Most of us enjoy putting on that favorite pair of slippers when indoors. Apart from keeping our feet clean, warm, and comfortable, they are useful in maintaining our home carpet. However, these wonderful items start becoming unpleasant when they begin smelling. If you don’t want embarrassment this smell might cause in front of visitors, it’s time you learned how to keep slippers from smelling.
You can remove the slipper smell using various techniques. Firstly, you need to consider the type of slippers that you have. Then determine the suitable agents and methods to get rid of the smell. As a rule of thumb, slippers require spot cleaning rather than machine washing. A few of the agents you can use to remove the smell include baking soda, cornflour, vinegar, kitty litter, tea bags, and alcohol.
Why Do My Slippers Smell?
Slippers’ smell is usually caused by bacteria. When you wear your shoes with socks, you may have noticed that you will deal with less smell than when you don’t use the socks. Yes, the same happens with slippers. But what really causes the smell?
Like the sweat glands on your underarms, feet contain sweat glands. Once it is hotter, the chances of sweating more are high. This causes the slippers fibers to absorb sweat and dirt. The more they absorb the sweat and dirt, the more bacteria multiplies and leads to even more smell.
Again, you might have experienced a more foul smell in slippers than the outside shoes. Most slippers contain soft fabric such as fur, sheepskin, wool, and soft leather, which draw sweat and dirt faster. This results in high multiplication of bacteria which causes that smell.
How to Prevent My Slippers From Smelling?
It is said prevention is better than cure. Learning the best practices to keep the smell at bay can be more rewarding. Here are the most effective ways.
- Clean the slippers regularly.
- Ensure you put on slippers on clean feet.
- Wear socks when using your slippers.
- When not wearing the slippers, use your favorite solution like baking soda and sneaker balls to keep them fresh.
- Have several liners that you can rotate.
- Have more than one pair to allow you to treat one pair as you use the other.
Then, How to Deal with the Slippers Already with Smell?
Here are the most effective ways to get rid of the smell from your slippers.
Use baking soda. Sprinkle the baking soda into your slippers and leave it to stay in the slippers overnight. Then remove the baking soda by shaking the slippers over a bin. Finally, leave the slippers overnight with tumble dryer sheets stuffed inside.
Deep clean using a mild detergent. Dampen your slippers thoroughly using a wet cloth and the detergent, ensuring to get to the hard-to-reach areas. After that, swab out the excess detergent with another damp cloth. Then dry the slippers using a paper towel and leave them overnight to dry thoroughly.
How to Deodorize Wool Slippers from Smelling?
Wool slippers have one of the softest materials. To deodorize these indoor shoes, follow the steps below.
Start by loosening any dirt by shaking the slippers over trash. You may also use a brush to remove any dirt that could be stuck in the fibers.
Pour warm water into a basin (Mix two tablespoons of wool detergent for every 1 quart of warm water).
Get a sponge, deep it into the warm water and soap mixture, and use it to wash your slippers. Remember to wring the sponge before wiping the slippers inside and out to avoid saturating them. Then rinse the soap from the slippers using a damp cloth. You might also want to leave the slippers in a dry place away from direct sunlight to dry thoroughly.
Finally, sprinkle baking soda over your dry wool slippers and leave them for another night to eliminate the odors.
How to Keep Fuzzy Slippers from Smelling?
While it might feel very comfortable and cozy to wear fuzzy slippers, it can also be challenging to properly take care of the slippers. Since this material can have stains, if not taken care of properly, it is recommended to have a routine cleaning.
After wearing them, shake them over your trash to remove any dirt that could get inside. You can employ your old toothbrush to scratch off stubborn dirt particles. Also, ensure that your feet are clean every time you wear your slippers. Besides, you may want to wear a fresh pair of socks every time you wear them. Then, deep clean them occasionally using warm water and detergent.
How to Keep Sheepskin Slippers from Smelling?
For those who like slippers made from natural products, you might like sheepskin slippers. However, when it comes to maintaining these shoes, you have to take a lot of care. One of the things you should keep in mind is that you should avoid using a strong cleaning agent on this material.
The best thing now is to practice a high-maintenance routine to keep them from smelling. Use a protective coating. Go for a stain-and-water-resistant coating and apply it on the outer surface.
On the other hand, use baby powder on your feet before wearing your sheepskin slippers to prevent sweating. Also, have several insoles to swap one from the other frequently. Finally, you can always treat them using baking powder when not wearing them.
How to Get the Smell out of Rubber Slippers?
Rubber slippers are the easiest to clean. Once you notice a foul smell from your slippers, you can wash them manually or employ your washing machine. Use running warm water from your tap, and then sprinkle with baking soda. After about five minutes, scrub off the baking soda using an old toothbrush.
Alternatively, you can throw them in your machine wash and use a cold water setting. Then add a touch of detergent and one cup of vinegar. After that, let them dry.
When Should I Throw My Smelly Slippers?
Getting rid of smelly slippers is the last resort. However, you should tell the right time to do that. Most people will usually try a single method of cleaning or removing the smell from their slippers, and if it fails, they give up. This should not be the case.
Only throw your slippers away if you have tried several means of removing the odor in vain. On the same note, your feet might also be infected by fungus. In this case, get rid of your closed slippers and get slippers with enough ventilation. Lastly, if the slippers are old, get new slippers!
Conclusion
It is uncommon to have smelly slippers in your house. Luckily, you can now effectively prevent or remove the smell from your slippers. If you have tried one method and still get the smell, try using another method. All in all, you can save this page to constantly remind yourself how to keep slippers from smelling for good.
