Do your smelly feet prevent you from taking your shoes off in another person’s house? Is your family bothered by your smelly feet?
If the answer is yes, then let us help you with your condition. The good news is you can cure smelly feet quickly with natural home remedies!
The medical term for smelly feet is bromodosis. It can make you feel embarrassed when you’re around other people, especially your friends.
The worst-case scenario is not wanting to let your partner know about your smelly feet and making him/her live with it, thus affecting your private life.
Sweaty feet mean smelly feet. Fortunately, there are a few simple steps that you can take to prevent this condition. In addition, feet usually stink, so you’re not alone.
Since foot odor can be a bigger problem for some people than others, you may be asking:
“Why do feet smell and what can be done about smelly feet and shoes?”
This article covers all the whats, whys, and hows of smelly feet.
Smelly Feet Symptoms
- Wet feet feeling inside your shoes
- Tickling sensation in the feet
- Excessive odor from your shoes and feet every time you put on and take off your shoes
- Peeling, cracking, and scaling of the feet
What Is the Cause of Foot Odor and Stinky Shoes?
Sweat glands can be found all over our body. Set deep in the skin, they are responsible for keeping it moist.
Sweat glands control our body’s temperature when the weather is hot or when we are engaged in physical activities.
There are more sweat glands in our feet than anywhere else in the body. However, unlike the sweat glands elsewhere, those in the feet are always secreting sweat.
When your feet sweat a lot, your shoes and socks get wet. This promotes fungal and bacterial growth.
The sweat also stays on bare skin, thereby increasing the intensity of the odor.
The fungi and bacteria are responsible for the smell on your feet and inside your shoes. We can conclude that the main causes of sweaty and smelly feet are:
- Wearing the same shoes every day. Feet become smelly if sweat soaks into the shoes and you wear them again and again before they dry.
- Poor personal hygiene
- Hormonal changes, which cause feet to sweat more than usual
- Stress
- Fungal infections
- Overactive sweat glands
- Hyperhidrosis, a condition wherein a person sweats more than usual
You can also find a detailed and thorough post on stinky shoes here.
Home Remedies for Smelly Feet
A simple way to deal with this problem is to decrease and control the amount of sweat your feet produces. There are many different remedies for treating stinky feet, and if none of the following works for you, you should immediately consult a doctor.
- Use antiperspirant sprays
- Wear moisture wicking socks
- Wash your feet with an antifungal soap daily
- Use antibacterial foot powder both inside your socks and your shoes to keep moisture at bay
- Let your shoes fully dry before putting them on again
- Wash your stinky shoes regularly
How Soon Do You Need to Cure Smelly Feet?
If you neglect your condition and have not gone to a doctor for help, you may encounter some serious health risks, such as:
- Diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, and peripheral arterial disease.
- Foot infections and Athlete’s foot. Cuts and breaks in the skin can also lead to skin and blood infections later on.
- Toenail fungus. The big and little toes are particularly prone to fungal infections because they come into immediate contact with the footwear and sweat.
- Regular or intermittent pain, ranging from mild to severe.
In a nutshell, bacteria is to be blamed for excessive foot odor. These tiny organisms that live in your feet multiply sweat production. Thus, it is strongly suggested to always wear socks.
Another reason for smelly feet is lack of ventilation. Each foot has more than 250,000 sweat glands, producing more than a pint of sweat per day. With this much sweat, odor is inevitable; thus, many shoe companies provide extra ventilation in their footwear.
Do Not Hesitate to Contact a Healthcare Specialist
Foot odor can also be a symptom of another medical issue. For example, hyperhidrosis is a condition where a person’s sweat glands produce excessive sweat and thus a foul smell.
Fungal infections, which are very common, can cause dry, flaky skin that bacteria love to feed on. Both of these conditions can be treated professionally.
How to Prevent Smelly Feet
The best way to prevent smelly feet is to ensure good personal hygiene and not wear the same shoes for two days in a row. It is crucial to wash your feet every day and dry them thoroughly, paying special attention to the spaces between the toes. Wear clean socks every day. Other things that you can do are:
- Apply a spray deodorant on your feet
- Wear socks made from wool, coolmax, or other moisture wicking fibers that offer a high level of ventilation
- Apply surgical spirit on the spaces between your toes after every bath. Do not forget to dry your feet with a towel first.
- Buy a few pairs of shoes and interchange them so you do not wear the same pair two days in a row. Wait about 24 hours before you wear a pair of shoes again.
- Always keep your feet dry, clean, and cool
If you’re also being bothered by toenail fungus:
- Avoid wearing socks that do not absorb moisture during the warm weather
- Keep your toenails short and dry and never allow sweat to dry up there
- Regularly air out your shoes in between uses
Talk to Your Doctor
Should you decide to consult your doctor regarding your smelly feet, here are some questions that you can ask on your visit:
- Do I have hyperhidrosis?
- Should I change my shoe brand?
- How often do I need to wash my feet?
- How can I avoid fungal infection?
- How much damage has been done by my smelly feet so far and how can I reverse it?
Sweaty feet and smelly shoes can be embarrassing especially when you’re in public. But now you know that foot odor can be treated with just home remedies.
While it appears to be a minor issue, keep in mind that smelly feet can lead to some serious health problems. There’s no reason to neglect foot odor when you have all the information you need to treat smelly feet and shoes. We hope you found this article helpful and we urge you to pay attention to your health!
Bonus video