Help with Stinky Feet.

This may sound strange, but I just read in a German calendar about this exact same problem! They said to put kitty litter in the shoes, and let them sit overnight. The next morning, dump out the cat litter and the shoes should smell better! I guess the cat litter absorbs the smell. Good luck to you!

The most important thing that I have found with shoes, especially those athletic shoes is to keep them dry on the inside. That means that the kid can't wear the same shoes every day or they won't get a chance to really dry out. I also use a thing called Shoe dogs for my daughter's ballet shoes when she is not wearing them. I make little bags full of cedar chips out of cloth and stuff them in to help the shoes dry and stay odor free. Dr. Schols foot powder can also help as well as a change of socks daily.

H.

We had this problem with my hubby's feet. He's in the Army and has to wear the same pair of boots daily with them nice and sweaty. Ewww. We tried everything known to mankind! What we found that worked...

Soak his feet in VERY strong tea (Lipton's worked just fine) and vinegar, enough to cover the bottom of his feet and toes.

Goldbond foot powder, the kind in the blue and yellow bottle. (We tried every brand in every formula!)

Only COTTON socks!

It took a few soaks and a few weeks of powder, but his feet aren't an issue anymore, but an occasional day here or there.

Hope this helps! Good luck!!!

K.

Ok... So reading this made me actually laugh out loud. Not because I think it is funny, but because we had the exact same problem with our 12 year old. This is how we solved it:

1. I washed the stinky shoes in the washer with vinegar
2. We bought him 2 more pairs of shoes.
3. We made him start to wash his feet first thing in
the morning and again before bed.
4. We make him use a foot powder after each washing as
well as an anti-fungal treatment.(stinky feet are often
caused by a foot fungus per his pediatrician)
5. No socks to bed
6. He needs to alternate the 3 pairs of shoes: as soon as
he takes them off for the day, he puts some of the foot
powder in them and lets them air out for 2 days, until
they rotate back into use; each pair for only one day at
a time.

This has almost completely solved the problem. We thought it was our imagination that his feet, shoes and room were smelly - and I mean SMELLY like, keep the door shut or the people across the street will suffocate! until our neighbor said that he stunk up thier house when he took his shoes off over there. (How embarrassing!!!)

Hope this helps.

when my dad was a kid (in the 40's) he shared a room and they used to put his shoes outside their window on the porch roof so they could sleep at night.
it would be helpful to have him alternate wearing different pairs of shoes (even if it's another pair exactly the same). air them out immediately after wearing them every time, best to do that outside in fresh moving air. don't leave them in the gym bag or in a trapped space while damp. Replacing the insoles w/ those charcoal deodorizer ones frequently will also help some.

You have received some great advice and sugestions so far. What is his diet like? Is he encouraging a yeast infection on his feet? I would make sure he is eating healthy meals and eating yogurt. Also does he have atheletes foot? If so that will need to be cleared up first.

First, this might be too obvious, but does he wash his feet daily and wear clean socks everyday? I know that teenage boys aren't the best with hygiene so I wanted to put that out there first.

The smell is caused by bacteria that likes damp, dark places. I would have him try an antibacterial soap (only on his feet - it's not good to use antibacterial soap on your entire body regularly). I wonder if using vinegar on his feet (and then rinse it off) would help any. Also, have him sprinkle baking soda in his shoes daily.

Next, if it's at all possible, I would have him switch off wearing a pair of shoes daily. So, only wear the same pair of shoes every other day so they can dry out completely. I don't know if he has two pairs of shoes, but if so, have him switch off. If not, could you afford a pair from Payless, Target, Marshall's, etc? We've gotten many shoes that look good and are comfortable for about $20. They don't last as long as better shoes, but he's still growing and will be wearing them half of the time so maybe that would work. :-)

Also, I saw Dr. Oz on Oprah talk about soaking really stinky feet in tea (assuming there's no fungus or athletes foot that needs to be treated). Here's the info I found:
He said that you should look in between your toes for any sign of infection, and on the bottom of your feet too. If you have a bacterial infection you will have tiny pin holes on the bottom of your feet or a white coating (and you need to have this treated). He suggested that if you don’t have bacterial infection present, you can slow down your sweat on your feet by soaking them in tea bag water. The tea water will create a tannic acid that when soaked in it on a regular basis will dry out the feet and will slow down the sweating process. Less sweat results in less chances of having a smelly foot.

I hope you'll find your solution. We were having the same problem with my husband's shoes and I know it took awhile to clear up the stank.

