• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Bren Did
  • Tasty Recipes
    • Healthy Muffins
  • Green Cleaning
  • Natural Bath & Body
  • Easy Crafts
    • Fortune Tellers
    • Holiday Crafts
  • Free Printables
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Green Cleaning
  • Bath & Body
  • Crafts
  • Recipes
  • Free Printables
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder DIY

    Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder DIY

    Published May 4, 2015 18 comments >>

    Do you have stinky feet or smelly shoes at your house?

    Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone…

    But I will ll let you in on a little secret…

    Several members of the Bren Did family have very sweaty toes. Open the wrong closet and you will be over powered by the foot odor that is cause by those cute little piggies!

    Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder: This DIY All-Natural Deodorant Powder Fights Odor & Stinky Feet Natural body care from BrenDid.com

    This post uses affiliate links. They don’t cost you a thing and help us bring you creative projects. Read more in Policies & Disclosures.

    Why Feet Smell

    Foot odor is caused by warm, sweaty toes and the bacteria that love them. The bacteria grow in the warm, damp environment created by your feet in shoes and continue to flourish in the closet. (This warm, damp environment is also the perfect place for Athlete’s Foot to grow, if you have this problem check out my post to learn How I Naturally Treat Athlete’s Foot).

    Curing Smelly Feet

    It’s pretty easy to eliminate foot smell once you know the cause. To stop your feet and shoes from stinking you need to kill the bacteria that causes the smell and create an environment that prevents their growth.

    I have found three effective and all-natural ways to get rid of foot odor:

    • No More Stinky Feet Spray
    • Cooling Foot & Leg Butter
    • This all natural Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder

    Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder: This DIY All-Natural Deodorant Powder Fights Odor & Stinky Feet Natural body care from BrenDid.com

    How Foot and Shoe Powder Works

    This cooling foot powder contains three natural ingredients that work together to eliminate stinky feet:

    1. Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) is an effective foot and shoe deodorizer because of its basicity. Baking soda is fungistatic, this means that fungal and bacterial spores will not germinate (grow) when the alkaline baking soda is present. Sweat is acidic and is neutralized by the alkaline baking soda.

    2. Corn Starch (or Arrowroot Powder) is a highly absorbent powder that absorbs any moisture left behind by your sweat. Human perspiration is 99% water! A dry environment is much less friendly to bacteria and fungus.

    3. 100% Essential Oils

    • Tea Tree Oil is both antibacterial and antifungal according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
    • Eucalyptus Oil has a fresh and clean aroma and has been used as both an antiseptic and antifungal according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.
    • Peppermint Oil smells great, may have some bacteria killing properties, and it’s main active agent is menthol so it is soothing and cooling when applied to the skin and/or skin irritations.

    Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder: This DIY All-Natural Deodorant Powder Fights Odor & Stinky Feet Natural body care from BrenDid.com

    Foot and Shoe Powder Directions

    To make the foot spray simply mix the following ingredients together in a glass jar ( I use this shaker jar) :

    • 6 tbsp Corn Starch or Arrowroot Powder
    • 3 tbsp Baking Soda
    • 5-10  drops Tea Tree Oil
    • 5 -10 drops Eucalyptus Oil
    • 10-15 drops Peppermint Oil

    How to Use

    Apply powder to feet and in between toes. Sprinkle into shoes to eliminate odor (leave it in overnight or longer). I keep a shaker of foot powder in our shoe closet and sprinkle it in shoes when necessary.

    The powder feels heavenly on hot or tired feet. Shake your shoes out the door or over the trash can before putting them on.

    Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder: This DIY All-Natural Deodorant Powder Fights Odor & Stinky Feet Natural body care from BrenDid.com

    Foot and Shoe Powder Cost

    My Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder costs about $0.98 for 1/2 of a cup.  That’s about $0.08 for the baking soda, $0.40 for the corn starch and approximately $0.50 for the essential oils.

    A similar natural foot powder costs $14.49 for 4 ounces. You’re saving more than $12 by making your own all-natural foot powder and you know exactly what it contains!

    Cooling Foot and Shoe Deodorizing Powder: This DIY All-Natural Deodorant Powder Fights Odor & Stinky Feet Natural body care from BrenDid.com

    I hope this natural foot odor cure keeps your feet cool and shoes smelling sweet. Looking for more solutions? No More Stinky Feet Spray is an easy spray that also eliminates stinky feet and shoes.

    Like my natural bath and beauty tutorials? Sign up for my newsletter below and never miss a thing!

    BrenDid-Blue-Signature

    Check out my Natural Carpet and Room Refresher recipe to learn how to use baking soda and cornstarch to clean and deodorize, it works great!

