Nasty feet/shoe smell. How to deal?

[tuxedosam]

Dancing makes the feet sweat and smell, and worse still, the smell often stays with the shoes. How to make the smell go away or at least reduce it? Any recommendations?

[Gumby]

Don't seal up sweaty shoes in your dance bag - let them air dry with a little baking soda sprinkled inside.

[PasoDancer]

I always spray Degree aerosol in mine. It might "cloud it up", but I can wipe it off if they're leather.

[quixotedlm]

you can buy sprays for removing/suppressing shoe odor. another options is to rotate between two shoes, and leave the 'unused' shoe in the open. that way, each of the shoes will accumulate the stinkiness at a far slower rate ;)

[DancerForLife]

Our coaches use cedar shoe trees. We meticulously dry our shoes, and use a sheet of Bounce to spruce the scent up. Also, you can prep your feet with powders etc. to reduce smelling :-).

[DennisBeach]

Dancing makes the feet sweat and smell, and worse still, the smell often stays with the shoes. How to make the smell go away or at least reduce it? Any recommendations?

My wife has that problem. I put her shoes on the air purifier in our basement for a day, right after we get home from dancing. That seems to work pretty good.

[fascination]

lots of past threads on this...my solution is gross but works...i make a paste out of comet and bursh it inot the inside then let it dry in the sun and brush the residue out with my shoe brush...and I alternate my shoes alot

[Twilight_Elena]

I just leave them on the balcony at night so that they get some fresh air. Works okay.

T_E

[Joe]

Socks.

[Twilight_Elena]

Socks.

Have you tried wearing a latin sandal with socks? It's very slippery. I can't even wear stockings!

T_E

[Joe]

Who said they were sandals?

[Peaches]

Have you tried wearing a latin sandal with socks? It's very slippery. I can't even wear stockings!

T_E

Hmmm...seems like stockings are slippery-er than socks.

There's a girl/intern/teacher-in-training at "my" AT studio--she's always wearing socks with her latin sandals. I have yet to figure out why...or to ask.

[Peaches]

lots of past threads on this...my solution is gross but works...i make a paste out of comet and bursh it inot the inside then let it dry in the sun and brush the residue out with my shoe brush...and I alternate my shoes alot

Do you do this with leather shoes? Does it ruin the leather?

It sounds like a great idea, but I'd hate to damage my good shoes, especially since I can't really get a replacement pair.

OTOH, sweat and whatnot is kind of damaging anyway...

[fascination]

just to the inside of the shoe...and they seem fine...because it is a mostly dry concoction and I brush it out

[Peaches]

Does it bleach the fabric/leather that it touches?

[fascination]

again it is only the inside of the shoe so I dont care...but no...

[fascination]

also, by the time that I am at that point with a shoe, it is a well loved practice shoe

[White Chacha]

I put on clean socks before donning my shoes. They get transported in a light cloth bag which can breathe (no plastic bags). Once home, the shoes get set in front of a small fan for an hour or so to dry them out. Works well.

[tanya_the_dancer]

I think this one needs to go into a sticky about shoes. Can we do this?

[noobster]

I spritz mine with Febreze deodorant spray whenever they approach ripeness. It's been working fine. Supposedly the deodorizing ingredient is a modified starch with a trace of zinc chloride. Doesn't seem too toxic and it hasn't done any damage to the shoes either.

[yanka]

I put on clean socks before donning my shoes. They get transported in a light cloth bag which can breathe (no plastic bags). Once home, the shoes get set in front of a small fan for an hour or so to dry them out. Works well.
I don't have that kind of patience.

[samina]

This might seem alarming... but I've rinsed my work-horse shoes (the ones I use most of the time for practice -- they're Freed brand) in the bath tub using just regular shampoo. Then I dry them in the sun.

I don't like using harsh chemicals in general, and this works fine. After over a year, my shoes still look & function fine.