I had a horrible stinky feet problem a few years ago. It's bad when your feet get hot and you can smell them from under your desk!
I began using foot spray, got rid of ALL my shoes, bought only shoes that were leather or could breathe well, then soaked my feet in Listerine at least once a day. I used the old fashioned yellow Listerine, it kills bacteria. I also made sure I had enough shoes so that each pair had at least 2 days to dry out before I wore them again. I also used odor eater powder in them to help with the sweat. I now only wear leather shoes and change shoes frequently. I don't have to soak them daily anymore.
My brother had a similar problem when he was a teen. We were on vacation in Canada and tied his shoes to the bumper of the car because they were so bad! It was interesting trying to explain that to the customs agents when we tried to come back home!
Good Luck and it probably won't last forever, my brother out grew his stinky feet when his hormones calmed down.

You already got some great suggestions. I would add that, if the shoes are washable, you can wash them in a mild bleach or vinegar (white vinegar) solution, or try using borax.
If they are not machine washable a little baking soda sprinkled in the shoes might help.

He really should have several pairs (at least two) that he can alternate and he should take his shoes off as soon as he comes home and change his socks as well.

Stinky feet and body oder issues are pretty common when teens enter puberty - it's the haywire hormones that make things worse. It will probably even out in a little while.

We had 3 sons playing soccer year around...talk about smell..our youngest son was the worst. Our PA recommended having him soak his feet in bleach water. We put about a cup of bleach in the bath tub and filled it up with 2 or so sinches of water and he soaked his feet. Believe it or not the smell went away! We did buy new shoes when we did this because that smell does NOT go away. It is worth a try and pretty cheap! Good luck

J.,
My dad has the worst smelling feet in the universe. My sister coined the phrase in our home "Cheese Feet". Unfortunately my two sons also take after my dad.

What my husband and I discovered is that there were two things that may cause the odor. The first is beef. Yes, beef. My husband, myself and our boys are beef intolerent. The three of them consume beef occasionally and when they do, their feet, socks and shoes are unbearable. They can clear out a town. The second thing is the shoe. We have tried the Sketchers airsoles, Nike, Merell, etc, all with no result. In my opinion there is no way to get the odor out of the shoes. We have found that the cheap shoes smell the worst.

Now, our boys are sooo much younger than your son (5&8), but the foot issue is the same. We purchase Geox and Saucony brand shoes. My suggestion is to contact these companies and find out if they make shoes for older boys like your son.

I know how frustrating it is to get shoes, not to mention the costs involved. We still have to deal with the stinky feet during baseball and soccer season because we are at the mercy of the manufacturers of the cleats, but my solution to that is I put the shoes on a drying tree made for shoes and set that on a register. The circulating air dries them out quickly and they smell less offensive.

I wish you lots of luck with the battle of the "Cheese Feet"

hi jokal, iam a mother and grandmother and greatgrandma.here iswhat i used to do. take arm and hammer baking soda and sprinkle it inside his shoes every morning and evening. also have him wash his feet good and change his shoes alternately if he can.and wear clean socks every day. baking soda is good for cleaning and also removes odors from your refrigertor.good luck. granny.

Hi! My husband had the same problem, so our doctor told him to get off all wheat. And it worked! No more smelly feet!! Hope that helps. :)

Hi J.,
After making sure your son doesn't have Athlete's foot (fungal skin infection), you can try soaking his feet in a warm solution of black tea every night (20-30 minutes). Make regular hot tea, then cool if off enough for feet not to get burned. The tannins in the tea will shrink the sweat pores to stop the profuse sweating. I've learned this trick on the Oprah show from Dr. Oz. You will probably have to get new shoes. Good luck!

Ok, here are some really inexpensive tricks that really work. First, sprinkle a good amount of baking soda in the shoes each night, and have him dump it out in the morning. You should only have to do this for about a week, and all odors should be removed from the shoes. Now for the feet, have him soak his feet in a tub that you have added either about 1/4 cup of bleach to. Or you can use about 1/3 of a bottle of hydrogen peroxide to the water. I have also heard of using white vinegar in the water (my least favorite, because of the smell of vinegar in the house). But, all of these work, and are natural and actually remove the cause of the odor, instead of trying to cover it up. It also helps to put vinegar in the rinse cycle of your washer when washing his socks.

