There is nothing worse than heading out in your favourite pair of shoes only to realise they have lost their store-bought freshness. However, there is no reason to be embarrassed about having smelly shoes. It’s a common problem, after all.
Long days of wearing the same pair of shoes and sweating a lot in the hot weather can make matters worse. The last thing you want is to have a ponging sweaty odour coming from your feet.
Thankfully, there are a number of ways you can help prevent this issue. Keeping your feet clean and your shoes clean and dry helps, however one sweat expert insists that leaving them out in a specific place is the golden ticket for long-lasting freshness.
‘Madame Sweat’, also known as cleaning wiz Nikitta, has become an internet sensation thanks to her handy tips and tricks. And recently, she shared her ultimate hackfor getting unpleasant smells out of footwear.
Madame Sweat said: “If you’ve thought of everything to get rid of that pungent smell in your shoes, I’ll bet that you’ve never thought of this £0 hack.”
The home and body hygiene expert, who founded Kaia Naturals skincare company, said: “According to research UV rays actually can break down the molecular structure of odour-causing bacteria. So, all you have to do is leave your shoes outside in bright, warm sunlight.”
If you are using this technique, we recommend removing the insoles and laces (if possible) to expose more surface area.
Then, place the footwear outside for a couple of hours to air them out. Make sure the shoes are not left out too long if they are made of materials that could fade or become damaged by prolonged sun exposure.
While sunlight is effective, it may not remove very strong or persistent odors entirely. For best results, combine sunlight with other cleaning methods, such as washing insoles or using baking soda.
This method doesn’t just work for shoes – as you can use this trick for other clothing items too. The hygiene expert insists that we should all be making as much use of possible of drying clothes outside as it can help disinfect your clothing.
She noted: “So if you have a stinky coat, leave it outside in the warm sunlight and let it work at breaking down that odour-causing bacteria.”
Commenting on Madame Sweat’s post, one individual said: “These are the good old days – I still hang my clothes out to dry.”
One other shared: “My parents taught us to do that since we were teenagers! We never had stinky shoes. We lived on a tropical island so lots of sunshine.”
A third remarked: “We still hang our laundry out to dry.” Meanwhile, other added: “Such a great tip, going to do this, thanks.”