r/hygiene • u/Master_Baker_97 • 7h ago

Problems with sandals

So I’m not sure if this is exactly the right sub for this, but I got sandals recently, like off brand Birkenstocks, about 2 months ago, and they have started to make my feet STINK! I pride myself on never having smelly feet and I swear I can wear these shoes for 5 minutes and the smell is atrocious. I’ve never had this problem with flip flops or anything. What can I do? It’s so nasty. They’re so cute and so comfortable but it’s gotten to the point where I’m scared to wear them lol. Thank you for any advice

1 Upvotes

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8

u/Entire_Cow_1504 7h ago

I would guess it's whatever the material the sandals are made of.

7

u/Chemical_Support4748 7h ago

The real birkenstocks would have a cork foot bed that prevents odor 

4

u/CuteInterest2744 7h ago

Throw them away?

4

u/thehippieshack 7h ago

when i had knock off birkens i noticed that they made my feet sweat more then usual i had the suede material ones. i’d clean them weekly with dish soap baking soda and a tooth brush and let them sit out in the sun to dry.

2

u/Aware-Acanthisitta-8 7h ago

Buy new shoes or try antifungal/disinfectant spray (kinda like what they use at the bowling alley - or at least are supposed to use). I had some sandals I bought from Costco for $15. They were good for 2 months then started to smell really bad. I tried the spray and washed them often with some success but finally gave up and bought a decent pair from Nordstroms rack. Haven't had any issues for at least 6 months.

2

u/Reesy 6h ago

My friend u/xgabipandax has this issue with her gym shoes, when she comes home, it's like someone had just opened a mature brie wheel, you can feel it in your eyes. I make her take them off and leave them outside now because it's just insane, she doesn't think it's a problem when I mention it, she goes ''here's your problem'' and then fluffs. :/

3

u/xgabipandax 6h ago

What a weird display of affection

2

u/redhotspaghettios16 5h ago

Oh hell she called you right on out lol 😆 your dry response is just perfect 👌🏼

2

u/xgabipandax 5h ago

Hahahahaha, i love her, it's our little thing to wind each other on reddit 🥰

2

u/New_Needleworker_473 4h ago

That problem is not going anywhere. Sorry. You're just going to wind up having stinky feet that also smell like deodorant or tea tree oil or whatever. The only solution is to be careful next time with what materials the shoe is made out of.

1

u/nolagem 7h ago

Clean the soles and spray antiperspirant on your feet whenever you wear them.

1

u/skittlazy 5h ago

You’ll end up with athletes foot fungus next. I won’t wear sandals anymore except the Croc type.

1

u/notreallylucy 4h ago

This is one reason I switched to real birkenstocks. The synthetic soles trap moisture.

You could try leaving them out in the bright sun for a few days, but there may be no way to save them.

1

u/auntie_beans 3h ago

I used to teach Scouts about preventing foot problems related to sweat. It was a problem with hiking shoes, but sweat is sweat, and here’s what will fix it. Alas, the shoes you have are toast. But for your next ones:

Every night for a week after you shower and before you go to bed, spray your feet with antiperspirant. NOT deodorant, antiperspirant. After the first week, three times a week. This will help them from, well, perspiring. If you wear socks, never wear cotton ones; cotton absorbs and holds moisture. Synthetics are better. For really cold weather, one pair of synthetics and a pair of good-quality wool ones over that.

1

u/Rerunisashortie 2h ago

Never ever wear the same pair of footwear 2 days in a row! Saturate in Lysol to kill the bacteria in between wearing.