Foot odor in your climbing shoes is caused by bacteria. That is the bottom line. That is the end to the “why do my shoes stink” question.
It doesn’t matter if you shoes are leather or synthetic. It doesn’t matter if you are male or female. It doesn’t matter if your shoes are new or old. Bacteria is causing the odor.
3 Steps To Get Rid Of Foot Odor In Your Climbing Shoes Today
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- Step 2. Use a DIY spray of water, rubbing alcohol, and essential oil
- Step 3. Improve your foot hygiene
Details of Step 1. Use The Hair Dryer Method
Use your hair dryer to dry out your climbing shoes and kill the bacteria.
If you have a hair dryer, you know how to use it. Hold it 2 – 4 inches away from the shoe and direct the heat into the shoe; moving the “aim” of the hair dryer back and forth from toebox to heel. Do it for about a minute in each climbing shoe, then repeat.
You must be smart. DO NOT bury the hair dryer into the toebox of your shoe. If you overheat your shoe, you can unglue the rubber from the shoe. If you are a dummy, and heat your shoes up so that it comes unglued, I won’t know what to say other than you are a dummy.
Details of Step 2. My Super Secret DIY Shoe Spray Recipe
- Buy a small spray bottle with an atomizing sprayer
- Fill it approximately 1/2 with rubbing alcohol and 1/2 with water
- Add approximately 20 – 40 drop of essential oil
Now, saturate the insides of your shoes with 20 or 30 sprays. Then, allow to dry thoroughly .
Essential oils with bateriocidal properties as verified by the NIH (National Institute of Health):
- Cinnamon oil: The best at killing bacteria. [Amazon link for Cinnamon oil]
- Lemon Grass oil: Smells like Trix cereal. [Amazon link for Lemon Grass oil]
- Oregano oil: Your shoes will smell like Pesto. [Amazon link for Oregano oil]
- Thyme oil: Smells like a nice salad dressing [Amazon link for Thyme oil]
- Clove oil: Will make you want a pumpkin pie. [Amazon link for Clove oil]
- Lavender oil: This is my favorite smell. [Amazon link for Lavender oil]
- Eucalyptus oil: Reminds me of Vicks Vaporub. [Amazon link for Eucalyptus oil]
- Orange oil: Smells like Oranges. [Amazon link for Orange oil]
Details of Step 3. Improve Your Foot Hygiene and Foot Health
This shouldn’t be embarrassing. But, not everyone knows how to keep their feet clean and hygienic. Use the “thingy” on your nail clippers to clean out under your toe nails. Sure, it is gross, but take care of your feet.
- Trim and clean out your toe nails.
- Take your socks off.
- Wash your feet daily.
- Use powder to keep your feet dry.
- Fix your diet.
- Eat more fermented foods.
- Eat less sugar.
- Use a hair dryer on your feet to start killing the bacteria and fungus on your feet.
- In the same manner you use Climb On or Joshua Tree for your fingers and fingernails; spend a few minutes using those salves on your toes and toenails.
WARNINGS and CAUTIONS:
Do NOT use undiluted essential oils directly on your skin or directly on your climbing shoes. Undiluted essential oils can irritate your skin.
Do NOT spray rubbing alcohol directly on the rubber. Over time, the rubbing alcohol may eat away at the rubber or dissolve the glue.
Undiluted essential oils will leave the inside of your shoes oily. Duh.
Do NOT trim the edges of your toenails deeply into the nail bed.
Do NOT burn your feet or toes with a hair dryer. Duh.
This 3-Step Methodology is Superior to Name Brand Sprays and Powders
When I polled the Kansas City Climbing Club, almost everyone said to AVOID over-the-counter sprays. The biggest complaint is that those types of sprays leave a coating inside the climbing shoes. That coating builds up inside the shoes and makes the shoe slippy or feel gross on the inside.
The water and rubbing alcohol mixture evaporates completely. The oil is miscible (can mix evenly) in rubbing alcohol so it WILL NOT LEAVE A OILY COATING inside your climbing shoe.
Here are other methods suggested by climbers and boulderers inside of the Kansas City Climbing Club to get rid of foot odor in your climbing shoes today. These methods did not work for me, but may work for you:
- Freeze the shoes.
- Stuff shoes with newspaper after every climb
- Stuff shoes with a dryer sheet
- Make a baking soda solution
Read More About Foot Odor at WebMD: Smelly Feet.
Read More About Foot Odor at Wikipedia: Foot Odor
Read about more maintaining your gear inside of HCRBeta’s Gear and Maintenance Category.
Jason Clements is the founder of and writer for HCRBeta, Hike Climb Relax: How to… He lives in Shawnee, Kansas and also runs the cell phone recycling company, Cells for Cells, which recycles cell phones to raise money for families battling cancer. You can follow Jason on Facebook or on Twitter @jasonclements.
Did this article save your shoes? Did these tips help you finally solve your foot odor problem? You can tip Jason by clicking the PayPal Me link below. Thank you for supporting HCRBeta!
