Stinky piggies are only cute when you’re a baby. Once you’re adult, having foot odor is embarrassing.
And once fall comes, summer sandals go away and feet sweat quietly in your boots, waiting for you to take them off and expose the smell.
Here in Colorado, we can have snow and sunshine all in one day—so being prepared means having warm, waterproof shoes. But that means during the sunny portion of the day, feet get hot! And while it’s polite to take your shoes off in someone else’s home, it’s doubly necessary here where dirty ice slush and road salt are likely to coat the bottom of your shoes.
To avoid embarrassing smells—whether it follows you around on your feet or haunts your shoes and the whole area by the door—take proper care of your shoes.
-Alternate between at least two pairs of shoes/boots and don’t wear them two days in a row—leather, especially, needs a day to air out from sweat.
-For nicer shoes, follow the shoe care instructions that came with them. For cheaper shoes, invest in a shoe repair kit (might include glue, polish, cleanser, conditioner, etc.). You’ll make your shoes last longer, and keep them smelling nice. Because let’s be honest—once they start to look ratty or fall apart, you’ll be less likely to bother with smell and dirt. And I know how hard it can be to part with a pair of comfortable, broken in shoes.
-Add Smelly Shoe Spray to your kit. Use it preemptively, by giving the inside of shoes a spritz before heading out (especially if you’ll be in them all day, working in them, or hiking). Use it in a jam—if you get hit with a smelly surprise when you peel your shoes off, you can politely fight the odor with Smelly Shoe Spray (it masks the odor with peppermint immediately, then works to fight germs that cause odor with colloidal silver). And use it as shoe care—after a day of being well worn, fight residual smell/foot bacteria with Smelly Shoe Spray so it doesn’t build up!
Share a picture of your favorite winter shoes!
