OMG my daughter's jazz dance shoes are stinky enough to knock someone out! They are so bad they made her entire dance bag and everything in it reek! (I've told her to wear socks with her shoes but she doesn't always listen.)
So far I've tried that spray for smelly shoes and it didn't do anything. I've tried spraying Odo Ban in them, which gets rid of cat pee smell. They smell slightly better.
Any other suggestions? Thanks so much!
Thanks moms! I went out and got a mesh bag for $2 for washing delicates in and she will be keeping her dance shoes in that from now on.
I tried vinegar and tea tree oil and also freezing the shoes but that didn't work. Febreeze Sport Extreme Odor Eliminator seems to have done the trick so far! I doused the shoes in that on the inside and outside and so far that moldy corn chips smell seems to have disappeared. Once the shoes dry I'll let you know if it's gone for good!
There are products that runners use, you can get them at any good running shop. I'm not sure of all the names but they are able to pull the sweaty smell out of leather running shoes.
baking soda and a day in direct sunlight to let them air out and freshen up! Hope that helps! :)
Use a mesh bag to carry the shoes in instead of putting them in a gym bag or her regular dance bag.
Most dance stores sell these mesh shoe bags - they aren't too expensive.
Definitely a mesh bag -- you don't have to go to a dance store; ;they will overcharge! Get one from a household goods store and look for bags marketed as "delicates" wash bags, the kind you put bras into to put them in the washer. BUT then, do not ever keep that mesh bag of sweaty shoes inside her dance bag except going to and from dance - all other times it needs to be outside the bag. You also can dump plenty of baking soda into the shoes overnight every time she wears them and dump it out the next morning, though it will leave traces and she will find that "gritty" if she dances without socks; however it does absorb odor and wetness naturally. Some folks also stuff clean, dry dryer sheets into shoes when the shoes are not in use, which deodorizes them. You are right -- it is vital that she wear socks or tights when dancing in these shoes. The sweat is not just stinky; it's destroying the shoes and you'll have to buy new ones sooner. I'd tell her that if she doesn't start wearing socks every time, she is responsible for buying the next pair, or at least paying a substantial amount toward them!
Sprinkle baking soda in them and let them sit with it in there. Try having your daughter sprinkle soda in them every time she wears them too.
I've seen little bags filled with a substance that is advertised to take away odors from shoes. You put them in the toes when you're not wearing them.