I have battled with stinky feet my entire life and I was like your son, the traditional sprays did not work. I finally found something that does work. It is kinda funny. My company sells a product called Silky Sheets. It is a talc based spray powder that is scented. I spray it in my shoes and on my feet before I put socks on. It absorbs the sweat, therefore bypassing the smell problem all together. If you would like to buy a bottle to try, just let me know. My business number is under local business reviews, Athena's by T..

I would check with the doctor to see if he has some sort of athlete's feet. It can really make the shoes stink and past on the condition. And if your son does have athlete's feet you probably have to consider new shoes for all his activities.

Good luck!

We used to put baking soda in my little brother's shoes after sports functions. Then after they sat overnight, we'd wipe the baking soda out. It absorbs the smell and takes it out with it.

Hello,

I don't know if I can be much help - but my 4 year old daughter had the worst smelling feet when she started to hate socks and was wearing her shoes without socks. Oh my golly, I didn't know a 4 year's feet could smell - but they did - I washed her shoes and made her start wearing socks and it has gotten better. She needs something to combat the oder. I also wash all my whites (my husband can have bad BO) in bleach. I even made my husband use only white towels because believe it or not he stank right after a shower too. Don't know if I helped much - but there you go - socks may help if he doesn't wear them already.

Positively,
M.

I feel your pain! My 23 yr. old step son had a problem like this too for a while. It turned out to be an allergic reaction & it is much better when he is on a dairy & wheat free diet, which isn't easy to do, but our house sure smelled alot better when he would stick to his new diet & we could all tell when he had "fallen off the diet wagon". Something to look into...

Otherwise I would suggest that he keep his shoes in the garage - not in his room & change his socks two to three times a day when possible. Make sure none of his stinky socks are just hanging out in his room rotting, but get washed quickly. He also shouldn't wear the same shoes all the time, but have a couple pairs that he can rotate. He should also apply spray deodorant/antiperspirant to his feet each morning & after each shower. We also had to ask our step son to wash his feet in the evening if we were all setting in the same room like while watching TV.

Hope something helps!

Make him a black tea foot soak. It will clear it up. Take about 6 tea bags to a gallon of hot water. Steep tea bags until water has cooled off a bit. Have him soak his feet for about 15-20 minutes. If not on the first try, have him do this a couple times a week. Don't spend a lot of $ on the tea. Cheap old Lipton black tea works just fine. Good luck!

I have successfully washed athletic style shoes even when part of them is leather. Air dry them. Wash them before they get so stinky.

I agree. He needs 2 pairs of shoes and they should either be ventilated as most athletic shoes are or made of leather. Man made material does not let the feet "breathe" and sweat builds up and begins to stink.

I have bought good quality athletic shoes, such as Sketchers, at Fred Meyer when they take an additional 40-50% off of clearance shoes for $12 or so.

I would use an anti-persperant on his feet. He should wash his feet every day and always put on clean cotton socks daily. There is a prescription medication that will lessen the sweating if the anti-persperant doesn't work.

Before we had indoor plumbing my mother washed our feet in a pan. Now I wash my granddaughter's feet after a barefoot day by having her sit on the edge of the tub while putting her feet under the running water. Because of your son's problem he should use an anti-bacterial soap and a wash cloth (for the friction that helps the soap and water get into the "cracks and crannies") every day. Does he physically wash his feet when he bathes or showers or does he expect the water to be enough? Scubbing the feet is important.

Hello! I didn't read all the responses and you have gotten some great advice already however I thought I'd add our family's two cents. My husband's father is a doctor and he always had my husband put powdered boric acid in their stinky shoes growing up. You can get it at Bartells or other drug stores. It costs around $10 for a bottle and you don't need to sprinkle very much in the shoes at all...just a little and move the shoe to spread it all over the inside sole. It really works well! I also liked the idea of having more than one shoe option so that he can rotate wear and allow for the shoes (& his feet!) to get a break. When you buy shoes, they may give you a discount if you buy more than one pair. Good luck!

Please check to see if there is any rubber content in the construction of his shoes. Shoes made with rubber anywhere in them stunk very badly in the old days. These are generally cheaper shoes, but not worth it.

I have to agree with a couple of the other responses, cheap shoes seem to be a huge source of smelly feet. I bought a pair of cheap boots for my five year old daughter and after a while there was such a horrible smell coming from them...I couldn't believe this could happen to a five year old girl! Cheap shoes contain plastic and rubber which essentially hold sweat in and start bacteria growth! Leather shoes are better. However, I think all teenagers go through this too...especially boys! I can still remember wanting to leave the room when my brother took off his shoes in his teen years!