Samina

[anp73ga31]

I saw a mesh bag in a dance magazine...it was for ballet shoes but it seems to me it would work for ballroom shoes too....it would allow them to air and would keep them together, although everyone would see them and you really couldn't put anything in there with them unless you wanted to share it with the entire studio. lol! Since I usually only carry my sole brush in my bag with my shoes (and an extra pair of heel protectors because I go thru them so fast), this would not be a problem for me. I need to do something, though, because although the outside of my shoes look fine, the insides will knock you out! Of course, I have been using them 5 or 6 hours a week for 7 or 8 months now, and my feet really sweat bad....dummy me never thought to air them out before they started smelling. :rolleyes:

[alemana]

the problem with the breathable shoe bag is that it lets your shoes breathe all over everything else nearby - and i almost always have clothes in my (bigger) bag.

i don't even want my wallet to smell like my shoes, let alone my clothing. oy.

[anp73ga31]

the problem with the breathable shoe bag is that it lets your shoes breathe all over everything else nearby - and i almost always have clothes in my (bigger) bag.

i don't even want my wallet to smell like my shoes, let alone my clothing. oy.

Lol!

Yeah, that totally wouldnt work for you. It might for me, though, because I carry my shoes separate from everything else. I was thinking that instead of putting my shoes in the closed up bag I now use (where they remain wet for hours later, thus the stench!), I could substitue the closed up bag with the mesh bag, and put them in the back seat while driving the 30/40 minutes home from the studio. But I guess that, since they already stink, my car would probably smell like them, and they probably wouldn't be dry by the time I got home, which means my room would smell like them too. Ugh!

Guess I just need to remember the mesh bag for when I get new shoes that don't yet stink. And I need to also remember to do what you guys have said (i.e., alternating shoes and always letting them air dry, etc).

Hey, has anyone tried the comet thing fascination mentioned earlier? I'm thinking I need to try that very soon. My shoes smell so bad that I feel like that character on Charlie Brown who was surrounded by a cloud of dirt....only in this case its like I'm surrounded by a cloud of smell everytime I pull my shoes out of my bag or take them off after a dance or a lesson...phew! lol!

[alemana]

maybe during your drive home, you could mount the shoes on long custom-made poles that stick up at least 100 feet from the top of your car (to keep the smell away) and let them fly like wind socks, and drive really fast so that the stench doesn't linger in your car but fans out over the interstate behind you. if you wanted to get really fancy about it, you could attach brightly-colored tails to the socks and install a smoke machine to belch out psychdelic hues of harmless smoke like they did in PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, and every time you drove *to* practice you could have pink smoke come out, but when you were driving *from* practice it could be dark blue or purple as a signal to the entire tri-state area that STINKY SHOES ARE SAILING AT THIS TIME, beware.

[alemana]

pink shoes at night, dancers' delight

blue shoes in the morning, motorists' warning

[redhead]

alemana,
whatever you're smoking, I'd like some too

[alemana]

i think it was The Blonding.

[redhead]

nuh can't have that, although am tempted

[Shooshoo]

I try to wear stockings. I also powder my shoes before and after I dance, which helps alot.

[samina]

the problem with the breathable shoe bag is that it lets your shoes breathe all over everything else nearby - and i almost always have clothes in my (bigger) bag.

i don't even want my wallet to smell like my shoes, let alone my clothing. oy.

yes, i definitely concur... seal those pups up in transit! ;)

[alemana]

i use my shoes on the subway to get undesireble people away from me

[Medira]

i use my shoes on the subway to get undesireble people away from me

Oooooohhhh....I like the way you think. Must try that.

[White Chacha]

... My shoes smell so bad that I feel like that character on Charlie Brown who was surrounded by a cloud of dirt....

Pigpen! That was his name ;-)

[RIdancer82]

i use my shoes on the subway to get undesireble people away from me

hahaha.... wish I had thought of this earlier tonight, lol :lol:

[anp73ga31]

maybe during your drive home, you could mount the shoes on long custom-made poles that stick up at least 100 feet from the top of your car (to keep the smell away) and let them fly like wind socks, and drive really fast so that the stench doesn't linger in your car but fans out over the interstate behind you. if you wanted to get really fancy about it, you could attach brightly-colored tails to the socks and install a smoke machine to belch out psychdelic hues of harmless smoke like they did in PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, and every time you drove *to* practice you could have pink smoke come out, but when you were driving *from* practice it could be dark blue or purple as a signal to the entire tri-state area that STINKY SHOES ARE SAILING AT THIS TIME, beware.

lmao!! talk about polluting the city....guess that would be one way to keep people away from you on the road. ha ha!

