Smelly Feet

[gagglesdad]

Howdy all,

I've got an embarrasing problem: my feet smell wretched :eek:

This is especially after walking to work and back again (about 3miles a day). My new shoes are starting to reek and my slippers could knock out a 50lb british bulldog with one whiff - i think you know what im getting at here: washing aint enough...

So im looking for a solution to stop the horendous stupidifying stench :eek:

Thanks
Gaggle's Dad

[bizzy_lizzie]

Soak your feet every night in vinegar & water solution, dont know the mixture but quite strong. My friend swears by it for her husband. My mum also used to say bicarb in the shoes to get rid of the smell in them.

Hope this helps
Bizzy

[Bogof_Babe]

You might have a foot infection that is causing the problem, so I'd have a word with your GP first.

I had a boyfriend with the same problem and it turned out he needed prescription ointment to cure the trouble.

[pol]

Dab your feet with surgical spirit, and in between your toes at least once a day. My brother had the worst smelling feet ever, (he lived in trainers) and was starting to get sore in between the toes. Within a week of doing this twice a day, even he noticed a difference! He now does it once or twice a week to keep his feet smelling sweet, (and still lives in trainers)!


pol

[laurak]

tea tree oil is really good - you could add a few drops to some warm water and soak your feet and then add a few drops of the oil to some cheap scent free body lotion and rub it on your feet before you put your socks on.

You may find that the odour is lingering in your shoes- so put some wet newspaper and tea tree oil in them overnight.

[chocomonsta]

Have you tried Odour Eaters, special insoles that you put inside your shoes. They do work, also the trainer tamers I think they are called. They last for ages :p

[gagglesdad]

Anybody know where i can get odor eaters or trainer tamers from?

[jw1096]

Anybody know where i can get odor eaters or trainer tamers from?

Boots and other chemist type places and shoe shops, I think Sainsburys and Tesco's do them too in the pharmacy area.

HTH

Jo xx

[walks]

i think they do them all at wilko`s and so much cheaper !!!

pip

[impy78]

Maybe my feet just really are beyond all eveil, but odour eaters and trainer tamers don't work on my feet, they just end up smelling like rotting meat as well.


I will try that vinegar thing though.

I would likr to do somrhting as I can't wear tights ever, as the results are indescribably bad.

[SnowyOwl]

My feet start to pong if I wear the same shoes day in and day out all day long. You mentioned your new shoes are suffering a bit - do you wear them every work day? Perhaps have two or more work shoes and rotate them. Or wear different shoes and socks for the walk.

The Original Poster might find that stopping using washing conditioner on socks may help too. Conditioner coats fabric and makes it less absorbant - that's why it's not recommended for towels - so your feet are stewing in their own juice (sorry, not a pretty analogy!) after you have been walking as the heat and sweat can't escape. You can still condition your socks, but use the infamous vinegar in the wash instead. Basically just swap the bottled conditioner with a couple of tablespoonfuls of white or malt vinegar. This will get rid of the residue of conditioner which may have built up on your socks. I promise it won't make your feet or clothes smell of vinegar - I've been doing this for about a year now. It's good for your washing machine too.

Oh and wear 100% cotton or wool socks. Viscose or polyester socks act like plastic bags as they aren't breathable.

[stiltoncheese]

Hi peeps

Have done a search and found how to solve smelly shoes, but any ideas how to solve smelly feet?

My housemate's feet stink all the time and as awful as it sounds, i hate being in the same room when she takes her shoes off as they are so bad they make me feel ill :eek:

She is really clean and showers regularly, changes socks regularly, but doesn't seem to make any difference.

Am i destined to carry on living with the smell (and spending most of my time in room) or is there any hope, lol

Thanks very much

[greenbee]

Does she know that she has a problem? If so, is she willing to let you make suggestions or is she defensive about it?

Try here (http://www.hygieneexpert.co.uk/SmellyFeet.html), here (http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bromodosissmelly-feet/Pages/Introduction.aspx) and here (http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/foothealth/Pages/smellyfeet.aspx) for ideas and suggestions.

N.B. this may do better on the health & beauty forum...

[irishwexford]

I find that I have this problem at present. I have a foot spray which I use every day, perhaps you could buy her one if it will not offend. I make sure I do not wear the same sandles two days running and leave mine outside to dry out . My bowls shoes smell so I leave these outside after every match as I have just the one pair. Its easy to sort this out as long as she is aware of the problem, I certainly am as I can smell my feet myself.

[stiltoncheese]

Thanks for the suggestions.

She doesn't seem to ever acknowledge or notice the smell and is VERY sensitive to criticism. I didn't know her before I moved in and have only been living with her for a short while so a difficult one to broach as we don't really know each other very well.

Might have to start menioning that mine are a bit smelly and see if she responds! Failing that, i will buy some spray and leave it lying round in the kitchen

[greenbee]

Thanks for the suggestions.

She doesn't seem to ever acknowledge or notice the smell and is VERY sensitive to criticism. I didn't know her before I moved in and have only been living with her for a short while so a difficult one to broach as we don't really know each other very well.

Might have to start menioning that mine are a bit smelly and see if she responds! Failing that, i will buy some spray and leave it lying round in the kitchen

How about you treat the two of you to a pedicure? Or even suggest a home pedicure, with a nice long foot soak and scrub, cleaning under toe-nails, cutting toe nails etc - and you can talk about how you keep your feet lovely and soft and sweet-smelling :D.

I use out of date camomile teabags as a foot soak, scrub with salt/pumice and one of those scary things that looks like a cheese grater, then bung on foot cream (burts bees is nice, but vaseline actually works very well) and sit with my feet wrapped in warm towels for a while. Getting rid of hard skin etc may well help, as should making sure toenails are clean and healthy.

Good luck... it can't be pleasant :o

[Penelope Penguin]

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com).

[geordie joe]

Failing that, i will buy some spray and leave it lying round in the kitchen

Might be better leaving it in the bathroom, unless she washes her feet in the kitchen sink?

If she were a man I would suggest the age old trick of leaving a bar of Wrights coal tar soap in her shoe. It may not be subtle enough for this occasion, but I've known a few men who arrived at work to find a colleague had left them a present of a bar of soap.

[Serena51]

My son has had this problem since puberty, he's now 29 and I found the most effective was tea tree oil. Now when he showers he rubs the neat oil over the soles of his feet and no problem. He also alternates his footwear and washes trainers in the washing machine on a regular basis. He also goes barefoot whenever possible.

Hope this helps.

[KatP]

Make sure you are wearing breathable shoes.

A surprising number of even fairly expensive shoes these days are not leather and are synthetic lined.

When you buy new shoes check the little label underneath, look for the leather symbol and check that the upper and the inner are both leather. This will let your feet breath, and will allow the sweat to evaporate. Synthetic shoes can be like wearing plastic bags, they "contain" the sweat.

If you keep them well looked after they will last for ages too!

[curlygirlyclaire]

you know i think the best and cheapest way to get rid of the smell is to soak ur feet in cold tea, yes i know its strange but it works lol.
Also using bi carb pwder sprikled in the shoes to absorb the smell and to put the shoes in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer over night, it kills the bacteria, strange but true.