insides of my shoes but that just leaves them damp and stankier.
Please. Help!
Yup, I wear those little just stocking feet things. Still not 100% smell free, but mush much better!
And this is the reason I never wear shoes with bare feet (unless they’re the kind of super-open sandals with suedey insoles. ick. :)
I wear nylons with mine, and it seems to help some. Plus it keeps my feet from getting clamy. In the warmer months I sprinkle some baby powder in them to keep the sweat to a minimum.
Good luck on your quest for un-smelly feet!
ooohhh me too. I love my flats, and I threw away my favorite pair a few months ago because the reek just wouldn’t go away. I never have had smelly feet or shoes before and I just couldn’t hack it. I’m definitely going to try some of those terry cloth inserts.
I am not generally a flats-wearer, but happen to have purchased two pairs within the past year that I love. The problem is, of course, the resulting stank. I have to plan outfits (and hence shoe suitability) well in advance of going places, because as I know so many people with babies/toddlers, they don’t allow shoes in their homes. Suuuuucks for someone with foot smell nastiness going on.
I use some kind of Dr Scholl foot spray, but I think the damage is already done in the shoes because they still totally smell. Next time I get a pair of flats I am besieging them with foot/shoe spray from the outset to prevent this plague from occurring again.
Good luck on getting an answer. Cute shoes too!
I’ve heard (though, never tested) that if you put stinky shoes in the freezer overnight (in a ziplock, of course), it gets rid of the smell.
I also sometimes use aerosol deodorant on my feet … but I can’t tell if it helps. I’ll have to do a one-foot test someday!
Yeah, I have had to throw away a pair of flats before!
They are all that I really wear most of the time.
Tea tree oil soap really seems to help. Maybe even
a moisturizer with tea tree oil in it as well.
wow… totally reminds me of the time that one girl told me to put my shoes back on. painful memories dude!
Oh, so glad to hear that other people have this problem, too! I have almost the same pair of flats as you, but I tend to avoid them because of the feet stank. I’m heading right to Aldo at lunch to find those terry cloth inserts!
Baby powder… it’s not just for butts anymore. And it absorbs the sweat so your feet don’t feel all sticky and slippery in the shoe. Shake some in before you put it on, and also at the end of the day when you take them off. Baby powder is also good in the summer (especially when you’re pregnant) for the underboob and thigh areas that get sweaty and chafey.
Very cute shoes, by the way!
This will not be a popular suggestion–but something I read said to alternate shoes to let them dry out completely before wearing them. Maybe buy an identical pair and alternate every day?
Wow, I wondered what that smell was wafting down from Canada. J/K :)
Yes, it’s just the way of the world. I use Gold Bond, however I do find that the foot powers can become a little pasty after a long day on my feet. But what’s better? Pasty minty fresh feet? or Sweaty stinky feet? I choose the lesser of 2 evils.
They have those nylon things that barely cover your toes at the Wal Mart in Pen. I know because I was dealing with the same problem last year until a friend introduced me to them.
And apparently for foul smelling feet in general, you’re supposed to soak them in tea. This is according to Oprah’s Dr Oz. I’ll be trying that one day, too.
I have not read any previous comments, so I don’t know if anyone already suggested these. As queen of the sweaty foot club, I can relate. I don’t tend to spend that much on shoes because
A- I get sick of them every year
B- I have sweaty feet and don’t wear shoes after they stink
C- I don’t have a money tree.
Here is the thing. You can actually put deodorant on your feet. BUTTTTTT you have to do it from day one. You can not bring a dead shoe back to life…but you can keep a new shoe perfectly lovely. You may have to purchase another pair of those lovely black flats and treat them to the sweet wonder of deodorant feet.
So, I think the reason the feet stink is that the shoe is imbedded with the sweaty/stanky.
There are these things called “stinky pinkies” or something like that. Basically, they sit in your shoes and absorb the smell out of them. They are shoe-shaped (duh) and have volcanic rock in them.