[anp73ga31]

Pigpen! That was his name ;-)

Yes! Pigpen! :p

[marktheshark]

The smell from the (soon to expire) sneakers that I wear when I dance
can incapacitate any small animal or infant within a 10 feet radius.
Adults can get away with moderate respiratory damage.

[fascination]

yea, there just comes a time when you have to do the compassionate thing and throw those things away, even if the shoe itself has more life in it...must day shat now that I wear a heavy sock most of the time there is no odor...but then the shoe is so stretched that I can't compete in it so I have one pair for lessons and an identical pair for comps

[tanya_the_dancer]

yea, there just comes a time when you have to do the compassionate thing and throw those things away, even if the shoe itself has more life in it...must day shat now that I wear a heavy sock most of the time there is no odor...but then the shoe is so stretched that I can't compete in it so I have one pair for lessons and an identical pair for comps

I am doing same thing - only now I have 2 stretched out pairs and I have a brand-new pair for the next comp (whenever that might happen). But even though I wear regular socks with them, I still have the problem with the smell. I think whatever I sweated into my shoes when I was wearing them with pantyhose is so set into them now and when they are warmed up, they start to smell more.

[White Chacha]

I've heard that freezing the shoes for a couple of days will kill off the odor-causing bacteria. This should provide temporary abatement until they grow back. So maybe if you alternate wearing and freezing pairs of shoes, you could keep the smell down to a quiet whisper ;-)

[elisedance]

Just looking through some older thrreads and came accross this one (which was also short enough to read in one night!).

Funnily, no one mentioned the type of shoe? Obviously, in many cases shoe odour is due to, well, smelly feet (or rather the bacteria that come off them). However, I think that is not the only cause. I have one pair of shoes that stinks to high heaven even though none of my other ones do. Why? It may be the glue or the insole. Either these parts are breaking down or they may be biodegradable and good ecosystems for your adaptable bacterium. Thus, before you throw out that favorite pair of dance slippers, get the insole replaced (also get the cobbler to scrape off any old glue). In the process you could just add a little padding and you will fall in love all over again.

[tanya_the_dancer]

Just looking through some older thrreads and came accross this one (which was also short enough to read in one night!).

Funnily, no one mentioned the type of shoe? Obviously, in many cases shoe odour is due to, well, smelly feet (or rather the bacteria that come off them). However, I think that is not the only cause. I have one pair of shoes that stinks to high heaven even though none of my other ones do. Why? It may be the glue or the insole. Either these parts are breaking down or they may be biodegradable and good ecosystems for your adaptable bacterium. Thus, before you throw out that favorite pair of dance slippers, get the insole replaced (also get the cobbler to scrape off any old glue). In the process you could just add a little padding and you will fall in love all over again.

I wonder how much that sort of thing costs. I mean, my current practice pair looks awful. It is already at the point when a major repair to it is just not worth the money.

[DennisBeach]

I wonder how much that sort of thing costs. I mean, my current practice pair looks awful. It is already at the point when a major repair to it is just not worth the money.

My wife had that problem, so I searched on the internet for a solution. I bought a product called SCOE 10x. That has worked well. It is spray and I spray it on the inside and bottom of the shoes. According to the seller it is a bacteria problem and the product destroys the bacteria. The bacteria keeps building up, so the shoes get progressively worse. This product has reversed that. First time I used it, the smell was pretty much gone in a few munutes. It works on a lot of other odor issues.

[iluvballroom]

ive never found anything that worked and actually kept the smell out since i dance in them almost everyday. The one thing that i found was a skunk spray that gets rid of the smell if you get sprayed and it works perfect on my shoes. I spray them everynight right before i go to sleep and the next morning they are dry. It comes in a concentrated liquid and you add water and put it in a spray bottle.

