Shoes smell...?

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"BLONDIE"
Sep 17, 2006
1,695
1
I think this is really gross but I have to ask...

I wear stilettos mostly and I don't wear them with nylons, etc. I find that nylons make the shoes slip right off when I'm walking and I always just wear my shoes barefoot. (Except with sneakers, I always wear socks.)

I mean, I shower every day, I don't walk around the house barefoot before I put on my heels, but I've noticed they start to smell after a while (few weeks of wearing them occasionally) and I try to clean them out but I can't get rid of them smelling. It's disgusting and embarrassing. Some girls I have class with or whom I have worked with will take their heels off and are also not wearing nylons/stockings and I don't notice anything coming from them, and my girlfriends don't wear heels but Uggs or sneakers, or heels only occasionally, or boots.

I don't have a foot problem, I know that much, but I do have a problem with this. Is there something I don't know? Sorry this is so gross.
 
If you wear your heels barefeet, you really do need to clean them after each wear. I'm a little OCD when it comes to shoe cleaning, so I clean the insides with chlorox anti-bacterial wipes twice (lemon-scented ones), place a sheet of bounce on each shoe and air them out.
During summer, I spray on anti-perspirant/deodrant on my feet and let them dry before wearing my shoes. If your feet tend to get sweaty, you might want to try this trick.

As far as current "smelly" shoes go, have you tried odor eater spray/cleaning stuff? I haven't used them so I can't vouch for their effectiveness but it's worth a try.

Oh, and this is a bit OT but if you find your tights make your feet slide out, you can always try double sided tape (they are kind of spongy) to place your feet in place.

Hope this helps.
 
Ah, thank you so much! This is really embarrassing and I'm happy to have some ideas. That sounds like it would be perfect to try-- using wipes after each wear. I am in the market for a few new pairs of shoes and I am hoping to avoid this problem I currently have. I tried to frequently wipe down my most recent pair of heels but after a while it caught up... I didn't use actual wipes though, just a cloth that I put a dab of soap on.
Thank you so much!
 
I don't usually have that problem, but I have noticed with a couple pairs of shoes they do smell, but they weren't pumps. Could it be the material the shoes are made out of? Maybe I just don't wear my shoes long enough or walk enough so that my feet sweat enough to make most shoes smell.
 
Do not feel bad or embarrased, this happens to a lot of people. I have no advice for you since I dont have this problem but LV_Forever's post is great. Everyone should do this, just to keep them free of bacteria. I am gonna start doing this too.
 
Alright, so I FINALLY tried it, using Lysol anti-bacterial wipes, they worked so well! It fixed the problem almost entirely. I wiped them thoroughly and they were instantly a lot better, and wore them to work today and they did not give me any problems when I took them off :smile:

Thanks so much!
 
I think that the material of the shoe may make a difference. My feet tend to sweat in synthetic shoes and even shoes with a leather upper but a synthetic sole. That can cause smelly shoes and feet. I don't have any problems with stinky shoes now that I have switched to leather lined/soled shoes. They are also a lot more comfortable in my opinion. They do cost more but if you can save up for one all purpose pair of basics you might never go back.