Did you know you could get rid of stinky shoe smells with essential oils? How to get rid of shoe odor is a big problem in my house.  Smelly shoes everywhere, but there are easy ways to rid your home of unpleasant odors with these simple steps how to get rid of shoe smell.

How to Get Rid of Shoe Smell

Is there no end to all the wonderful things essential oils can do?  That’s right, that terrible shoe odor that happens can be treated naturally and we’re going to tell you how.

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Rid Stinky Shoe Smells with Essential Oils

It can happen in kids’ shoes. They smell so bad it makes your eyes water. Yuck! It can happen in runners, in people who work on their feet all day, or really to pretty much anyone. Sometimes our feet just stink and that means our shoes stink as well.

So, what can you do about it?

Get Rid of Odor in Shoes Naturally

Well, before we start talking about essential oils to rid stinky shoe smells, we first need to explore what is causing the odor in the first place.

1. Keep Feet Dry and Clean

Keeping your feet dry and clean is very important. When your feet are not clean, they will smell bad. You should make sure you’re cleaning every day with soap and water. However, moisture can happen in clean feet, making them start to smell. When your feet sweat, or when they get wet from rain, stepping in a puddle, or spills, the moisture can start to create an odor.

2. Keep the Bacteria from Growing

In addition to the bad smell, moisture also means a breeding ground for bacteria. If you have a foot odor even when your feet are dry and just after washing them, you might have bacteria. You can try to combat this by putting anti-bacterial hand sanitizer on your feet, especially before you put them in your shoes.

3. Socks to the Rescue

Finally, you should also avoid wearing your shoes (especially tennis shoes and similar styles) without socks. Socks help soak up the moisture and keep it away from the shoe. Also, socks can be tossed in the washer and cleaned so if your feet get smelly or sweaty (or both) in socks, you just pull them off and wash them but when that happens in your shoes, it’s more difficult to deal with.

Now that you know all of these tips for preventing foot odor in the first place, let’s talk about how essential oils can help with stinky shoes that have already happened.

How to Rid Stinky Shoe Smells with Essential Oils

A Purification essential oil blend is going to be a great choice for shoe odor. That’s because it’s going to lift and cleanse the odor from your shoe, versus just masking it with a new aroma. Some specific essential oils that are good for removing odors are:

• Bergamot
• Grapefruit
• Lemon
• Lemongrass
• Orange
• Sage
• Tangerine
• Oregano
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Tea Tree

All you need to do is place a couple of drops inside the shoe and allow it to completely dry before wearing. You’ll be amazed at how well it works and also how long it lasts!

Make an Essential Oil Foot Spray

There are a ton of ways you can make a simple foot spray out of essential oils, so I wanted to give you just a simple base recipe that you can modify depending on what smells you like the best (and which essential oils you might have handy).

In a small glass bottle (like pictured above), combine the following:

• 10 drops of Purification
• 5 drops of lemongrass
• 5 drops of oregano
• fill the bottle with water

Shake the bottle before each use.  You can use it to spray directly on your feet or into your shoes.  It is gentle enough for daily use.

Feel free to substitute different essential oils and see which you like best!

Make an Essential Oil Shoe Powder

We love Young Living Essential Oils and thought this was a super fun odor elimination idea:

Ingredients Needed to Make Foot Powder

• 1/4 cup Arrow Root Powder
• 1/4 cup Baking Soda
• 15 Drops of Thieves Essential Oil <–my favorite oil from Young Living

Instructions to Make Odor Eliminating Foot Powder

1. Stir until there are no clumps. 
2. Sprinkle into shoes before use.

Related: How to stop hiccups with the easiest home remedy ever!

More Ways to Use Essential Oils

• Essential oils for tummy troubles
• Essential oils to support breast feeding
• Essential oils for carpet stains
• Essential oils for getting rid of fleas naturally
• How to use Lavender Essential Oil
• 2 Ingredient Carpet Cleaner using Essential Oils

And if you have questions about diluting essential oils for toddlers, then check out how we use them.

How are you getting rid of smelly feet at your house?