[DancinAnne]

If you go buy an enzyme based cleaner, that ought to do wonders. The enzymes eat the bacteria that cause odors, instead of just covering the odor. It rid my first house of cat pee odor and those of you who know anything about that, know how impossible it is to get rid of that smell.

I find it at a local commercial cleaning supply company. It costs about $10 or so for a pretty good size bottle. It smells a little sweet at first, but that goes away.

I've also used on the air intakes on my car to get rid of that musty air conditioner smell in the vents. Truly amazing product.

Be careful with it though, it is made of live enzymes so you don't want it to get too hot or too cold.

If this has been suggested already... my apologies. I didn't read the entire thread.

[latingal]

I gotta wonder about these sprays and enzymes being put on to surfaces that your feet are going to be in contact with for many hours (and wet and sweaty to boot). Anybody have any bad reactions to this stuff?

[Me]

The problem with these shoes is the geniuses who make them all use suede on the interior. Very absorbent stuff... very STINKY stuff after a while. The one thing I haven't figured out how to fix is the suede interior. Everything else I cut, glue, reheel, etc. I never wear a pair straight out of the box.

The only way I can deal with TRENCH FOOT is I have identical pairs of shoes that I cycle out... it's expensive at first but the shoes do seem to last longer this way, and smell is much less of a problem until the shoes grow really old.

I wish I could kill the sueded interiors though. That's why they stank!

[fascination]

again you people...COMET....an awesome thing

[DancinAnne]

I gotta wonder about these sprays and enzymes being put on to surfaces that your feet are going to be in contact with for many hours (and wet and sweaty to boot). Anybody have any bad reactions to this stuff?

I use it everywhere and I've never had a reaction. The thing is, you use it, allow it to dry and eventually the enzymes die. If you were unsure about that, you could heat them or cool them to some degree and kill them. They are natural enzymes.

[Peaches]

Tried it...not completely sold on the comet...but it has certainly helped. Maybe I just need to repeat the process a few more times...or retire the shoes altogether.

[fascination]

yes...repeat...also have to make sure it's paste like in a bowl before you put it in...then let it dry near heat...then brush it out...

[fascination]

but, yea...after a certain point you have to come to acceptance...certain things ARE unmanageable

[samina]

have been planning on using comet the next time i need it, but my shoes are quite happy. my court shoes don't smell. but i always wear stockings, now -- i bought two mega boxes of knee highs, one black & one nude, which i wear under my pants for standard. no unpleasant smell as yet.

my latins i've always just washed in the tub w/ shampoo... no worse for the wash that i've noticed. maybe even shrinks them up a bit, dunno. :rolleyes:

[Peaches]

Yeah. And some of the stitching is starting to come out...and some things are coming unglued...

I can't retire them, though, until I get their replacement.

[fascination]

super glue

[Peaches]

Good one...was thinking of taking them to a reportedly wonderous cobbler and having them overhauled.

[iluvballroom]

ive never had a bad reaction to any of the mentioned "odor killers" but when i first used the comet i was really scared that i would have a reaction to it because it has bleach on it and i have very sensitive skin. I just ended up wearing a sock and was perfectly fine. Samina if you don't like wearing stockings i have found a pair of sock that are really low in the front so when you wear a court shoe you don't see it. I was always worried about seeing the socks and they look so tacky but now i always wear them.

[DennisBeach]

I gotta wonder about these sprays and enzymes being put on to surfaces that your feet are going to be in contact with for many hours (and wet and sweaty to boot). Anybody have any bad reactions to this stuff?


It has not been a problem. The one I use it designed for shoes. I also get it on my hands when I spray the shoes and it has not caused a problem.

[samina]

thought i'd report here that i gave my filthy flesh satin supadance court shoes a bath friday night... i figured, i do that to my latins, why not my courts. so i scrubbed them inside & out with a brush in the bathtub w/ some dishwashing liquid... then left them to dry overnight on the radiator.

they turned out beautiful. all dingy grey gone, lovely unstained flesh color back, gleaming in time for comp sunday morning.

the insoles puffed a bit & the insole cover started to come unglued, but they glued up again just fine once they were fully dry, and once i wore them the level of puffiness returned to normal. if the insole bit came loose, i would've just glued it down.

the soles are nice'n clean too...

nothing bad to report.