Good luck!
Stephanie

Oh my goodness!! My daughter had this same problem when she was younger. She's now almost 19. We discovered in was the cheap shoes we were buying her. I guess the makeup of some just don't mix with the cheaper shoes. She has now out grown it and can where shoes from Payless now.

Good Morning! Well there might be two problems. First what type of shoes does he have? I know this may sound bad but if they are cheap shoes that might be the problem. Also he might have fungus that causes his feet to sweat. Which will stink. I guess I lied I have another reason he also may not dry his feet all the way between his toes. I hope this helps!

Good Morning! I know my husband used to have the same problem when someone recommended white socks only. It worked!! With the price of things these days it's not easy to keep buying shoes. If they're tennis shoes run them thru the washing machine but don't put them in the dryer.

Good luck!

T. H

Whenever something smells, there is something growing (bacteria). I have heard and tried this myself. Get a bottle of the Shaklee Basic G (Item #00525) and follow the directions on the bottle to mix the germicide. Soak the shoes if they can be emmersed in water in the Basic G solution for 15-20 minutes then throw in the washer. If they can not be emmersed spray the inside with Basic G. Spray the tub and everywhere your son has walked also and spray the tub and tile every day. You can put baking soda in the shoes and remove every day and put new baking soda in every day also. Then get the Herbal Blend Multi-Purpose Cream by Shaklee (unavailable at this time should be available soon). You can e-mail me if you would like further information if you choose. Hope this helps. E.

An inexpensive quick fix is to sprinkle baby powder in the shoes and then set them outside to air out if you can. :)

My God-son had this issue as a young teen- and his Mom was just as frazzled. Try the shoe inserts called ( I think) Odor eaters - they look like a second liner for the shoe - you could also ( I know- I know- expensive) have 2 pairs and be sure that it's 24 hours ''off'' for each set - and when the shoes are not being worn- fill them with clean cat litter- it will help dry them out AND absorb the smell--

Blessings,
J.

One thing is to put balls of newspaper in them. the other is to keep them in the garage or outside to air out and keep the inside from stinking....another thought is baking soda to absorb sweat and odor...

Toss those stinky shoes in the wash!! After they come out and are dry, dump some baking soda underneath the insert thingy. Another good option is to make sure he has two pairs of shoes he can wear for everyday use. If he can alternate and give each pair a day off, that will give them a better chance to air out and let some of the stink bacteria die. Good luck!

I learned from a friend to clean out the smell from shoes:

Put shoes into a plastic bag, and then into another one to double bag it. Ziploc works great. Put the shoes in the freezer for 48 hours. This kills all the bacteria that causes bad odors. I have done this with several pairs and it works well.

For the feet, the black tea soak recommended below works wonderfully.

Good luck!

I have a health and wellness business, and we have a product that could help your stinky shoes. email me at ____@____.com

C.

I checked out a website and this is what it had to say..

....Reducing the level of bacteria is really a matter of cleanliness. To control the bacteria population on you feet, you should:
wash your feet with strong anti-bacterial soap
wear clean socks
don't wear the same shoes everyday - give a pair of shoes 24 hours or more to air out before wearing them again
To reduce the amount of sweat that collects in your shoes, you should:
wear well-ventilated shoes instead of very constrictive shoes, such as boots
always wear socks, preferably made of cotton or other absorbent materials that absorb a lot of the sweat so the bacteria can't feed on it
change your socks a few times a day
buy some absorbent Odor-Eater type shoe inserts
apply an antiperspirant to your feet
If your foot odor is really bad and these solutions don't help much, then you should see a doctor. There are a number of prescription drugs that can treat serious foot odor, some by killing bacteria and some by reducing foot sweat.­­...

The ideas seem good and practical to me and if they don't work, then maybe you should take him to a foot doctor. I'm sure there have a perscription of some sort to help this.

My brother had this problem as a teen and used Odor Eaters insoles. My dad used to spray his shoes with Lysol sometimes, but he also had some kind of deodorizing drops (2 drops in each shoe) that really worked well. You might also reduce the smell by having him avoid eating foods and spices that are excreted through sweat glands like garlic, onions, mustard, etc. I've also heard that vitamin/mineral deficiencies can cause body odors, so make sure your son takes a daily multivitamin (couldn't hurt).

