How to get rid of the smell of sweat in shoes at home

Many people are familiar with the problem of unpleasant odors in shoes firsthand. Men suffer from sweating more often, women react more impulsively to the appearance of repulsive amber. Even children are not protected from this fate - remember at least the smells of the school locker room.

We propose a comprehensive approach to solving the problem of undesirable aromas: to eliminate the cause of their occurrence, to reanimate the shoes soaked in them, and not to give the odors of sweat a chance to return again.

Why does the smell of sweat appear in shoes

The fact that our sense of smell catches from a pair of sneakers or shoes removed is due to the process of bacteria multiplying and decay under the influence of sweat in conditions of limited air access. And this is not surprising, because on the foot of a person there are about one thousand sweat glands that can release a day before a glass of liquid. The intensity of their work depends on the body's need for heat regulation.

Thus, the root cause of the smell is sweat and bacteria. But this is only the first link of the problem, which can either be eliminated in the bud, or give it the opportunity to grow to the size of a real disaster. Factors that enhance sweating can conditionally be divided into two categories - internal, related to the characteristics of the body, and external, depending on the care of oneself and shoes.

Internal causes
Very often, excessive sweating, which has the medical name hyperhidrosis, is a local reaction of the body to hidden health problems. Among the probable reasons, experts call:

• endocrine system diseases;
• vegetovascular dystonia;
• persistent nervous stress and overwork;
• running forms fungal diseases of the foot.

External causes
Repulsive odors during normal perspiration can be caused by external factors. Among them:

• poor foot care;
• tight shoes made of materials that do not allow or poorly pass air;
• wearing socks made of synthetic fibers;
• the use of underfooted shoes, wearing them without taking off every day;
• intense loads during sports, physical labor, walking long distances;
• consumption of a large amount of coffee, spices, sweets.

How to get rid of sweat

The removal of moisture from the body during overheating is normal and it is not necessary to stop this process, and it is not safe. It is much more important to exclude the occurrence of conditions favorable for the development of microorganisms - sources of odor. So that the feet do not smell, the skin of the feet should be clean, it should be regularly dried, disinfected, deodorized. How to do it right?

1. Keep your feet clean. Wash them at least twice a day with soap, preferably bactericidal, rinse with cool water, and wipe dry with a hard towel.
2. Talcum powder, baby powder, boric acid powder dry well. You can make talcum powder yourself based on rice flour. To do this, pass a glass of cereal through a coffee grinder, and pour the resulting powder into an airtight container. A light delicate aroma will give the product a few drops of essential oil (rose, orange, anise, sandalwood). Slightly soak a cotton pad in them, put in flour, shake and leave for several hours.
3. An excellent therapeutic product is a natural ointment made from beeswax, walnut oil, plantain juice in proportions of 0.5: 1: 1, fir oil and tea tree (3 drops each).Wax and walnut oil should be dissolved in a water bath, then add the remaining components.
4. Before you put on shoes do not forget to use antiperspirants that stimulate the reduction of sweat ducts.
5. Instead of regular night cream, people with excessive sweating should use ointments with a therapeutic effect. An inexpensive and effective tool is Teymurov's paste based on zinc and boric acid, which disinfect the skin, and the talcum powder that is part of it dries it.
6. Bactericidal and disinfecting effects on the skin are exerted by foot baths, which are best done before bedtime, for 15–20 minutes. To make the effect lasting, make them a course - 3-4 days in a row, and then look according to the circumstances. Dermatologists recommend the following formulations:

Tea Room - boil in 2 liters of water 2 tsp. black and green tea, let it brew, use warm. It relieves fatigue, produces a disinfecting effect, tightens pores.

Vinegar - heat 1 liter of 9% vinegar to a temperature of 40C, pour into a bowl, lower the feet, wrap the towel tightly around the container. After the procedure, use any foot cream.

Herbal - 2 liters of boiling water brew a composition of oak bark, calendula flowers, plantain leaves (2 tbsp each), let it brew, strain, apply warm. Oak tannins narrow the ducts of the sweat glands, calendula and plantain are excellent natural antiseptics, relieve inflammation, heal microcracks.