[Me]

Wow this thread never dies, does it? Has a life of it's own... kinda' like my Latin shoes!

[tanya_the_dancer]

I guess since it is an ongoing problem for many, hence it is an ongoing thread.

Right now I am debating with myself if I should be merciful and send one pair of my court shoes to a well deserved rest in the garbage can.

[anp73ga31]

thought i'd report here that i gave my filthy flesh satin supadance court shoes a bath friday night... i figured, i do that to my latins, why not my courts. so i scrubbed them inside & out with a brush in the bathtub w/ some dishwashing liquid... then left them to dry overnight on the radiator.

they turned out beautiful. all dingy grey gone, lovely unstained flesh color back, gleaming in time for comp sunday morning.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing, samina. My new supadance court shoes are starting to get pretty dirty and my veryfine latins are just simply terrible. I will definitely try that in the future with my supadance shoes, but tonight I think I will go home and try that on my veryfine latins. Could you tell me how much water/dishwashing liquid you used and what type of brush so that I can re-create your results? Also, did you brush inside the shoe and outside and also the sole or just leave the sole and brush it with the other type brush later once dry? THanks! :)

[samina]

Could you tell me how much water/dishwashing liquid you used

just a good blast into the water so that it's very sudsy. and then i rinsed that off under the faucet when i was done with each shoe. i made the water high enough to cover the shoes. they were fully immersed & soaked through. i was not shy about what i was doing.

and what type of brush so that I can re-create your results? Also, did you brush inside the shoe and outside and also the sole or just leave the sole and brush it with the other type brush later once dry?

i have a long-handled body brush that i don't use because the bristles are too hard for my skin, so i used that. not ideal, but what i had. it was too large to fit on the inside of the shoe, so i just rubbed suds into that part with my hand. i used it on the sole, but just be sure to swish the brush around in the water before putting it on the shoe fabric... the dirt that gathers into the soles is significant.

if i find a small brush, i'll get it, for scrubbing the insides of the shoes.

[danceislove]

wow! you really fully submersed your shoes??? :shock: that doesn't...i don't know.. mess up the glue or the suede or something? i would think that would shorten the life span of the shoe somehow.... submersed quickly? or soaked through and through?

[samina]

wow! you really fully submersed your shoes??? :shock: that doesn't...i don't know.. mess up the glue or the suede or something? i would think that would shorten the life span of the shoe somehow.... submersed quickly? or soaked through and through?

soaked thru.

they look & feel like new. the suede underneath is lovely... clean & brushes up nicely. no staining or mottling of the fabric at all.

i know this sounds shocking. but... there ya have it. i did it & wore my shoes on sunday quite happily. they don't look like the same ones i've been practicing in every day for three months.

[little_mouse]

and it didn't change the color of the flesh satin (not even by a hair)?

[samina]

well, they don't have the exact gleam they had when they were brand-new out-of-the-box. but almost. they looked very nice.

understand, i'm talking about fully greyed-up court shoes... which you know doesn't take much if you wear them for lessons & practice.

the improvement was dramatic.

[little_mouse]

well, they don't have the exact gleam it had when they were brand-new out-of-the-box. but almost. they looked very nice.


sounds a heap better than spending $140 for another pair of shoes. note to self--get over the angst and plunge!

[samina]

sounds a heap better than spending $140 for another pair of shoes. note to self--get over the angst and plunge!

that was my feeling exactly, little mouse.

understand... am just reporting on my experience. plunge at your own risk, as i did. :)

[little_mouse]

unfortunately, I've noticed on my shoes that in some spots the satin thread is starting to wear through. Guess there's nothing can be done about that...

[Joe]

wow! you really fully submersed your shoes??? :shock: that doesn't...i don't know.. mess up the glue or the suede or something? i would think that would shorten the life span of the shoe somehow.... submersed quickly? or soaked through and through?
The suede is fine once it dries out again.

