Why do my shoes stink?

Many people suffer from smelly shoes. Yet, although many manufacturers advertise ‘maximum breath-ability' and ‘advanced textile technologies' all types of footwear - be they trainers, deck shoes, or Oxford brogues - are susceptible to becoming very smelly indeed. So why does this happen? And what can we do about it?

The reason for stinking shoes is quite simple really: sweat. Of course, sweating cannot really be helped, and if it is occurring whilst wearing shoes there is little to do to stop it - wearing thinner socks (or no socks at all) is certainly not the answer. The good news is that sweat, although the cause, is not actually producing the smell. After all, sweat is pretty much only water and a very small amount of minerals.

The true reason for the smell in your deck shoes is bacteria. After sweat is produced, bacteria feed on it - and it is what bacteria excrete that actually smells. There is a lot of surface area on your feet and within your shoe for bacteria to thrive upon, not to mention between your toes, on hairs, and within socks. When all these places for bacteria to live are considered, it is not surprising that shoes often smell. Other bacteria contribute to shoe smells but do not feed on sweat. Brevibacteria feeds on dead skin and is the primary cause for the distinctive phenomenon: cheesy feet.

Of course, more breathable socks (i.e. not polyester and nylon) do go some way to reducing sweat and its subsequent effects. Additionally, the cleaner your feet, shoes and socks are, the less they are likely to smell (this may seem obvious, but how many of change our socks during the day? And how many of us clean the inside of our shoes?). Wearing no socks can be detrimental to your ‘no smell' campaign because there will be more perspiration in contact with the bacteria on you feet.

So how does one de-smell a pair of well worn shoes? There are many suppliers of specialist products manufactured to get rid of bad foot smells; however there are other remedies available. Sodium bicarbonate kills off bacteria by making its environment uninhabitable - adding a couple of pinches to the inside of your shoes, socks, or directly onto your feet is a tried and tested method. Yet there are even more strange measures that can be taken, such as: allspice in the shoes, and bathing your feet in iced tea. At the very least, it's good to know that things can be done!

If you would Like to know more about Non Smelly Deck Shoes then please come and visit out website at: http://www.chatham-marine.co.uk/