How to Get Rid of Smelly Feet Permanently

It happens to the best of us, we smell something iffy in the air and realize it is our feet that are causing it. It’s embarrassing in most situations, and even if it is not, the chances of you not wanting your feet to smell horrible are high. If you want to know how to get rid of smelly feet permanently, you first should know what is causing it. In order to diminish it completely, you’ll need to take several actions by treating and preventing it from happening again.

How to Get Rid of Smelly Feet Permanently?

What Are the Causes of Smelly Feet?

There are more than 250,000 sweat glands on each foot, ready to sweat out around a pint of sweat per day. When your feet don’t have any ventilation, the sweat gets stuck in there and creates bacteria because of the humidity and heat. Those bacteria start to ‘’eat’’ your sweat while producing acid which is the primary cause of smelly feet. Gross.

Medical professionals even gave it its name, Bromodosis. As weird as it sounds, your feet smell even after you wash them because they are still dirty. Washing your hands and feet are not the same things since most often than not, your hands are always ventilated unless you are wearing gloves. Some of the reasons why your feet stink may be:

Excessive sweating

Do you have an active daily life? Or your job is really stressful? Both physical activity and stress are a reason for you to sweat. When you are in a fight or flight mode, your adrenaline levels get high. When your adrenalin levels get high, your sweat glands do overtime, trying to cool your body heat. Since our feet have the most sweat glands out of every part of our bodies, your feet sweat more than anywhere else. Some people also have problematic sweat glands, like people with sweaty palms, and need to be checked by the doctor to see if anything can be done.

Not letting your shoes air out

It takes about 24 hours minimum for a shoe to dry. We say at least because your bare hands or feet might think that a shoe is dry doesn’t mean it actually is. Sneakers are stuffed with cotton and other absorbent materials which, like they are supposed to, absorb the sweat from your feet (yes even if you have socks on) and the trapped moisture promotes bacteria growth which makes our feet smell horrible on top of making the shoe smell really bad forever.

Health Problems

Some diseases and medications have been known to cause food odor. Some Diabetic patients who keep a good hygiene routine, still experience foot odor as well as some people on certain medications. Poor hygiene can cause infections as well as fungi, and Athletes foot.

Bad Shoes

Plastic shoes or rubber shoes are the least ventilating shoe types that are out there. Your feet will have no air to breathe therefore it will sweat enormous amounts and grow bacteria on your feet rapidly. Bad shoes and socks are the second most common reason for foot odor after poor foot hygiene.

So, it looks like the main cause of foot odor is the sweat that comes with many things. Now that you have found the problem source, how do you stop it from happening throughout the day? You cannot just take your shoes off anywhere for them to ventilate since some people might end up feeling light-headed. Here are some great ways you can prevent foot odor.

How to Prevent Foot Odor?

It’s always easier to prevent foot odor than actually make it go away. Below you’ll find some easy tricks and hacks to prevent your feet from smelling in the first place. 

Wash Daily/ Soak Regularly

Yes, we know. You take a shower every day. But do you wash your feet every day? Unless you are letting your feet soak in the warm water and then bending over and washing it with soap, paying attention between your toes, and then drying them thoroughly with a dry, clean towel, your feet are not clean.

Just letting the water run down your feet and gently cleaning the top parts with your loofah is not cleaning the bacteria that are stuck in your sweat glands. Wash all sides of your feet with antibacterial soap and make sure to get in between those toenails.

Drying your feet is the most important part since we don’t want more bacteria growing on it.
Soak your feet on days you don’t feel like taking a bath.

Fill a bucket with enough water to cover the top of your feet, drop some soak and cleansing, antibacterial oils in there (see below) and let your feet soak for about 10 minutes, wash the oils off, and dry your feet.

Powder Up!

Powders such as baking soda, cornstarch, baby powder and talc said to absorb extra moisture. This is exactly why those powders are your best friend when you suffer from smelly feet. The tiny absorbent particles will suck up the sweat the glands are making and leave you with nothing but odor-free feet.

Make sure to wash and dry your feet well before you apply to maximize its result. Not many know this But baking soda is a great natural odor Naturalizer. So, Cornstarch and baking soda are better for you if you search for a natural solution.

Antiperspirants

There are special foot deodorants and antiperspirants to help you minimize the odor as well as help your feet sweat less. While deodorants on their own only provide a nice smell, antiperspirant deodorants will to keep the sweating to a minimum and provide a fresh smell.

Better Shoes

You might need new shoes, better shoes. Maybe the smell is happening because your shoes are filled with bacteria even after you wash it. Take into consideration that it might be time to say goodbye to your shoes and start with a new pair with a better understanding of why foot odor happens. Never wear a shoe two days in a row. Always, always wait at least 24 hours before wearing the same shoe again.

Extra Socks

Socks are the only barrier between your feet and your shoes. They suck all the extra sweat your feet produce and immediately start helping the bacteria grow thanks to the cotton.

Find socks made with bamboo or metal thread and carry a couple around in your car or gym bag. When you have to take your shoes off, wash your feet in a sink with warm water and soap, dry them until there is not one drop of moisture on there, slap some corn starch or baking soda powder on it, and put your new socks on. No one will ever know your feet would have made them faint 10 minutes ago.

Remedies and Treatments for Stinky Feet

There are also home remedies you can try to cure your smelly feet as well as new inventions that help us avoid it. The bacteria are not going to live forever, they will have to die and disappear sometime. You can try the methods below to get rid of your smelly feet for good.

Regular Pedicure

Pedicurists will soak your feet in a lovely massager tank, remove the outer layer of the bottom of your feet and heels and clean the inside of your nails for you, doing this regularly will consistently get rid of extra skin the bacteria can grow on and help you reach an odor-free set of feet within a couple of months, with proper care.

Shoe Inserts/Sneaker Balls

With technology comes a new set of innovations that help our everyday lives, shoe inserts are made to suck up the heat and moisture from the inside of your shoes after you insert them, so they are ready to be used again in the morning.

A great invention you can find online or at many shoe stores. Also available at shoe stores and online, is something called sneaker balls, which according to some reviews are a lifesaver for people with smelly feet.

Bath Soaks

Black tea, vinegar, sage leaves, and sodium bicarbonate are all fantastic bath soaks with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory components. Fill your bathtub or a bucket just enough to cover your feet, drop a small mixture of these and let your feet soak for 10 minutes.

After you dry your feet, apply 2-3 drops of lavender oil on your feet and rub it in. make sure you aren’t allergic to essential oil, and lavender oil by doing a small patch test on your wrist 24 hours before applying it on your feet.

Botox

Sounds painful and it probably is but Botox stops your sweat glands from producing sweat and it works perfectly on feet. If you have excessive sweating that you can no longer tolerate and want to see what life is like barefoot without embarrassment, Botox might be the way to go for you.

Especially if you don’t have the time to keep up with a wash, dry, powder, and change the socks kind of routine.

Consult your Doctor

How to Get Rid of Smelly Feet Permanently – Conclusion

It is great that with a lot of research and innovations, There are several things that may help you if you are searching for the answer on how to get rid of smelly feet permanently. Whatever the cause, foot odor is never pleasing. Keeping a strict hygiene routine means keeping your feet odor-free.

Having smelly feet probably means you cannot wear your socks for more than one day which is indeed what everyone who wants to stay away from fungi should do. Change your socks every day or even twice a day with washes in between. Maybe even keep a travel-sized bottle of cornstarch powder at your desk at work and of course, most importantly, don’t wear rubber or plastic shoes.