Stinky shoes. We all have to deal with it as some point or another. Here in my home…it’s a weekly problem when it comes to my husband’s shoes, especially his stinky shoes from work!
Over the past few years I’ve found some great homemade and natural shoe deodorizers that work pretty well. Some of these work better than others and will depend on the ‘stink’ and type of shoe that you’re dealing with.
9 Homemade Natural Shoe Deodorizers
1. Baking Soda – Buy two little cotton canvas drawstring bags and put 2 to 3 tablespoons of baking soda into each bag. Pull the drawstring shut. Place one bag into each shoe and let them sit for 48 hours. Remove bags and the odors should be gone!
2. Orange Peels – Love oranges? Save those orange peels! Place 2-3 orange peels into each shoe and let them sit overnight. The peels will absorb stinky odors and leave behind a clean & fresh scent.
3. Coffee Beans – Place 4-5 coffee beans onto the center of a 12″ by 12″ square of newspaper. Crumble the newspaper up around the coffee beans (into a ball) and place one in each shoe. Let shoes sit for 24-48 hours and the stinky smells should be gone!
4. Natural Baby Powder – Sprinkle the inside of each shoe with baby powder. Let them sit for 48 hours and vacuum out the baby powder with the nozzle attachment on your vacuum. Repeat as needed to remove odors.
5. Vanilla Cotton Balls – Fold up a paper towel and place inside each shoe. Add 1-2 drops of vanilla extract onto one cotton ball (per shoe) and place inside. Let shoes sit overnight. Remove cotton balls and paper towel.
6. Vinegar – Find an old pair of socks (kid’s socks work well) and lightly spritz the socks with a combination of vinegar and water (I dilute it in a spray bottle). Don’t soak the socks! Place each shoe into a large gallon size zipper-closure bag along with the balled up sock. Seal. Let sit overnight. Remove shoe and toss the old sock & plastic bag.
7. Citrus Essential Oil – Purchase lemon, lime, grapefruit or orange essential oil. Put 1-2 drops of essential oil inside each shoe on the insole. Let them air out overnight and your stinky odors should be gone.
8. Epsom Salt Sachets – Make your own Epsom Salt Sachets by mixing up 3/4 cup of Epsom salt with 4-6 drops of your favorite essential oil. I like using orange or peppermint. Once the salts and essential oil have been combined, split mixture into half and spoon into sachet bags. Pull strings shut and place one sachet into each shoe. Let them sit in shoes for 2-3 days to work their magic.
9. Eucalyptus Leaves – Place 3-4 Eucalyptus leaves into each shoe and then place each shoe into a gallon size zipper closure bag. Let them sit in the bags for 48 hours. Remove, toss leaves and enjoy clean smelling shoes!
The best way to get control of stinky odors is to get on it right away. Don’t let those shoes sit around in a closet, trunk of the car or down in the damp basement and fester for too long. The sooner you treat the problem…the quicker and easier it is to remove the smell. Good Luck!
* Image used in this blog post is courtesy of FreeImages.com.
These are some great ideas! I love the idea of using vanilla and the citrus peels! I can already smell them!
I only knew a few of these remedies and I am very happy to learn some other natural deodorizer recipes.
I love finding homemade solutions instead of spending money on products from the store! Baking soda and essential oils have so many other uses as well.
This isn’t usually a big issue in our house, but I’m glad to have your DIY suggestions, most of which are new to me. I especially like the idea of using a few coffee beans and newspaper–easy peasy. Thanks!
I would have never thought to use some of these. The deodorizers they sell in the store are so expensive, and if you ask me, don’t even work. I will try a few and see what works best for me. Thanks!!
The idea of Orange Peels and Coffee Beans are unusual. Both things I always have on hand. The rest of remedies are all that do not surprise me.
These natural solutions for odors in shoes are fabulous. Thank you
I’m lucky that I don’t have stinky shoes. I don’t like wearing shoes so they don’t stay on my fee for long.
Here’s a tip from my mom: Don’t ever put moth balls in or near your shoes! That horrible moth ball smell won’t ever come out of your fabrics or leather…at least for a very long time!
WOW! I have never heard of these easy remedies before this post. Thanks for the tips.