[black_light]

Samina, it takes a lot of guts to do what you did without knowing what the results might be, way to go! :-) and thanx for sharing your experience, it will be very usefull for many of us.

[samina]

thanks, blacklight... i'm glad they turned out as well as they did. hope others find they can extend the comp life of their shoes in the same way!

:D

[and123]

unfortunately, I've noticed on my shoes that in some spots the satin thread is starting to wear through. Guess there's nothing can be done about that...

I've mentioned this in the past several times in various threads, but I have no problem with satin wearing out because I paint my shoes. Really. I've tried different kinds of fabric paint, and the best by far is Jacquard Lumiere. It dries quickly, has excellent coverage, and is not at all tacky or sticky like other paints. The smooth/standard shoes I'm wearing now were originally nude/flesh satin, then I painted them silver, then black, and now back to nude/flesh again. The paint is available at Michael's and A.C. Moore, or just google it. You may need to mix a few colors to get the shade you want. I usually mix m.etallic bronze and gold, and sometimes add pearl to lighten it. One or two coats with a sponge brush and you're done :).

[tanya_the_dancer]

But does painting them prevent the outer satin layer from wearing out?

[and123]

Sure seems that way to me. The satin does not rub away and start to shred b/c it is protected by the layer of paint.

[Joe]

Just slap on a layer of clearcoat. ;)

[musicchica86]

Sam, did you notice any difference in the softness of the shoes after you dunked them? (LOL!)

I ask because my showcase is in 5-6 weeks and my court shoes are nowhere NEAR being broken in (I've only worn them a handful of times). I can tell they'll fit like a glove when they're all nice and soft, but as of right now they're still stiff and TIGHT. Wondering if maybe soaking them in lukewarm water and wearing them around the house would help break them in quicker?

[little_mouse]

Sure seems that way to me. The satin does not rub away and start to shred b/c it is protected by the layer of paint.

Interesting, that's worth a try too!

[little_mouse]

I've mentioned this in the past several times in various threads, but I have no problem with satin wearing out because I paint my shoes. Really. I've tried different kinds of fabric paint, and the best by far is Jacquard Lumiere. It dries quickly, has excellent coverage, and is not at all tacky or sticky like other paints. The smooth/standard shoes I'm wearing now were originally nude/flesh satin, then I painted them silver, then black, and now back to nude/flesh again. The paint is available at Michael's and A.C. Moore, or just google it. You may need to mix a few colors to get the shade you want. I usually mix m.etallic bronze and gold, and sometimes add pearl to lighten it. One or two coats with a sponge brush and you're done :).

eek, I just saw the number of colors for Jacquard Lumiere. Do you remember what you used for the nude/flesh satin?

[samina]

Sam, did you notice any difference in the softness of the shoes after you dunked them? (LOL!)

I ask because my showcase is in 5-6 weeks and my court shoes are nowhere NEAR being broken in (I've only worn them a handful of times). I can tell they'll fit like a glove when they're all nice and soft, but as of right now they're still stiff and TIGHT. Wondering if maybe soaking them in lukewarm water and wearing them around the house would help break them in quicker?

hmm... thinking... i don't think so... they feel just like they did before their dunking...

[and123]

eek, I just saw the number of colors for Jacquard Lumiere. Do you remember what you used for the nude/flesh satin?

Depends on what shade of nude/flesh you're trying to achieve, but I mixed m.etallic bronze and m.etallic gold. The craft store near me didn't carry all of those colors or I might have tried some of them (i.e. "sunset gold" looks like it might be a good nude).

[samina]

shoes smelling to high heaven since the washing episode, even tho they look so pretty, now... lol... will be purchasing some comet to see if that helps... sheesh

[fascination]

yep....

[DennisBeach]

shoes smelling to high heaven since the washing episode, even tho they look so pretty, now... lol... will be purchasing some comet to see if that helps... sheesh

I purchased SCOE 10X on the internet. That stuff works great. It does not damage the shoes and kills the bacteria that cause the odor.

