9 Cleaning Hacks That Will Stop Stinky Shoe Odors in Their Tracks!

Embarrassed by the nasty aroma coming from your favorite sneakers? Check out these 9 great cleaning hacks to reduce shoe odors!

As much as we don’t want to admit it, I think we can all use cleaning hacks to reduce shoe odors in our lives! Stinky feet are just a fact of life when they spend an entire day confined to a shoe. It doesn’t matter how much you clean your feet or how many scented lotions you lather on them, if your feet sweat, you’re going to end up with stinky shoes. Check out our favorite cleaning hacks to reduce shoe odors!

Related: 7 Laundry Hacks That Will Save Your Life (or At Least Your Time!)

Cleaning Hacks to Reduce Shoe Odors

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Baking Soda

Baking soda is not just great for helping you clean your house but it also helps to reduce shoe odors. It absorbs stains, odors, and moisture. Just throw a tablespoon in each shoe and spread it well. Leave it overnight and by morning you’ll notice a difference in smell.

Powder

Powders like baby powder or talcum powder work just the same way as baking soda does. They absorb moisture and therefore helps lose the smell. There’s a bit of controversy surrounding talcum powder right now, but for the purpose of reducing shoe odors, you’re not really putting it on your skin (unless you go barefoot). If you are planning to go barefoot in the shoes you’re deodorizing, you can always opt for a talc-free powder.

Sage and Lavender

Two plants that work well together to eliminate odor. Put the sage leaves and lavender sprigs in each show and then leave them outside so the fresh air will help eliminate the smell. You can easily grow these plants yourself. Check out our post on how to plant your own windowsill herb garden to learn how!

Orange, Lemon or Grapefruit Peels

Not really a green-thumb type? No worries! You can eat healthy and reduce shoe odors at the same time with this tip! Never throw away the peels from your oranges, lemons or grapefruits, especially if you have smelly shoes. Just stick the peels in the shoes and leave it overnight. Orange peels are my favorite to use!

Tea Tree Essential Oil

It can be found in health food stores or online at Amazon. Put a few drops in the insoles of the shoes twice a week so the odor and bacteria will go away. Tea tree oil is useful for so many things, so you won’t be wasting your money by buying a bottle to have on hand.

Freeze Your Shoes

It may sound weird but it really works. Put your shoes in a polythene bag and leave them in the freezer overnight. The cold will kill the bacteria and the smell will be gone by morning.

Sunning Your Shoes

Put your shoes outside where they can catch the sunlight. The sunlight will kill the bacteria that is making your shoes smell. Heat always kills bacteria, remember that.

Rub Some Rubbing Alcohol

If your shoes are not washable use rubbing alcohol to clean the soles. Use cotton buds and rub the alcohol inside the shoes. Not only will it clean them but get rid of the nasty smell.

Fabric Softener or Dryer Sheets

They work great for making your clothes smell nice, so why not for your shoes too? Take a drier sheet and ball it up. Leave it in your shoe or shoes. If you need to put two in your shoes just in case. You can pick up some fantastic natural fabric softener sheets on Amazon that smell amazing.

These nine cleaning hacks to reduce shoe odors will have your favorite sneakers smelling like new again in no time. Well, maybe not like new, but at least you won’t have stinky feet! For more great life hacks, check out our tips on saving time with rubber band hacks and hacks to save your damaged clothes!

Do you have any favorite cleaning hacks to reduce shoe odors? Share them with us in the comments!

6 thoughts on “9 Cleaning Hacks That Will Stop Stinky Shoe Odors in Their Tracks!”

  1. Lawrence Hamilton

    Baking Soda is old school. And surprisingly effective. The dryer sheets, I’m going to try that one after another one of my Basketball excursions.

  2. Elizabeth Matthiesen

    Some good tips here, thanks for sharing. I also just read that used coffee grinds are good for deodorising too.

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