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Q. I have read many questions about toenail fungus but not much about our issue. My daughter has hot sweaty feet that smell. She hates wearing socks because she says they make her feet too hot.
What can we do to relieve our problems--her hot, sweaty feet and our daily olfactory invasion? Her aunt also suffers with sweaty, smelly feet.
A. Warmth and moisture encourage the growth of bacteria that can contribute to foot odor. These conditions also allow the fungus that causes nail fungus and athlete’s foot to flourish.
Readers of our column have offered all sorts of remedies for such problems. One suggested drinking a chlorophyll solution from the health food store for smelly feet. A gentleman reported that diluted vinegar applications plus Vicks VapoRub helped both athlete’s foot and nail fungus.
Another reader shared that he had suffered from excessive foot sweat for years. He tried tannic acid (tea) to soak the feet and noted: “It works. My feet feel and smell better than they have in years.”
We have collected a number of suggestions from readers in our Guides to Home Remedies, Unique Uses for Vicks and Smelly Feet.
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I've had success with Listerine. I reasoned that if it "kills germs that cause bad breath," it may well k.o. the ones that cause stinky feet as well. I applied Listerine all over my clean feet and wiped out the insides of my shoes as well (be sure to allow time for the shoes to dry out). At the end of the day when I've removed my shoes, feet and shoes have still been odor free.
Isopropyl alcohol helps stinky feet. Apply with a cotton ball after each shower.
Twice a day, get a shallow basin, insert feet, and pour enough FULL STRENGTH WHITE VINEGAR over feet to completely wet them (though I use more, a half cup should do it) and let them soak for a few minutes. Tell your daughter to wiggle her toes and use one foot to wet the other.
Remove Feet (DO NOT RINSE) and throw away the used vinegar.
Dry.
Breathe Deeply.
*I got athlete's foot when I was a kid. When we would drive home from Boy Scout camping trips I could NOT remove my boots in the car.
I tried everything available in the 1960s & 70s including:
Desenex Cream/Liquid/Powder
Gentian Violet tablets (to make a soaking bath)
Tinactin
Grisactin/Giseofulvin tablets
Mitchum Antipersperant (to prevent sweating and smelling).
Nothing worked.
When I became a doctor, I still had the worst athlete's foot--and foot odor--I had ever encountered. My feet sweated, itched and bled.
When my mother suggested the vinegar, I began soaking. At first the deeply fissured areas burned but the itching stopped almost immediately.
In addition to making an inhospitable environment for fungi, vinegar seems to act as an exfoliant. The mascerated (perspiration--logged) areas between my toes began to slough off and I helped it by using a washcloth wrapped around my finger to scratch, dry and debride the web-spaces.
As the deadened tissue was replaced, the slouging all but stopped, but I still intentionally rub off the loose skin on my feet when I dry them.
Today, I have pretty, odorless feet, and it even helped my toenails.
If your daughter decides to try this, you may want to rinse out her tennis shoes with vinegar to kill the fungi I suspect are growing there.
If she has leather shoes that should not be exposed to vinegar, try taking them to a local bowling alley. They may have UV lights that they use to kill germs on bowling shoes.
The main thing is to cycle her shoes regularly so that she is only wearing dry ones.
I hope this helps her.
LHS
I TOO HAVE EXPERIENCED SWEATY AND SMELLY FEET AND HAVE FOUND AN EASY AND VERY INEXPENSIVE WAY TO TREAT IT... I USE, ANY BRAND WILL DO... STICK, SPRAY OR ROLL ON DEODERANT. I JUST APPLY IT TO THE BOTTOMS OF MY FEET BEFORE I SLIP ON MY SOCKS OR SHOES, AND NO SWEAT, NO SMELL... WORKS GREAT!
