Hi, with summer and sandals, I'm noticing that either my feet or sandals smell. I've washed the sandals but after wearing them for a while and my feet sweating, they smell like urine (sorry, gross!). I put white feet/shoe powder that is supposed to absorb odor in the morning before I leave home but by late morning that seems to lose effectiveness. I can't put too much on either because they are sandals and they show.
Any suggestions for what I can do? I get self conscious when we have to have meetings in small room etc. Thanks!
Hi, thank you SOOOO MUCH for all of your very practical suggestions!
I have started soaking my feet in tea (did for a week already so I'm taking a break today. I started using spray anti-perspirant(Naturally Fresh sounds great too. I'll look for it at a local supplement/natural food store). I've ordered a couple of pairs of new sandals so I can ditch the old ones or increase the sandals in rotation. I saw many sandals whose footbeds were made of cushy materials - looked like something that might absorb sweat and get soggy. I had to order one that had footbeds like that since it's the end of sandal sale season and I didn't find much I liked in my size. Hopefully they aren't too bad (I'm sure they're comfortable).
I appreciate your other ideas too. I'll try them one by one. Thanks!
Seriously, I would toss the sandals.
I'll bet they have man-made materials.
Try some shoes with all leather uppers. (Although I had ll leather Clarks clogs that STANK when I was pregnant. I had to throw them away.)
I think once shoes "stink" they'll never be completely odor free.
Give yourself a do-over!
Soak your feet in tea at night. In the morning spray your feet with antiperspirant.
You lose a lot of sweat from your feet every day, and it can get into the crevices.
Alternate shoes so it is not just the same 2 pairs all summer, make sure they get to dry out in between the time you wear them.
Leather sandals are better than plastic or rubber also.
Yes, I second the advice to soak your feet in tea. Brew some tea, let it cool, then soak your feet in it for about 30 minutes. The tannins in the tea help to stop the stinky smell. Then ditch the sandals and start new :/
Also, you may have to do the tea thing every night for a while.
GL! :)
Try using a spray deodarant (for underarms) on your feet.
If you were shoes of any kind that are made with any synthetic material, they do not breath, so the sweat will not be able to dry and will make your feet smell. It can also lead to Athletes Foot.
You refer to "the" sandals -- is it just one pair that you're wearing over and over? Be sure to take a break and change to different shoes each day. Buy other sandals if you really want to wear sandals daily--don't keep wearing the same pair. If you try the things suggested like baking soda and rolled-up newspapers, both of which are helpful, you may need to get rid of this pair if the smell doesn't come out after you try those things.
Be sure to get sandals made of natural materials (leather, canvas, etc.) and not plastic or fake versions of leather. You'll have to pay more for natural materials but they're worth it. If you try things like a spray-on deodorant for your feet etc. and still have odor, see a doctor to see if you need treatment for excessive sweating.
It not your feet it is the sandals, some sandals as well as clothing are made out of poor material that actually make your feet smell.
You can soak your feet in left over tea bags, you can rub lemons on your feet every day also work for under arms.
Get rid of the sandals and opt for leather or ones from k-mart never had a problem with those.
Put baking soda on the sandals when you're not wearing them, then roll up newspaper and put that inside. I've also heard puttng them in the freezer helps. Make sure your feet are totally dry after washing them. It may also be time to start fresh with a new pair of sandals if they smell that bad.
An antiperspirant can help a lot.
By keeping the sweat down, it slows down bacterial/fungal growth - which should help keep the smell down.
Soaking your feet in warm water with Epsom salts and some vinegar should help reduce some of the bacteria.
Exfoliate dead/dry skin (bacteria just feeds off it).
Rotate shoe/sandals that you wear so that they can dry out completely before you wear them again.
Control the moisture and you should be able to control the smell.
Along with the other suggestions, how about a pair of sandals in the office for meetings only? That way you slip your feet into some cool comfy sandals and having the meeting without worrying about smell. Once the meeting is over, chaneg back into your other sandals.
You will have to buy more than two pairs of sandals for this to work. One to wear, one to change into at office and one to dry out.
Good luck and do make sure that the uppers are all leather. Spend the money so that you don't smell. Leather sandals last longer than the man-made plastic things.
The other S.
Wash your feet with dial everyday. This should help and wash all the foot towels in hot water.
