“If your nose runs and your feet smell, you are built upside down,” goes the old joke.
How is your foot hygiene? Are those flippers you call feet as clean as a whistle or is it a case of “it ain’t easy bein’ cheesy”? You can tell us, your secret is safe with us…
What do you do to get rid of that nasty, horrible smell, known medically as bromodosis, from your feet? Use deodorant or perfume? If that is your weapon of choice and you bathe your feet in Elizabeth Arden, it is high time to change your plan of attack.
Here is a small, simple secret, so you can win the battle and the war. The odor is a symptom of what is really going on down there (in your feet, Dirty Den!); what you do not see is that your feet have roughly 1/4 million sweat glands on each foot, producing two PINTS of sweat daily between them. This makes bacteria make camp in your feet and reproduce, using your sweat as their foodstuff that they crave to survive and thrive.
Regular washing is normally enough to remedy this, but what about under abnormal conditions? Athlete’s foot is a type of fungal infection in the feet, which is more common than most people realize. This particular infection comes to pass when the lowest points of our body are stuffed inside dark shoes for hours on end, and that probably means you, right? (If not, apologies.)
According to Lorraine Jones, a podiatrist – a doctor who specializes in feet, via the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom:
“Your feet sweat into your shoes all day so they get damp and bacteria start to grow. The bacteria continue to breed once you’ve taken your shoes off, especially if you put them in a dark cupboard. Then, when you put your shoes back on the next day, even if you’ve just had a shower, putting your feet into still damp shoes creates the perfect conditions for the bacteria to thrive – warm, dark and moist.”
You are saying: “Enough with the suspense already, just tell us what the 4 simple remedies for smelly feet are.” Alright then! Take it easy, taxidermy. Here they are if you are ready to do battle.
4 Simple Remedies For Smelly Feet
1. Change Shoes/Wash Insoles Weekly
Rotation is the big sensation, baby! Do not use the same shoes twice in as many days. This gives the recently-worn shoes time to dry out, ready for next use. Also, it helps to have real ventilation to allow your feet to “breathe”, therefore not requiring the foot to sweat so much. The optimal material for this is leather, which is far better than any other presently.
2. Alum Powder
A bacteria killer in an antiseptic powder, although alum is better known with shaving. This remedy goes straight in for the kill, tackling the core problem – the bacteria. Sprinkle some on your feet, the soles, the ankles, and in between the toes. “However it is advised to use it every other day instead of every day,” suggests Wild Turmeric.
3. Black Tea Soak
Your proverbial white knight. This contains tannin, a plant polyphenol, an anti-bacterial substance (not to be confused with tannic acid – all tannic acids are tannins, but not all tannins are tannic acids). So, “you’ll need one pint of water (for boiling purposes) and two black tea bags. Both regular and decaffeinated varieties will work.
You’ll next need to dilute the tea solution with two quarts of cold water,” states Life Hacker. Life Hacker continues: “Once you’ve created the mix, soak your feet in it for one week, 30 minutes daily. You can lower the count to twice weekly once you see some results.”
4. Vinegar Soak
This will certainly make you the bad odor conqueror. Harmless on the battlefield that is your feet, the enemy will be destroyed by this recipe, as explained by Mr. Avocado himself, David Wolfe: “Mix half a cup of vinegar with 8 cups of hot water.
Let it cool until its comfortable and then soak your feet in the mixture for about 15 minutes. Then, rinse your feet. If you’d like to get rid of the vinegar smell, just wash your feet with some natural soap.”
Now fight the good fight and reclaim your territory that is your feet. Your feet belong to you, not microscopic invaders.