[samina]

I purchased SCOE 10X on the internet. That stuff works great. It does not damage the shoes and kills the bacteria that cause the odor.

interesting, dennis. am curious what the active ingredient is... haven't yet located that information. but the testimonials on the website are hysterical... "bear pees & poops in SUV..." *lol*

h t t p :// ww.scoe10x.com/ Scripts/ default.aps

[DennisBeach]

interesting, dennis. am curious what the active ingredient is... haven't yet located that information. but the testimonials on the website are hysterical... "bear pees & poops in SUV..." *lol*

h t t p :// ww.scoe10x.com/ Scripts/ default.aps


I wa surprised at how well it worked. My wifes worse pair, after 3 or 4 liberal applications, do not smell at all, even after we come home from a dance and they still are wet from perspiration. So may things cover up the odor, this stuff does what they say.

[musicchica86]

Am happy to report that my own court shoe-dunking experience went perfectly! I needed a quick fix to help me break them in quicker before my next showcase (June 1), so I tried the soaking thing. Saturated my shoes in warm water and basically wore them around the house until they were dry.

It worked great! I would recommend doing laundry at the same time, so you can alternate wearing the shoes and letting them sit on top of the dryer while it's running to help them dry faster. Getting the satin wet basically allows it to give a little bit and mold to the shape of your foot as it dries, so it breaks the shoes in a whole lot faster than just wearing them regularly would.

Gonna try this on a pair of too-snug Latins I've got next!

[samina]

okay, a couple updates here...

i did purchase the SCOE 10X recommended by dennis, and it works nicely. ya have to give the inner soles a good soaking, but it radically diminishes the odor. didn't really last very long, though. am still planning eventually to try fascination's comet trick.

however, i just gave my shoes another bath in prep for tonight's showcase, and this time i dried them differently. five months ago when i washed them the first time, i left them to dry overnight on the radiator. it being summer, now, i sure as hello am not going to turn on the heat. so...

after washing them the same way (used a nail brush to scrub off dirt, this time), i put each one in its own white pillowcase, tied it off around the shoe (so as to disallow floating around the inside of the pillowcase) and tossed them in the dryer on high (with a dryer sheet, of course ;)).

a couple hours later... poi-fect. no deficit that i can detect. & nice-n-sparkly fresh for tonite. :D

[White Chacha]

I bought some of the SCOE as well and found the same results. Kills things off nicely but it starts to creep back in a week or so.

Of course not wearing the shoes for a while is effective in keeping things at bay as well :-|

[SlowDancer]

I haven't taken the time to read this entire thread, so I"m probably not breaking any new ground here, but I bought some "Odor Eaters" foot powder at Walgreen's a couple of weeks ago and it worked great on my stinky dance shoes. I have worn the shoes a few times since the first application of powder, and so far so good.

[waltzgirl]

I find Odor Eaters Foot & Sneaker Spray Powder works really well and is less messy than regular powder.

[SlowDancer]

Yeah, the powder is a bit messy. Thanks for the tip about the spray powder!

[DennisBeach]

I bought some of the SCOE as well and found the same results. Kills things off nicely but it starts to creep back in a week or so.

Of course not wearing the shoes for a while is effective in keeping things at bay as well :-|

The SCOE 10X seems to be something you have to keep using regularily. it seems to kill the active bacteria like it says, but as the shoes are used, new bacteria is added and needs to be dealt with. I have found it to be be a reactive, rather than proactive solution.

[tanya_the_dancer]

OK, this mostly talks about how to deal with the shoes that are already smelly, are there any preventive measures? I started the new practice pair last night, after I used them, I sprayed some odor eater in them, so this mornng they smell like odor eater. Is it an effective long-term solution?

[samina]

personally, i don't like to spray anything in my shoes because whatever chemical is in there is absorbed through the soles of the feet into your bloodstream.

i'll go with stench over that.:rolleyes:

[fascination]

maybe just go with a light dusting of baking soda and then shake it out

[Dancebug]

I found the best way to keep odor from shoes is to let them dry in the air after each wear. So I normally leave our dance studio with my shoes in my hands.

[White Chacha]

I second the last comment.

