Embarrasing question
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive December 2007:
Embarrasing question
This is kinda embarrasing but I need your help. My feet stink. I mean they really stink. Even I can't stand the smell of them. Any suggestions on what I can do? Yes, I do bathe incase you were wondering.
Your shoes are probably the culprit. Your feet may not be able to get enough ventilation. Try using a foot powder in your shoes, even baking soda, to absorb moisture. Also buy those pads that go into your shoes that absorb moisture. Try to let your feet "breathe" during the day.
Another tip, don't wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row, let them completely "air out" in between wearings. And make sure you dry your feet completely before putting them in shoes or in socks.
To add to Annie's post... What kind of shoes are you wearing? Personally, I can't wear any shoes that are vinyl or of manmade materials, because my feet sweat terribly and then get smelly. I don't have that problem with leather shoes, or shoes that are made of materials that can breathe.
You could also have very dry feet or possibly some kind of fungal thing going on. Ditto everyone. Try a pedicure, a good medicated powder and a foot lotion every day.
Ame
another thing that works is to use listerine put it on a cotton ball and wipe your feet with this. Hubby had the same thing and I bought a big jug of it and he used it twice a day and it worked. he to this day don't have a feet odor.
Your sweat isn't the culprit. It is the bacteria that grows in nice dark warm moist areas--i.e. arm pits, feet, ect. Use an antibacteria hand sanitizer or the listerine has antibacterial qualities. Another thing you can do is soak your feet in tea. (Saw the tea one on Oprah with Dr. Oz--I've recommended the other with great results). Good Luck.
Thanks for all the great tips everyone. I wear leather shoes..Clarks now but I was wearing a vinyl pair about 2 months ago.
If it is a fungus of some sort, will the listerine idea get rid of that. I'm off to the store today to get some listerine and cotton balls.
Is it regular tea? Do you cool it first or use as hot as your feet can stand?
Marie, does hubby still do this twice a day or did he did it for a while and then was able to stop?
So....on this note, another stinky foot/shoe question:
We bought new Keens for our trip. After a couple wearings, we noticed they STINK!!! I mean, *leave-them-across-the-room* stink. You can only imagine what they smelled like by the end of the cruise. Granted, we were wearing them every single day, but the odor coming from them (and our feet, when we took them off!) was nauseating, at least to me it was. I actually made DH leave his on the balcony in Key West, and we wrapped them in garbage bags to pack them. That is just how bad they smell.
So, can I risk throwing them in the wash? They have leather on them, but they are waterproof shoes, and not cheap ones, I might add. At this point I will do anything to salvage them. They are filthy too, inside and out, after 10 days of hiking/getting wet/collecting sand, etc. I was going to throw them in the washing machine and let them air dry in the sun. Is that not a good thing to do?
Karen, on the Keen site it says to wash them with a small amount of detergent on the gentle cycle and air dry.
Keen Footwear-FAQs
Paula, Isopropyl alcohol, rubbing alcohol - Fill a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and spray down the insides of your smelly sneakers. Spraying down the insides of your sneakers with alcohol kills odor-causing bacteria and completely dries them out. Allow to dry over night before wearing.
Fabric softener sheets - When not wearing your shoes, place any brand (including store brand) fabric softener sheet into each shoe. You may have to experiment with different brands to find a fragrance you like, because your closet will also smell like the fabric softener sheets, which you have to admit is better than smelling like stinky feet. These also make nice drawer fresheners.
You can also place an un-used tea bag in each shoe, yes an un-used tea bag.
Soak your feet in a basin filled with tea. Simply let a couple of tea bags steep in warm water for a few minutes, then soak smelly feet. Give it another few minutes. The tannin that in the tea bags is supposed to kill off bacteria.
You can also use mouth wash or antibacterial soap on a cotton ball on your feet.
The smell comes from bacteria, shoes are a prime place for growth. Dark, wet, limited fresh air.. Most odors on the feet come from the toe area.
If you are not wearing socks, that could be causing the issue. When going sockless in shoes, body oils and sweat accumulate inside the shoe lining causing bacteria to grow and thus producing smelly shoes and feet. It can also be a reaction to your feet with the dye in the socks if they are colored. Nylon and polyester socks will make your feet sweat. Try 100% cotton or socks made with acrylic fiber.
This will sound odd, however, if the issue is sweaty feet you can put antiperspirant on your feet. The active ingredient, aluminum hydroxide, keeps your feet from sweating. You rub it on before putting on your socks.
Bobbie, thanks for all of the ideas. I'm off to bed now and before I go I am going to put dryer sheets in all my shoes.
I always wear socks and these are new shoes...bought about a month ago. I do, however, wear colored socks. I can't imagine wearing white socks.
Try Sea-breeze astringent. It is like alcohol, but smells better.
Ame
Paula, since you don't want to for go the colored socks, LOL, I would just treat the symptoms and move on.
Baking powder in the shoes, or Gold Bond powder, sprinkled in at night, left to sit and shook out in the mornings will help too.. Anything that can be used to absorb the odor.
I also found this.... "To keep shoes from smelling to high heaven, place untreated charcoal (the cheap kind that is almost impossible to light) in a muslin bag, and then place inside the shoe. The charcoal will absorb the eau de stinky feet. Replace as needed." Charcoal is used to remove some serious smells and I am sure your feet can't smell that bad. LOL
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