How to Remove Stinky Odors From Shoes

Over time, our shoes can develop stinky odors and leave us wanting to throw them away. These odors come from bacteria growing in the dark, damp corners of our shoes. You can reclaim your stinky shoes, however. Here's how you can remove stinky odors from shoes!

Things You'll Need

• Stinky shoes
• Disinfectant spray
• Old pair of panyhose or thin socks
• Scissors
• Aquarium charcoal

Instructions

1. Spray down the insides of your stinky shoes with a disinfectant spray, I prefer Lysol. This is the first step to reclaiming your shoes, as you want to remove the stinky odor causing bacteria to get a good start on keeping your shoes fresh. Killing these bacteria will make it less likely they can regain a foothold in your shoes.

2. Take an old pair of pantyhose or thin socks. Cut the ends to about six inches or so. Fill hose or socks with charcoal and tie the end. Aquarium charcoal (activated) is probably the most effective in removing stinky odors from shoes.

3. After each use, stuff the baggie of charcoal into your shoes and leave there until the next use. The charcoal will absorb any new odors as they appear and will leave your shoes fresh as a daisy! Staying on top of these stinky odors is key in keeping them away.

Tips & Warnings

• Wadded up newspaper is also very effective at removing odors.

• Try to wear cotton socks when possible, it keeps the sweat from accumulating in shoes, which causes the stinky bacteria.

• Some shoes will not do well with disinfectant, skip this step if you are unsure how the spray will affect the material used inside your shoes. Sprays work best with tennis shoes, and don't work as well with dress shoes.