Ok, now that I just drove 200 miles today, two days in a row (long ass story. band: no rooms, needed a place to stay but also get back up on the tour.) sweating all the way (90 F) in my older chacos with a footbed pattern they since redesigned, I'm getting sweat and skin cells caught on the sandal AND my feet are rank. So I want to modify the mix I clean the shoes with: baking soda Tea Tree and peppermint oils; into a apray I can use on my feet. Water, alcohol or witch hazel are OK, alcohol being lowest in preference. Oil aside from the EOs is probably a bad idea. I think it would seal in the problem. Have YOU made body sprays or foot spray? what did you try, what worked, what did you learn? my family thanks you.
so funny that i saw this thread. at work today, i slipped my sandals off of my hot sweaty feet & woah, peeeeuuuuw!!!!! if you use an essential oil, try lavender with or in place of the tea tree. it too is naturally antibacterial you could mix up a spray bottle of lavender eo, water, & tiny bit of witch hazel to preserve....would probably be pretty cooling to your tired feet as well
ooOoooh didn't think about apple cider vinegar in many of my herbals, a nice scented vinegar is recommended as a natural deoderant & it would also serve the purpose of being cooling mothernature.com sells a foot spray that contains lavender & teatree (guess i was right on w/the above post). here's what else is in it: Purified Water, Organic Lavender Hydrosol (Steam Distilled From Lavendula Grosso), Polysorbate 20 (Soybean Oil Derived Dispersant), Eo Essential Oil Blend, Preservative Complex (Methyl/Propyl Paraben - Less Than 1%). of course i would modify that......who needs polysorbate or paraben??! bleck!
did the spray work for you? I dont wear my fav sandals to work because of the smell when I slide my feet out.
so far i only have one stinky pair of shoes & i've been avoiding them....don't know what/if anything worked for drumminmama???? where are you anyway dm????
i use zinc for body stink zinc oxide to be precise~they sell it at the hfs as footcream but that kind is 20 bucks for a tiny jar, so i opt for diaper cream. works like a charm. i've been thinking about ordering some straight zinc oxide powder and making up my own cream--something like a beeswax balm with zinc anyways, good luck on the stinkfeet
If it stinks, doesn't it also mean that the shoe itself is way past its chuck-out date? There's probably enough bacteria to put the garbage dump to shame. Having said that, it's hard to throw out old comfy shoes so I know what you mean. The best cure for sweaty feet I've found is sprinkling a small amount of baby powder on my feet before putting socks on. To preserve the life of a shoe and not so much bacteria buildup, use cheap insoles/footpads that you can get at any drugstore, even the dollar store to line your shoes. Dispose every couple of months or at your own discretion. Tea tree and peppermint oils are pungent enough to take away bad odor but they are like putting bandaid on a wound that's festering anyway with no medication. Keep your shoes clean and feet dry!
just speaking for my own smelly comfy shoes- it's apparently the lack of quality in the shoe making. They are not even 6 months old and they were cheap. They are the only ones I have that create the smell that they do. they are open toed slip on sandals, so an insole would look....interesting. I bought some more expensive, no smell sandals to wear to work.
I wear only leather shoes, and 100% cotton socks, that keeps my shoes and feet from stinking. My feet smell awful in anything containing plastic.
lol. No insoles for open-toes or you can trim them also. It's up to you. Kastenfrosch, I was a bit confused when you mentioned plastic as it sounded very uncomfortable but when I think about it, the open toe wedge heels that I have and are relatively new, DO retain some odor unlike the others. These wedge heels are a tanned leather looking material that is NOT leather but some plastic derivative. I'm a bit selfconcious of my feet because I like to cross them on my lap often.
I didn't mean plastic as in the hard stuff, but a lot of synthetic material increase stinking. Same with t-shirts. the higher the % of synthetic fibers the more stink!
Hannah...go see what a Chaco sandal IS first. I don't throw away items because they need cleaning. I bought this pair in 98. My other pair was purchased in 2002. these are river runner shoes meant to last a decade or more, with resoling and care. The shoes get clean, it's the organic freak products that build up! so ACV worked as a come home option quite well (I added peppermint one time and patchouli the next.) Still dinking around with a travel bottle. I'll be at Herbs N Arts soon, so I'll see what kind of green-crisp blends they have as options. http://www.hipgallery.com/photopost2/data/500/666chaco1.jpg 666chaco1
Neither do I and frankly, I wasn't speaking to you. It was about stinking feet in stinking shoes, and what I do with most them.