[tanya_the_dancer]

maybe just go with a light dusting of baking soda and then shake it out

While they're still sweaty?

[fascination]

if you shake some soda in there and let it sit then shake it out later it's all good

[j_alexandra]

if you shake some soda in there and let it sit then shake it out later it's all good

Do you still do the comet thing?

[fascination]

Do you still do the comet thing?

periodically...it is still my best solution...granted, most of the time this in only on my shoes that have been demoted to practice in...I have my top-notch babies that are for comps only, my lesson shoes which I could compete in if I had to but have some wear and which I try to air out thoroughly so as to avoid extreme stench...and then there are my at home practice shoes, which I would die if anyone ever put near their face...I will periodically do the comet thing on lesson or practice shoes, should they live long enough to merit it...but I mention the soda since sam was worried about what absorbs into the skin...

[contracheck]

personally, i don't like to spray anything in my shoes because whatever chemical is in there is absorbed through the soles of the feet into your bloodstream.

i'll go with stench over that.:rolleyes:

I guess no one here is a chemist. Do any of the following:
1. Place charcoal powder in mouse size bags in the shoes. Charcoal is the most powerful dedorizer. Most ordor eaters have charcoal as the active ingredient.
2. Ground coffee in a bag will also do. Frangrance shops use ground coffee to get rid of the smell of the perfume you tried
3. Some specialty shops sell powders made from certain volcanic rocks

[contracheck]

I guess no one here is a chemist. Do any of the following:
1. Place charcoal powder in mouse size bags in the shoes. Charcoal is the most powerful dedorizer. Most ordor eaters have charcoal as the active ingredient.
2. Ground coffee in a bag will also do. Frangrance shops use ground coffee to get rid of the smell of the perfume you tried
3. Some specialty shops sell powders made from certain volcanic rocks

I've just found out that eBay sells mouse-size bambbo charcoal bags exactly for this purpose (in the search box, type charcoal +deodorizer). You can also Google (ground coffee +deodorizer) to find the powerful effect of coffee in removing smell.

[TinyDancer109]

contracheck, you are just full of useful information! you are quite a gem to this forum! :)

[Ron deChasse]

Rather than absorbing the odors, try killing the bacteria that causes them. Seal your shoes in a ziploc bag and put them in the freezer overnight.

[latingal]

hmmm....that's an interesting one. think I'll have to try that...tho think dh may get a bit of a surprise when he goes into the freezer to make stuff for breakfast! *grin*

[contracheck]

Rather than absorbing the odors, try killing the bacteria that causes them. Seal your shoes in a ziploc bag and put them in the freezer overnight.

Oh, no, freezing does not kill bacteria. If you thaw, bacteria come back to life happily. This is how you store bacteria, human cells, and sperms. Some people grow bacteria in a million-gallon fermenter to harvest a truckload of bacteria, then freeze them in a freezer for future use. For instance, this is how you make genetically engineered insulin. If you want to kill bacteria simply, expose the shoes to sun light or UV light, or wipe the shoes with strong Vodca. Moreover, I am not all that certain that bacteria are the real culprits of bad smell in this case, the situation is more complicated than bacteria.

[Ron deChasse]

Vodka may be the better idea. Why not try both? I'll bet bacteria don't like being drunk and cold too.

[wooh]

If you drink enough vodka, the shoe smell probably won't bother you anymore. :)

[White Chacha]

I've seen the freezer thing cited on this forum before. I don't think it works.

[wooh]

Freezer didn't work for me.
I think what has helped me most is to NOT put them in a shoebag, trapping the smell and moisture. They basically sit in my car outside the bag all the time, so they get plenty of air. And never wear the same shoes twice in a row. Giving them some time to recover.

[tanya_the_dancer]

Freezer didn't work for me.
I think what has helped me most is to NOT put them in a shoebag, trapping the smell and moisture. They basically sit in my car outside the bag all the time, so they get plenty of air. And never wear the same shoes twice in a row. Giving them some time to recover.

My men complain when I leave my shoes in the car. They say the car starts to smell like them if I do so, especially now that it is warm.

[Joe]

Sounds like it's time for new shoes! ;)