If the problem of increased sweat and unpleasant aroma is not removed by cosmetic means, it is better to consult a specialist - a cosmetologist, dermatologist, mycologist.

How to save sweaty shoes

The first desire that arises when you pick up sweat-soaked shoes is to throw them into a garbage container. But to reanimate even at first glance a hopelessly spoiled pair is possible, and without any special costs and efforts. What are the ways to do this?

One hundred percent guarantee of cleaning gives washing. You can wash sneakers, slippers, moccasins. If it is undesirable to wet the product, clean only the insoles, thoroughly soaping and rubbing with a brush.

Replace the smell of insoles with new ones. You can choose special antibacterial models, which include activated carbon, coconut fiber, bamboo, absorbing excess moisture.

Dry and ventilate the shoes thoroughly. In the summer, warm them well with solar ultraviolet, in the winter - freeze them on the balcony.

If the bacteria have settled reliably in the toe and on the inner walls of the shoes, a more complex cleaning procedure is necessary. For this, shoe cosmetics and improvised folk remedies are suitable. Let's consider some of them.

1. The simplest, most affordable and effective drug is hydrogen peroxide. Pour liquid into an empty spray bottle and generously clean the inside. After a day, the smell disappears completely and does not resume within 2-3 weeks. Ideal for sports shoes. The disadvantage of this procedure is whitish stains on the fabric texture.
2. Processing with alcohol or vodka helps. Wipe the shoes thoroughly with a moistened swab. Leave a few alcohol-filled cotton pads in the middle until morning. As an option - moisten your socks, put them on your feet, put on shoes and walk around the apartment until the alcohol has completely dried.
3. To eliminate odor, it is recommended to use substances with absorbent properties. These include baking soda, activated carbon, natural shungite, starch, silica gel. It is enough to fill the absorbent in the shoes at night, and in the morning carefully remove the residues with a vacuum cleaner.
4. The special absorbers of moisture and unusual odors of shoes “Salton”, “Stick”, “Sorbis” have successfully recommended. They are produced in the form of a sachet, the filler is bamboo charcoal, silica gel in a few hours neutralizes all extraneous aromas.The cushion is used repeatedly after drying and airing.
5. Shoe deodorants from well-known manufacturers "Kiwi", "Salamander", "Salton" in addition to perfume fragrances contain antibacterial components. If you process the internal parts at least once every 10 days a few hours before the release, you can forget about the problem of sweaty darling.
6. As a fight against stench and its prevention, special electric dryers for shoes were invented. There are ordinary models operating from a 220 V network, and drying-ionizers with ultraviolet radiation, which kill pathogenic flora in 6-8 hours and neutralize its decay products.

What to do if shoes smell of mold

After prolonged storage without oxygen, shoes and other leather and man-made objects acquire the smell of dampness and mold. To eliminate it, you can use the above methods.

Mold infection is recommended to be removed with vinegar or ammonia. Abundantly moistened with a swab, wipe all the internal parts of the shoe and place it in an airtight bag overnight. Saturated vinegar or ammonia fumes neutralize the fungal environment.

Essential oils are used as a strong substitute. Even a few drops can reliably mask unwanted fragrance.

Preventive measures for feet and shoes

To prevent victory over sweat and its derivatives will help preventive measures. The rules are simple.

1. Try to buy shoes made of breathable materials, refuse cheap products that clog your foot in an airless space.
2. Do not wear the same pair every day, let it air and dry. Use modern gadgets to dry and disinfect.
3. If possible, change your shoes during the day, take work shoes for work.
4. Socks, preferably made of natural fiber, change daily. Get rid of the bad habit of leaving them in shoes.
5. Wash and dry the insoles separately as often as the need arises.
6. Personal hygiene is not discussed. Apply all therapeutic and deodorizing agents only to clean, dry skin of the feet.
7. Use small tricks: put a bay leaf, mint, a tea bag under the insole.
8. People with excessive sweating should limit their intake of coffee, sweet soda, and dishes generously seasoned with spices.

Any problem can either be eradicated in the bud, or let it grow to universal proportions. Do not give unpleasant odors a chance to spoil even your mood.

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