How to get rid of bad foot odor

Foot odor, like body odor and bad breath, is an unpleasant problem and causes a person to be embarrassed in public. But what is the cause of bad foot odor? Many of us sometimes experience the problem of moisture, sweat, and foot odor, but for some others, this phenomenon has become a permanent and annoying problem. Foot odor can affect different aspects of a person's life. In places like the airport or the club where a person has to take off his shoes, bad foot odor will cause him embarrassment.

What is the cause of bad foot odor?

Excessive sweating of the feet causes foot odor. There are nearly 250,000 sweat glands in the foot, usually the foot sweats more than other parts of the body. The reason for the existence of these glands is to keep the skin moist and regulate the body temperature. In fact, these glands act like a thermostat.
When it's hot outside or you get hot from exercise, your body's thermostat kicks in to regulate your body temperature. For this purpose, the sweat glands secrete sweat. But foot sweating is different from the sweating of other sweat glands in the body, which sweat continuously and little.
Excessive sweating of the feet may occur in both feet or one of them. The exact cause of this phenomenon has not yet been determined, but it seems that excessive activity of sweat glands and genetic factors play an important role in this issue.
When bacteria on the skin break down the sweat coming out of the pores, it produces a cheesy smell. Daily stress, some injuries in the structural tissue of the foot, standing a lot on the feet, wearing the same shoes continuously and every day, not observing personal hygiene, hormonal changes in the body (especially in teenagers and pregnant women) and athletes who have the problem of fungal infections such as ” Athletes' foot disease is one of the causes of foot odor.
Foot odor becomes more intense in the hot seasons, but this problem may occur at any time of the year. But bad weather can worsen the condition and even cause cracks and blisters on the feet.
According to the American Podiatric Association, the most obvious sign of foot odor is excessive sweating. This excessive sweating is such that some people constantly slip their feet inside the shoes. Also, the appearance of the feet may become white and wet, and even foot infections may occur. Constant wet feet cause the skin to crack and allow infections to develop.
These bacteria and excessive sweating cause foot odor. Those who suffer from hyperhidrosis (excessive and abnormal sweating) may experience emotional stress and anxiety caused by foot odor, which worsens their mood. Worry caused by foot sweating and isolation is mostly seen in teenagers with “plantar hyperhidrosis”.

1. Wash your feet with salt water

One of the main causes of foot odor is the presence of bacteria that live on the skin of the feet and nails. To eliminate the bacteria that cause bad foot odor, try to wash your feet with salt water every day.
Mix 2 cups of water with 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of salt (preferably Epsom salt) and soak your feet in it for 15 minutes every day for two weeks to get rid of foot odor.

2. Wash the feet with vinegar

Vinegar (especially apple cider vinegar) has strong antibacterial properties and helps to eliminate foot odor by killing foot bacteria.
Mix two glasses of apple cider vinegar with two glasses of warm water and leave your feet in it for 25 minutes, then rinse well with cold water.

3. Wear cotton socks

We suggest you to always use cotton and cotton socks to prevent feet from sweating and to eliminate foot odor.

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4. Put baby powder or talcum powder in your shoes

One of the best and easiest ways to treat foot odor is to use baby powder or talcum powder in shoes; Baby powder absorbs moisture from shoes and helps to treat foot odor by preventing sweating.
In addition to baby powder, you can use corn starch for this purpose.

5. Massage the feet with cedar oil

In addition to being aromatic, cedar oil has strong anti-fungal and antiseptic properties, and massaging the feet with it helps to eliminate foot odor.
Every night before bed, mix 5 drops of cedar oil with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil and gently massage the feet with it, put on cotton socks and leave it overnight.

6. Massage the feet with lavender oil

In addition to being aromatic, lavender oil has antibacterial properties and helps to eliminate foot odor.

7. Clean the feet with garlic and honey

Garlic has strong anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties, honey is a natural antiseptic, and the combination of these two is considered one of the best natural and home remedies for foot odor.
Grate 5 cloves of fresh garlic and combine with 2 to 3 teaspoons of natural honey. Apply this mixture on the feet and leave it for an hour, then wash with warm water and dry well.

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8. Follow the hygiene tips

You can easily get rid of foot odor by observing daily foot hygiene. Usually, this is done by washing the feet with antibacterial soap.
Be sure to wash your feet every day and then dry all parts of your feet, especially your toes. Then dip a piece of cotton in apple cider vinegar and moisten your fingers with it. Using an antibacterial foot brush can also help treat foot odor. But if you have cracked feet or skin eczema, do not use these brushes.
Always keep your nails short and clean. This prevents nail fungus (a type of skin fungus). You can gently remove hardened skin and calluses with a pumice stone or file. The hard skin of the feet becomes very moist when sweating and becomes an ideal place for the growth of bacteria.

9. Use natural antifungal solutions

The following simple solutions will help you get rid of the bad smell of your feet.

• You can use apple cider vinegar for temporary treatment of foot odor. To do this, combine one part apple cider vinegar with two parts water and put your feet in it to help reduce foot odor by killing bacteria. Apple cider vinegar fights foot odor with its antifungal properties.
• using Tea It can also help treat foot odor. Pour 4 to 5 tea bags in a liter of water. You can use plain tea bags or mint tea bags. Make the tea in your usual way. Then let it cool down and put your feet in it for 20 minutes. Do this every day.
  In all the above methods, dry your feet completely after finishing the work.

10. Change your shoes

Don't wear a particular shoe every day. This helps prevent foot odor. When you use 2 or 3 pairs of shoes, you give your shoes a chance to dry completely before the next use. This can help prevent “cavitary keratolysis.” Cavity keratolysis is a complication that creates holes in the soles of the feet and reduces the ability to bear pressure on the surface of the soles of the feet.
Wearing leather shoes allows your feet to breathe and is better at preventing foot odor than cloth shoes. Also, wearing sandals and open shoes can prevent foot odor.
Using removable insoles, constantly changing them and drying them can help prevent foot odor.

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• Make a sock full of baking soda and put it on top of your shoes every night.
• Pour a teaspoon of baking soda into each sole of the shoe, shake well until the powder penetrates the tip and the entire shoe, and let it sit overnight.
• Add some cloves to your smelly shoes: Put a handful of cloves in a tissue, tie a knot and place them in each shoe. Let it sit for a few hours until the smell goes away.
• You can do the same for the socks drawer.
• Place a dryer sheet in your shoes after wearing them. A sheet can last about a week.
• Place the shoes in a ziplock plastic bag and place them in the freezer overnight. Freezing temperatures kill most odor-causing bacteria.
• Break the charcoal into small pieces and put it inside a pair of old gloves and put it in your shoes.
• Dry your shoes by placing them near a heater or in a sunny location.
• Remove the shoelace and lift the tab to dry the shoes faster.
• By drying your shoes, you help prevent the growth of bacteria so that they do not cause bad odor.
• Make a mixture of baking soda, baking powder and cornstarch and put it inside the cotton socks and let them stay in the shoes overnight.
• Salt is great at removing moisture and killing bacteria in shoes.
• Put 2 teaspoons of salt into each shoe to make them smell better after a few hours.
• Try soaking your feet in a solution of baking soda, soap and a little white vinegar to help with foot odor, vinegar is also a natural disinfectant.
• Take a bag and fill it with baking soda and add a few drops of tea tree oil to it. Bicarbonate of odors and tea tree will absorb bacteria.
• Spray a diluted 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water on the shoe lining and sole and let it dry for 30 minutes.
• If you are in a hurry to dry your shoes, use a hair dryer.