DS shoes reek! | Imamother

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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry

DS shoes reek!

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soap suds

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:22 pm

DS (10) shoes smell awful! As soon as he takes them off, you can smell it across the room. I don't know what it's from. He never had a problem like this before. It's a musty, moldy kind of smell.
Any advice? They're fairly new, so I really don't want to have to replace them.

thunderstorm

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:26 pm

My kids shoes smell that way after they step in rain puddles, get their shoes wet etc and there is no way to get the stench out.

hanna2010

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:37 pm

My teen son has been struggling with this for years. We tried everything under the sun, from soaking his feet in bleach, spraying his shoes with Clorox, separating feet with clinical anti persistent deoderant, speacial balls in the shoes. Nothing helped. It’s from sweat and fungus.
This is what we found to work best:
We bought him socks that wick away sweat, which are washed in boiling water after use. He changes socks midday.
He has 2 pairs of weekday shoes and orthotics so he can switch off every other day, giving the shoes a chance to air out.

The best product is “sweat x” Which he sprays his shoes and orthotics with every day. You can purchase it on amazon.

Actually, I see amazon doesn’t have it in stock anymore.

Following is the amazon description:

Sweat X Sport Extreme Odor Eliminator Spray, Multipurpose Non-Toxic Deodorizer for Stinky Shoes, Sports Equipment and All Odors, 8 Ounce Concentrated Formula, No Washing Required
Sweat X Sport Extreme Odor Eliminator Spray, Multipurpose Non-Toxic Deodorizer for Stinky Shoes, Sports Equipment and All Odors, 8 Ounce Concentrated Formula, No Washing Required

I originally purchased it in a sporting goods store.

Hatzlacha!

soap suds

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:40 pm

thunderstorm wrote:

My kids shoes smell that way after they step in rain puddles, get their shoes wet etc and there is no way to get the stench out.

That makes sense. He did get drenched on Chol Hamoed. I didn't notice the smell until this week, though. That's why I didn't make the connection.
I do hope you're wrong about there being no way to get it out.

thunderstorm

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:41 pm

There are two different issues. Some shoes get a moldy smell because they got wet and then if the person wore wet shoes they can develop fungus. This wetness may be from the rain, a puddle or maybe sweat.
They are two different type of smells. The fungal smell is almost like the smell of vomit or a vinegar sour type of smell.
There is a powder my older teen uses that works really well . You need to follow the exact instructions it's called On Your Toes foot powder sold by Amazon. However I would not feel comfortable using it on a 10 yr old.

soap suds

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:44 pm

I don't think it's fungus. Wouldn't I see something on his feet if it were?

amother

Orange

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:53 pm

Try putting in baking soda. Leave it in, even when he wears his shoes. Baking soda removes odors.

amother

Orange

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:53 pm

Forgot to add, that you should add more every day...

abaker

Mon, May 06 2019, 9:54 pm

Dr sholls sneaker spray is the best! Put in shoes before the first wear and then again weekly. It works amazing for DH.

amother

Azure

Mon, May 06 2019, 10:53 pm

Firstly is it his shoes or his feet? Have a look at the soles of his feet, is there anything unusal looking? Are they patchy or red, or "pitted" in some spots?

My kid had the stinkiest feet, also out of nowhere. I took him to the doctor and it turned out to be a bacterial infection that some people are more prone to - its medical term is "Pitted Keratolysis", we call it Stinky Feet.
It was diagnosed by a dermatologist (the pediatrician wasn't so familiar with it when I told him about it).
the treatment is simple - clindamycin gel daily.
It cleared up quickly and now we're very careful to make sure feet get cleaned and dried, socks get changed etc. (incidentally it started during a VERY hectic time in our lives, so I do think he wasn't super on top of his hygiene at the time) = more bacteria and more likelihood of infection.
It returned once but now we can safely think of it in the past tense, and breathe easy Very Happy

I remember one of my siblings had the stinkiest feet and we gave him such a hard time Sad

All he probably needed was a bit of the antibiotic gel...

ETA:
Don't apply any ointment without checking in with a doctor (preferably dermatologist). One time I though it had returned due to a bit of stinkiness, but she told me confidently that this time he just needs to clean his feet, no sign of any infection - and she was right. (Clindamycin is prescription only, but I have alot left from previous treatment).

soap suds

Mon, May 06 2019, 10:56 pm

amother [ Orange ] wrote:

Try putting in baking soda. Leave it in, even when he wears his shoes. Baking soda removes odors.

Thanks Orange. I'll definitely be trying that.

soap suds

Mon, May 06 2019, 10:57 pm

abaker wrote:

Dr sholls sneaker spray is the best! Put in shoes before the first wear and then again weekly. It works amazing for DH.

Where do I get this? Pharmacy?

soap suds

Mon, May 06 2019, 10:58 pm

amother [ Azure ] wrote:

I remember one of my siblings had the stinkiest feet and we gave him such a hard time Sad

I believe it's the shoes, not his feet. But it can't hurt to take a look just to make sure. Thanks for the pointers.

hanna2010

Mon, May 06 2019, 10:59 pm

FYI my son has absolutely no visible signs on his feet. He saw a pediatrician, foot dr and derma. He simply sweats a lot through his feet.
In any case... definitely try all the recommendations.
Not everyone responds the same way.

amother

Azure

Mon, May 06 2019, 11:06 pm

hanna2010 wrote:

Maybe it's worth asking about the clindamycin if it is so persistent? The dermatologist did imply that people who sweat more are more likely to catch it.

Yes to cotton socks!! I looked all over, it seems like alot of sports socks nowadays aren't cotton.
And yes to wash in hot and run through dryer.

esther36

Mon, May 06 2019, 11:07 pm

Check inside the shoes. I had this last year with two of my kids. The insoles in the shoes were moldy. U actually saw the spores:( I took out the insole in the shoes and replaced them and it made a huge difference besides for using the odor eaters spray and baking soda...good luck!!

yiddishmom

Mon, May 06 2019, 11:12 pm

I once put a tea bag in each shoe for a day or two and the smell disappeared.

soap suds

Mon, May 06 2019, 11:21 pm

yiddishmom wrote:

I once put a tea bag in each shoe for a day or two and the smell disappeared.

Just a dry tea bag?

Last edited by soap suds on Mon, May 06 2019, 11:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Honeydew

Mon, May 06 2019, 11:21 pm

Are they geox?
Because their latest shoes have a smell
a shoe store confirmed it with me

soap suds

Mon, May 06 2019, 11:24 pm

amother [ Honeydew ] wrote:

Are they geox?
Because their latest shoes have a smell
a shoe store confirmed it with me

Yes they are. But he's been wearing them for a couple of months without a problem. My other son also wears Geox and his are fine, too. Makes more sense that they got wet.

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