Take a bottle of tea tree oil and buy a small spray bottle (beauty supply). Put the sprayer on the bottle of tea tree oil. Don't pour the tea tree oil in plastic. Apply this once or twice a day after washing and drying the feet thoroughly. Tea tree can also cure nail fungus. It may take a couple of months. Empty an old nail polish bottle. Clean it out with acetone and rinse, then allow to dry. Fill with tea tree oil and brush on the nail a couple of times a day. Some people are allergic or sensitive to tea tree oil so watch out for that.
I have a very bad problem with smelly feet. Not only do they sweat an awful lot but the balls of my feet and heels are white every time I remove my socks. The smell is terrible and both feet are affected.
Could this be some kind of infection? My socks become very hard when they dry out. This is not normal perspiration.
Please help!
I too had bad toenails and some athlete's foot issues that seemed to come and go. Checked out the prescriptions for nail fungus and their side effects and said no thanks. Tried the white vinegar, used a plastic paint tray to soak both feet, did this daily for 2 months and the nails grew out clean and neat, athlete's foot went away and life continued.
That was two years ago; nail fungus is back and so are stinky feet, restarting the vinegar soaks tonight. The vinegar really works, I usually soak while reading email or surfing so I may soak for 20 min or an hour or more.
I have the worst smelling feet I have ever encounterd. I have tried everything to get rid of this and nothing seeme to work. I am a welder and have to wear steel toe boots and have insoles in them. They work for a week and it is back again. My girl friend always tells me that they are really bad, and they are. I wash them when I get home from work and 3 hours later they are really STINKY agin. Is there anything I can do get rid of this horrible problem?
My fiance has extremely stinky feet and they are nasty and yellow looking on the bottom... I've tried the shoe inserts and washing them with strong soap, but I didn't know vinegar works. How often should he soak and for how long? And if I have sandals and flip flops that are starting to smell, what should I do to help rid them of that? I hate to have to buy new shoes again already. Please help!
how do i get rid of my athletes feets without using vinegar? I hate the smell of it I cant stand it! Also how do I get rid of my blisters from the bottom of my left middle toe? It really hurts! Please help!
Rockie Bee!
I have the worst feet in the world. My toenails are fuesed to my toe. In other words you can't tell the difference bewteen dry skin and toe nail. I'm so embarassed I cry. I've never worn sandals my feet are ugly I don't know what to do. Please help I don't know where to begin. From the ankles up I'm great I work out keep myself in shape. I am desperate.
My wife has the same problem... extremely stinky feet. It's really embarrassing when she's laying next to me... I don't know if she is even suffering from athlete's foot.
We've tried so many things... powders, creams etc. But it's too complicated to apply. So I've recently found special insoles made from cedarwood in the internet. Are there any experiences with such cedarsoles?
I was watching the Doctors show a couple weeks ago and they discussed stinky feet and offered a home remedy, but I can't remember what it was. I am going to try the vinegar unless someone can remember that show. thank you.
I too have very very stinky feet, it's the worst that I have ever smelled. I am only 12 yrs old. I have tried only a couple things. I have tried my deodorant and it didn't work. I have tried perfume that didn't work either. I have no clue what i should do, please help!!
Hey,
I tried the vinegar just 1 time. I soaked them for about 30 minutes. I swear that it made my feet smell worse. I wanted to know how this worked for you.
The foot odor problem I have is backwards from most. Mine only smell when wearing shoes. When I take them off there is no smell. But... while the shoes are on my feet there is a very noticeable smell.
After the vinegar soak they smell while shoes are on and when I take them off. Not sure what my problem is.
I was hoping you could tell me how the vinegar soak worked for you? How often you did it? etc...
Thank You!
Hey everyone..
I have never in my life had any sort of foot odor issue, but w/in the last 3 yrs I do. It's backwards from most everyone else's. My feet only smell when I have shoes on. When I take them off there is no smell but while they are on they emit a very loud offensive odor.
Has anyone else ever had a similar problem or know someone who has?
