5 hacks to remove smell from shoes

It’s happened to all of us: as much as we would hope otherwise, a stinky smell emanates from your running shoes or workout sneakers. And, whether it’s just the beginnings of an unpleasant odour or a full-on stench that could clear a room, you realise it’s time to look into how to remove smell from shoes.

The good news is that there are a number of fairly simple home remedies you can try when you are looking into how to get the smell out of shoes, most of which are surprisingly effective.

Black tea bags: Black tea contains tannins, which will work to kill the bacteria that builds up in your shoes and helps to eliminate the smell. Put the tea bag in boiling water for two to three minutes. Remove the tea bag and let it cool. Place it in your shoe for about an hour for a natural shoe deodorizer. After you remove it, clean up any excess liquid left on the shoe.

Salt: Sneakers and other canvas shoes can get pretty smelly, especially if you wear them without socks in the summertime. Knockdown the odour and soak up the moisture by occasionally sprinkling a little salt in your canvas shoes as a shoe deodoriser.

Essential oils: Drip a few drops of essential oils into your shoe to give them a refreshing smell. Try using eucalyptus, clove, or tea tree oil. If you don’t want to put the oil directly on your shoe, drip it onto a piece of paper or a tissue and put that in your shoe overnight.

Rubbing alcohol: Pour rubbing alcohol over the dirty or worn part of your shoes to help with the stink. Not only will the rubbing alcohol reduce the smell as a natural shoe deodoriser, but it will also help to disinfect the shoe.

Baby powder: Using baby powder is a precautionary step that you can take before putting your shoes on to keep them from smelling. If you find that you are prone to having stinky shoes, rub baby powder on your feet before slipping them on.