To look your best, wearing heels is usually a necessity. For this reason, many women find it disconcerting when they find out that their nicest pair of heels has developed the stench of foot odor. As a common problem in shoes worn only with nylon stockings, sweat and skin cells can make their way within the shoe to create a breeding ground for odorous bacteria.
There exist a wide range of kitchen and bathroom ingredient that can work well in neutralizing odors within heels. By following the below tips, your heels will be odor-free and smelling like new.
Smell Removal Solutions for Heels
1 Outside + Sun
Placing the the heels outside will leverage several natural elements for deodorizing the footwear. The fresh air and open space will help in diffusing the odorous residues and the ultra violet rays will work to neutralize the odorous residues on the spot. When applying this solution, be sure to place the heels in a location within the yard where it will be sure to receive a minimum of 8 hours of direct sunlight. If an odor remains after 8 hours, they can be placed outside in direct sunlight for an additional day or two until it has freshened up.
2 Baking Soda Sprinkle
This ingredient is one of the best household solutions for absorbing difficult odors from the interior of footwear. Every night sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of baking soda within the interior of heeled shoes and shuffle them to ensure that the deodorizing powder cover the bottom surface. If the heeled shoes are used daily, continue doing this nightly until the shoes are smelling fresh.
3 Scoop of Cat Litter
As a product meant for a cat’s waste, many are surprised that it can yield effective results when used within the interior of shoes. Keeping a small cup of fresh cat litter by the bed can be used to pour into the interior of shoes nightly. Pour approximately 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cat litter within each heeled shoe. Upon pouring in shuffle to allow the cat little bits to come into contact with all areas the the foot would normally come into contact with. In the morning, this cat litter can be poured back into the cup to be used the following night.
4 Enzyme Wads
If the above solutions have not been effective, using enzymes to eat through the smelly residues is a viable option. First, wad up six to eight balls of paper towels. Next, lightly dip the edges within a disk of enzyme cleaning solution and proceed to stuff them within the interior of the shoe. Once these wads fill each shoe, allow the wads to sit for 24-48 hours before removing them and placing the shoes aside to air dry any remaining moisture.
5 Rubbing Alcohol Cotton Balls
In a similar methodology to enzyme wads, rubbing alcohol soaked cotton balls can used to deodorize the interior of heeled shoes. Fill a small bowl with rubbing alcohol and water mixed in equal parts. Proceed to dip cotton balls and lightly place them within the interior of the shoes. Once the area that the foot normally comes into contact with is covered by these dipped cotton balls, you can place the shoe aside for 24-48 hours. After this time period has passed and the mixture has evaporated, the cotton balls can be removed and the shoes can be put back into use.
6 Nightly Activated Charcoal
With enough time, the use of activated charcoal can work well in absorbing difficult odors from the interior of high heels. Begin by finding an old pair of nylons and cutting the leggings apart into two different parts. Next, drop two to three charcoal briquettes into each and tie a know to enclose them within the foot areas of the leggings. Finalize by placing the nylon enclosed charcoal briquettes within each of the high heels and allowing them to sit over night. Continue using these activated charcoal inserts nightly until no odor remains within the shoes.
Photo Credit: Benedict Benedict