I soaked them in Listerine 30 minutes per day. It worked gr8 for about 1yr. Now the bacteria may be immune to it. It seems to make no difference. I then soaked them in Apple Cider Vineager for 30 minutes. I swear this made the problem even worse. They now smell with shoes both on and off!
Not sure what to do. Miserable. Can anyone offer any helpful information?
Thanks in advance!
Does your fiance have tylosis? This is a rare condition that causes excess skin to build up on the soles of the feet and sometimes on fingertips and palms, especially after activities that chafe, like gardening or playing the guitar. It has been linked to esophageal cancer, so you might want to check this out.
I too have the same similar problem of having a sweaty smelly feet.
I did try different products:
- soak to salt for half hour (didn't work)
- soak to tea for half hour (didn't work)
- used antibiotic ointment (didn't work)
- soak with vinegar (pure) didn't work
- soak vinegar with listerine (didn't work)
.....what worked was the combination of half cup of vinegar, 2 teaspoons of salt in a warm water and spray tinactin in the morning, works wonderfully.
hope this helps.
I can totally relate to your problem..that's exactly my problem my feet stinks when wearing shoes....Its so embarrassing especially at work. Don't know what to do...Even putting deodorant on my feet before wearing socks seems not work..I also bought new shoes and it's didn't work..I'm very meticulous now in choosing shoes to hopefully get rid of stinky feet..Putting foot powder also makes my feet to be more stinky..I'm going to try to soak my feet in black tea for a month. I tried it few times before but now I'm planning to do it on a regular basis to see if it will work..This condition is so embarrassing especially that I'm a female....
My 5 year old granddaughter has terribly smelly feet. What can I do for her?
tea tree is also really good for scalp conditions like psoriasis!! I use the tea tree shampoo in the salon all the time it may sting a little at first if any skin is irritated it will eventually stop!!!
My boyfriend had the most horrible smelling feet for the longest time until I had him try ladies secret aerosol deodorant! It has worked like a charm for the last six months. When he misses a day the whole house can tell, but that's only happened once. He did try, however, using a mans deodorant spray last week and threw the bottle away that night. (Ladies, if you have a sweating problem under your breasts, spray some on under the breasts.) My sister-in-law told me that one. Hope this helps someone, maybe even that little granddaughter! Costs maybe at the most five dollars.
here's the deal:
smelly feet are caused by a combination of: (1.sweaty feet 2.socks 3.shoes or sandals)
your feet might respond to tea, vinegar and/or salty water... it depends on your body, try everything until you find something works well for you.
but please keep in mind to do the following:
throw away all of your old socks and old shoes in the process and get new ones. keep a pack of new socks for the fist one to two weeks for the process of soaking, then also throw them and then use new ones after treatment is accomplished.
for the shoes: I prefer light (not to make your feet sweat) fabric not leather, get 4 or more pairs of shoes to shift, one daily, wearing the same shoe is one of the main problems. (that also applies for sandals)
keep your shoes in the sun and fresh air at least twice a week, the sun makes miracles. (always dry your socks, shoes in the sun, and keep them for a longer time after they dry).
I wish you all good healthy kissable feet :)
Do not wear any nylon lined shoes! That just adds to the smell!
Good day!
I would just like to ask if my condition is considered as hyperhidrosis. I've been suffering feet sweating for almost 3 years (I'm 18 years old now). I don't really know how did this start, but the only thing I remember is that, every time I go to school, my shoes are soaked in the flood. I think, after 2 months, my feet started to sweat and to smell. Since then, my feet is uncontrollable every time it sweat specially if I'm wearing shoes.
And just last year, my hands also started to sweat whenever my feet sweat.
Can this be hyperhidrosis?
What remedy can you suggest? thanks!
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: It sounds like hyperhidrosis. Why not start with some of the home remedies listed? Soaking in strong tea, or in a baking soda solution, or using an antiperspirant on the soles of the feet?
put a little baking soda in the toes part of your shoe and put some on the heel and very little in the area between your foot will not smell and niether will your shoes