J. - First of all, let me say that I am the older sister of 4 boys. ALL of them seemed to have (or still have) the foot funk. PHEW!
I was watching Dr. Oz one day on TV (I think he was on Oprah) and this girl (early 20's) had the exact same problem! Her roommates were saying the same thing about her nauseous feet.
He suggested her soaking them in some kind of Tea! I don't know what kind it was, but I am sure that you could find it somewhere on the internet. I just don't have the time to look. But, the show interviewed her later and she said that it worked.
Other than that, all the things that were posted below me should help as well. My feet smell too, sometimes it's crazy! But, I put my shoes in the bathroom and immediately wash my feet.
Good Luck, I know how awful it is.
L.

welcome to a new stage of life raising a boy, i had two of them and know where your coming from. try a sock of baking soda in each shoe, and keep them outside or in garage. not just his to not single him out but all shoes go in garage, next buy lotrim powder to sprinkle in shoes . this is a fungle problem. a little on the feet, clean socks , maybe twice a day, sorry mom this may require a second pair of shoes, so they can be rotated. good luck and hang in there. [ maybe you could also use a sock of kitty litter,cheaper too]

First of all tackle the problem at the source, his feet. Make sure that he bathes every day and dries his feet well. The socks he wears should be thick, white cotton socks. Have his dust his feet with baking soda before he puts his feet in his socks. When you do his laundry, wash the socks in hot water, bleach with the detergent in the wash cycle, double rinse, and during the first rinse pour in a quarter cup of white vinegar. This removes any residue left from the washing. Lush Cosmetics at Westlake Mall and Bellevue Square have a foot powder for this problem and it works really well.

Now about the shoes. They're wet, the need to dry out. If they don't they'll mold and it will become a vicious cycle of problems. So when he comes home, off with the shoes in a ventilated back porch area. Shake some baking soda in them, put get them dry. I would suggest that he wear shoes that are of a breathable material, in short, not leather. canvas will keep his feet cooler.

Does he sweat excessively anyplace else, like his arm pits or head? Taking a bath/shower every morning and evening will help with the odor and he will feel more comfortable. If it's just his feet, talk with your doctor. The original intent for botox was to help reduce over sweaty portions of skin.

Boys will be boys, and stinky gym clothes and shoes sort of goes with the territory, but proper ventilation and hygiene will help. Shoes on a hook on the back porch or in the garage with good air circulation. But get some help for the feet.

lol you sound like my mom!! my brother had terrible stinky shoes. what happens is your feet sweat and then it is the sweat that makes the stink.
So my mom's fix was she bought him new shoes and when he got home he had to take them off and put them by the wood stove to dry out. If you don't have a stove you could buy a cheep boot dryer at.. I think i bought one at Fred Meyers, but I've seen them at Big5, Joe's, Walmart etc. and i think it was under $20.
Sorry, there is no way to fix the old shoes, you should buy new ones and keep them dry. It will dramaticly help ;-)

I was told that stinky feet is a sign of athletes feet which is a fungus issue. We have always used iodine on athletes feet...it works really well and aleviates the initial problem. The shoes are a WHOLE different story. You have to spray them with Lysol as much as possible the same day that you soak the feet in iodine. The iodine treatment will have to probably happen a few times, we always did it at night before bed so the iodine had time to work overnight and we could spray the shoes without feet going into them right away. Do this for a week or so...and all should be good. Then to keep up with it, we just used spray deoderant/anti-persprent (AridXX) on the feet before we put socks and shoes on.

You may have to go back to the iodine treatment if it flares up again, but you should be able to keep it at bay for the most part. I was told by a doctor that the fungus doesn't go away, you just put it to bed. Good luck!

Stinky feet are virtually always caused by fungus and/or bacteria. My son also had this problem. Buy him a good supply of white cotton socks and have him change socks 2-3 times a day. Disinfect the socks with a mild Clorox soak before washing or with a vinegar wash. Buy shoe liners that can be washed daily, dried completely and replaced in his shoes. Another pair of shoes is good so that he can alternate shoes each day and let his shoes dry completely. Baking soda in the shoes overnight and then brushed out in the morning is good. An Epsom salt soak twice a day for the feet feels good for an athlete and helps get rid of the bug that is causing the smell. I did all of these every day until the odor was completely gone and what a relief that was! My son was also appreciative as he too noticed the odor and was embarrassed to take off his shoes.

Hi J.,

I'm afraid I have no real tips for you. My 13-year-old has the same problem, and it is not good. I'm going to check out the suggestions you get to see if there is anything there that we may try. Also, I think you hit it perfectly by describing it as "nasal suicide". Ha! Thank you!