How to prevent and control stinky footwear and socks?

[TopHatFox]

Buying hiking shoes and hiking socks designed to handle long walks and sweat is an excellent move. Cheap Walmart cotton socks reek after even a few hour's use. Non-hiking shoes tend to smell too. I have a pair of insulated rain boots that can be particularly menacing haha. I was wondering what I can stick in them to monitor the stink.

I've seen my friends use fancy wooden inserts that absorb odors. I simply got a handkerchief and filled it with baking soda and peppermint (but the scent died in a few weeks). Maybe throwing a charcoal briquette would do the trick.

What are your best practices and tricks to prevent and control stinky footwear and socks?

[JL13]

Darn tough socks.

[C40]

One method is to put your shoes in the freezer. This is a common practice among cyclocross racers whose shoes get completely filthy with mud and the presumably horribly stinky. I guess that kills whatever bacteria are in them.

Wool socks can help. I bought some Darn toughs and hated them (they stretched out in less than a day and they made my feet feel oil/greasy). Also, I don't like the wool socks that are thick and fluffy (and commonly have the looser white threads on the inside.) they fall apart too quickly. I just bought some smart wools and it's not long enough to really know, but I like them so far.

I once got a pair of Carhartt socks for Christmas. About 5 years later now, I realize fully that they are the holy grail of socks. I tried buying more of them a year ago but struggled to find the same exact style of Carhartt socks. I bought some ones that looked really close and they were shit - got holes way too fast. A week ago I took pictures of the holy grail socks and emailed Carhartt, asking to buy a lifetime supply. They are discontinued

[Ego]

https://www.mcnett.com/gearaid/mirazyme#36132

[Slevin]

I wear the Costco Merino Wool socks year round (even to work). They are the cheapest, and best wool socks I have found. During my normal wear conditions, I can wear one pair for 2 days before they get stinky. Costco only sells them during the winter season, but I haven't found that they get uncomfortably warm during the summer or anything like that. Many people do ask me that in the summer though... With normal wear + tear, it seems a pair lasts about 1.5-2 years before holes start showing up. I have a master plan to recycle something like 30% of the socks into patches for the other socks when they start wearing out, but I have yet to actually implement it.

Pro tip: Whatever you do, don't get the ragg wool socks. They are super uncomfortable, and for some reason they get just as stinky as normal cotton socks.

[UrbanHermit]

I wear sandles 8-months out of the year which helps avoid this problem. If they do start to develop a smell, a quick wipe down with a bit of rubbing alcohol paper towel fixes it.

[phil]

I just put deodorant on my feet. Works fine.

[zb2]

spraying hydrogen peroxide in your shoes.

[BRUTE]

the smell is caused by bacteria. kill the bacteria. the freezer was mentioned. brute mostly uses direct sunlight, the UV radiation kills bacteria pretty reliably within a few hours. brute would not want stinky socks in his freezer.

wool helps (a bit) because wool is slightly anti-microbial. something to do with the size or shape of the fibers, brute thinks. cotton and polymers are most prone to bacteria growth.

[BeyondtheWrap]

When I take my shoes off I put silica gel packets inside them.

[jacob]

To prevent: Avoid synthetics as much as possible. I'm surprised you have a problem with cotton socks (unless they're 70% cotton and 30% nylon or something). Synthetics, especially polypropylene, are really bad. Leather, wool, and cotton should not be much of a problem. The two former don't stink. The latter you can wash.

To control: Dry out as soon as possible. Don't EVER let a wet pair of shoes or socks sit for days in a bag/under other clothes/away from air circulation. Wet stuff is excellent for growing stinky bacteria and once they're in there, it gets so much harder to get rid of them. Even chlorine won't cure it.

To stink: Leave sweaty synthetics in a bag in the trunk of a car on a warm day.

[Jean]

Just like jacob said:
Wool socks, leather shoes, and not letting your stuff stay wet has proven efficient for me.

[enigmaT120]

I don't know. It's just not a problem for me. Same with pit B.O. I guess if I wore the same pair of socks a few days in a row they would start stinking. But it takes my shirts a really long time.

I generally bathe daily. That probably helps.

[llorona]

If you can toss your shoes into the washing machine, do so and then let them dry. You can also try spritzing them with alcohol between uses.

If the shoes have removable insoles, you should take them out and scrub them. I use a mix of dish washing soap and baking soda.

Whatever you use on your armpits, try putting it on your feet before hiking.

Also, make sure your feet are clean and dry before putting on socks.

[vexed87]

Regular rotation of shoes helps, but obviously you need spare pairs, this isn't wasteful if you intend to wear both pairs until they are worn out.

If you have gotten to a point where your shoes smell, exposure to UV light will kill the bacteria, so laces off, pull the tongue out and let them bask in the sun (on a dry and preferably breezy day !).

As jacob says, synthetic lining is the major issue. Leather shoes basically never smell if rotated properly. In fact I just removed mine in the office for a sniff. Not a whiff of odour.

[Stahlmann]

I wash my foot in bark of oak.

[fiby41]

Deodorant on feet and talcum powder inside shoes.

[tommytebco]

+1 re.wool socks.
One vote for rag wool socks. A bit prickly at first, but this passes quickly. I buy Fox River brand. No complaints, 7 days a week

[OTCW]

Omniwool socks from Sams club have been excellent for me. I wear them year round unless I am in shorts (for shorts I wear sandals with no socks or running shoes with cotton socks). Seem to last forever. 3 pack is about $15 the last time they had them.