If your shoes and feet (or someone else's in the house) don't smell
so good, water is the culprit. Bad shoe odors start with shoe beds and
shoe leather that don't dry out after each wearing. Up to half a pint
of water is released through the balls of our feet each day. If you work
on your feet or are athletic, multiply that several times. Handle the
water problem and your shoes and feet will no longer be the scourge of
your household:
Wear copper socks that wick moisture
from the shoe and away from your foot. They also control for bacteria
and it is bacteria that produces the bad odor.
Place cedar shoetrees inside your
shoes after each wearing to dry them out. The trees only need to stay
in overnight - switch each day to that day’s shoes.
Use regular deodorant or a foot deodorant,
such as Lavilin (on the balls of your feet only).
Wear shoes with adequate height (toe room) and the right length and
width to allow air to move in the shoe.