I know they work because my God you could have killed entire nations with the stink of my brother’s sneakers (which he wore every day) and the stinky pinkies actually negated the smell!
After getting rid of the shoe smell, I would go the ped/baby powder route and still use the shoe inserts after every wear.
I have the same problem – blogged about it once too. If you discover a miracle cure, please. You’d be doing a favor for all mankind!
LOVE YOUR SHOES. I have a pair of flats that I even wear in Saskatchewan winters. My feet freeze, but hey- at least I look good :)
Hi! Im officially delurking! I found you through links of friends of friends and so on…. Anyways, I was having the same problem, and someone suggested a putting Bounce Dryer Sheets in them , that way, it absorbs the moisture and makes your feet smell fresh :)
baby powder baby powder baby powder.
I don’t know what to do about the foot odor thing, but it looks like that has been covered already.
I have a question for you about fashion… my place of employment came out with a new dress code this last week. They said capri pants are okay (yay!) but… wait for it… the bare part of your leg must be shaved (haha!) and you must be able to see socks sticking out of your shoes. Is it possible to wear socks with capri pants to work (or anywhere) and not look like a dork? If so, what would type of shoes and socks would you wear? Because I cannot picture it.
I’ve tried baby powder…makes your shoes really slippery and your feet nasty looking when you remove your shoes.
Try a natural deodorant on your feet. Lush’s aromacream ROCKS! It won’t stop the sweat, but will stop the stink. Or use antiperspirant, which will stop most of the sweat and the stink.
Next, throw your shoes in the wash. Then go and grab some charcoal inserts for your shoes. Dr. Scholl’s has one. You can find it at most drug stores or Walmart. Hopefully the combination of the two will remove most of the stink and the deodorant or antiperspirant you use on your feet will keep them from stinking again!
Good luck in your stinky feet adventures!
sorry to say but if your feet are anything like mine…NOTHTING works. I’ve tried all the above suggestions.
I do stick to genuine leather and I do use cloth inserts when possible. Mostly I just don’t wear shoes that don’t breathe.
Good luck!
Wow, did you think coming out of the stinky feet closet would elicit such a united response? Good for you! Paving the way for all of us.
I can say that with confidence because I took my shoes off the other night to lounge with a cup of tea, a bowl of ice cream and a decent book of fiction, and I had to get up 2 times to move my shoes farther and farther from my vicinity so that I could enjoy all of my comforts. I was humiliated, even though I was alone.
Question: doesn’t deoderant on your feet make them slimy?
This is something I too suffer with, thanks for coming out into the open so all us stinkifeets can use the advice in the comments! My husband once bought me a big jar of peppermint foot scrub as a not-so-subtle hint about the state of my feet at the end of the day! Unfortunately I have had to throw away perfectly gorgeous flats for the same reason, once the stink permeated them I couldn’t get rid of it. Blah.
I was at Subway buying lunch today and the girl in front of me was wearing ballet shoes…with socks! I immediately thought “Amanda would never do that!” :)
She did look very silly with the socks…I’d much rather go with the stinky feet.
I think I’ll go buy some ballet flats on clearance.
I do this with my gym shoes and it helps… Wad up some newspaper and stuff your shoes with it when you take them off. It helps to absorb any moisture and neutralize the odor.
As for the stench whilst wearing said shoes… Gap makes “not socks” still and I have a pair in nude… For some flats it works but for those that are cut lower you can see it a bit.
You can swab your feet with tea tree oil and there are lines of foot care products (night creams) that contain tea tree oil. It is supposed to help with the odor, I believe it is has antibacterial qualities. I have it in a Kiehl’s astringent that did wonders fighting zits.
I HAVE your solution! Go to Aldo shoes and get their Terry Cloth shoe inserts. You can wash them in the washing machine. I wear flats ALL the time too – and my feet no-stinky with these. :) Hope this helps! (have to buy shoes a size bigger to fit terry insole sometimes)
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