How to Clean Smelly Work Boots

The goal of this article is to show you some easy ways to clean your smelly work boots. If you wear work boots regularly, you know how bad these boots can smell. Cleaning work boots is not a pleasant experience at all. But if you are a bit strategic, you do not need to endure that smell.

Read this post to learn how to clean smelly work boots.

What causes your boot to smell?

Contrary to popular belief, sweat in your boots is not the main culprit. It is not sweat that smells. Your feet sweat when you wear your work boots for long hours. The horrible smell comes from the bacteria, which is formed on your feet. The bacteria eat the sweat, multiply, and get stuck in your boots.

As they die inside the boots, they start giving off that horrible smell. That means, the smell comes from your feet, not from your work boots. So if you want to treat the smell, you have to address the root cause.

The first rule is to keep your feet clean. But if your work boots already smell horribly bad, there are some good things you can do to remove the smell.

How to get rid of this odor

There are some effective ways to get rid of the odor. People use many different remedies, but here are a few of them that will hopefully do wonders. If you are wondering how to clean smelly work boots, try to use the following methods.

Use a boot dryer

This is one of the best ways to clean your smelly work boots. The procedure is pretty easy. You just need to take off the boots, remove the inner padding, and put the boots on the dryer. Once you plug in, the sweat of your work boots will dry soon.

You can use the boot dryer every night. By morning, the boots will be not only dry but also odor free. With the boot dryer, you can also clean dress shoes and athletic shoes. If you are a regular worker, a boot dryer can make your life a lot easier.

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Use charcoal deodorizer bags

You can also eliminate the odor by putting some charcoal bags in the boots. Keep them in your work boots overnight. The moisture will be absorbed by the charcoal bags, leaving your work boots dry and odor free in the morning. Well, they may not make your work boots completely odor-free, but the results can be impressive.

There are two amazing benefits of using charcoal deodorizer bags. They are easy to use, and they are recyclable. Depending on how frequently they are used, they last for as long as 2 years. You can use charcoal bags to deodorize gym bags too. There are commercial charcoal deodorizer bags on the market.

Use some baking soda

If you are wondering how to clean smelly work boots and looking for an easy way, use some baking soda. This is one of the easiest ways to get the job done. Baking soda is also inexpensive. Into your work boots, sprinkles some baking soda and shake the boots for some time. Leave the boots overnight and shake out the soda in the morning.

Before you put the boots on, make sure there is no baking soda inside the boots. Yet, you may have a grainy feeling if you use baking soda. If you think that the excess soda will be a mess, look for other ways to make your work boots odor-free. But we can certainly state that baking soda can very effectively remover odor from your boots.

Consider replacing your socks

Avoid cotton socks when you wear work boots. Why are cotton socks bad? They are bad because they absorb sweat very quickly and tend to cool off your feet when your feet are supposed to be warm. In this situation, blisters can form easily. Are you wondering how to clean smelly work boots? You will have to worry less if you wear the right type of socks.

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What type of socks should you wear then? Well, you can choose socks that are made from natural fibers. Make sure the socks are thick and soft. Moisture wicking socks will give you the best results. To reduce foot odor, you can sprinkle some Zeasorb-AF in your socks.

Use cedar wood

This is one of most amazing solutions to this problem. Cedar has a nice woody smell that will remove the bad smell from your work boots. Cedar wood is known for its durability and fragrance, and many boot companies use this wood. If cedar wood is used to make the boots, you will not have to worry about how to clean smelly work boots too often.

If this wood is used in the soles of your boots, the odor will be less bothersome to you. So you can look for boots that contain cedar wood. But you can use this magical wood in another way. Just put two small pieces of cedar wood inside your boots when you go to bed at night. In the morning, you will not find the odor too disgusting.

Freeze your work boots

This is another effective way to kill germs inside your boots. This solution may or may not be permanent, but there is no doubt that it is an amazing fix. There in enough evidenced that severe cold temperatures can kill bacteria. And if there are no bacteria, there will be no smell.

The process is pretty straightforward. At first, get a plastic bag. Put the boots in the bag. Then leave the boots in your freezer overnight. In the morning you will notice some change. There may still be some odor, but it will not be intolerable. If you are wondering how to clean smelly work boots, it is one of the simplest things you can do.

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Use dryer sheets

Your dryer sheets can dry not only your clothes but also your work boots. But you do not need to throw the shoes in the dryer. By masking unfavorable scents, the scented towels can make it easier for you to wear the boots. If you use dryer sheets, the odor will be at least bearable to some extent.

The method is pretty easy. You just need to take two dryer sheets and put them in your work boots. When the moisture is soaked up by the sheets, you can know it just by smelling the boots. Besides, there will be some pleasant scent.

What about prevention?

If your work boots smell really bad, there are some good things you can do to reduce the intensity of the odor. But prevention is better than cure, and you should always look for ways to do something so that the problem does not occur in the first place. Now we are going to give you some tips that will help you prevent the problem.

Choose work boots that are less likely to hold on sweat. There are work boots that come with breathable features. Looking for the cheapest work boots is one of the worst decisions you can make.

Higher quality shoes can battle bacteria more effectively. If the problem is prevented from occurring in the first place, you will not have to wonder too often how to clean smelly work boots.

Use anti-bacterial soap to cleanse your feet. In addition to that, you can use anti-fungal creams or powders. If your work boots are made from breathable fibers, you should avoid thick socks and reach for wool socks.