    Bren Did Newsletter Subscribers Get Access!

    Success! Please check your email to confirm the Free Printable subscription.

    There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

    We will use this to send you weekly emails from Bren Did with the latest printables, easy recipes, home care tips, and simple craft ideas. We will never share or sell your information. Powered by ConvertKit

    More Posts You Will Enjoy

    • No Flour, Sugar Free, Oil Free Healthy Oatmeal Muffins RecipeNo Flour, Sugar Free, Oil Free Healthy Oatmeal Muffins Recipe
    • Green Cleaning Ingredients You Should Never MixGreen Cleaning Ingredients You Should Never Mix
    • DIY Craft Project: Sharpie Mug TutorialDIY Craft Project: Sharpie Mug Tutorial
    • Natural Homemade Laundry DetergentNatural Homemade Laundry Detergent
    • Easy Cooling Foot and Leg Butter RecipeEasy Cooling Foot and Leg Butter Recipe
    • Crock Pot Pork Chops with Cranberries and ApplesCrock Pot Pork Chops with Cranberries and Apples

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rebecca Christenson

      December 28, 2019 at 7:36 am

      What are some alternatives for Tea Tree? I don’t have that one.

      Reply
      • Bren

        January 27, 2020 at 11:34 am

        Rebecca, you can use whatever oils you desire but tea tree is the more effective for foot odor.

        Reply
    2. Emma Lamb

      September 11, 2018 at 5:59 am

      Just made this and it’s amazing! So quick and easy I had everything in. Thank you X

      Reply
      • Bren

        September 11, 2018 at 8:56 am

        Thanks, Emma!

        Reply
    3. Mama B

      July 15, 2018 at 9:30 pm

      Can the eucalyptus oil be replaced with another oil? I do not have that. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Bren

        July 25, 2018 at 4:17 pm

        I would simply omit the eucalyptus if you do not have any.

        Reply
    4. John

      January 11, 2018 at 10:46 am

      How do you deal with the clumping from the essential oils? I’m having a hard time getting it come out of the shaker as a powder rather than tiny little balls.

      Reply
      • Bren

        January 14, 2018 at 6:27 pm

        John, keep stirring and smashing the essential oil clumps with the back of a spoon and you will get a smooth powder with out any lumps. Good luck!

        Reply
    5. Lorena

      October 06, 2017 at 7:04 pm

      Would this work with tapioca starch instead of arrowroot or corn starch? That’s all I have…

      Reply
      • Bren

        October 07, 2017 at 12:33 pm

        I’ve never tried it with tapioca starch, sorry!

        Reply
    6. Tiffany

      July 18, 2017 at 2:44 pm

      Do you have to use the peppermint? I have ever else but I am out of peppermint essential oil.

      Reply
      • Bren

        July 18, 2017 at 9:33 pm

        The peppermint is what gives the lotion its cooling feeling so I would not recommend leaving it out.

        Reply
    7. Shi

      January 25, 2017 at 12:07 pm

      Can you leave out the baking soda? Or even sub it with extra arrowroot?

      Reply
      • Bren

        January 25, 2017 at 4:36 pm

        I’ve never tried it without baking soda but it should work if you sub extra cornstarch or arrowroot.

        Reply
    8. Gretchen Schaefer

      March 08, 2016 at 2:12 pm

      Do you think this would work as well for deodorizing without the peppermint? I am a breastfeeding mother and have been told to stay away from peppermint as it can reduce supply.

      Reply
      • Bren

        March 08, 2016 at 2:36 pm

        Yes, it should work just fine with the peppermint! You can also try my deodorizing foot spray.

        Reply
      • Meredith

        June 22, 2016 at 9:05 am

        You can use lavender instead of peppermint if you don’t have an adolescent male. Lavender decreases sperm count in younger boys. But lavender is a really good disinfectant. I use it in my laundry and when I mop the floors.

        Reply
        • Bren

          June 22, 2016 at 1:19 pm

          Thanks for commenting Meredith. It’s also recommended that that patients with tumors that need estrogen to grow avoid using lavender and tea tree oils.

          Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Bren! I believe you deserve a clean home without having to compromise your family's health or safety.

    More about me →

    Popular Posts

    • Easy Mother’s Day Craft for Kids: Fortune Teller
    • Magnesium Rose Natural Detox Bath Salts
    • Chemistry for Kids: Penny Change Experiment
    • Oven Roasted Root Vegetables

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Bren Did
    • Policies & Disclosures

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up for Email

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2020 Bren Fey (Bren Did)

    All information should be used at your own discretion.

    Use of content/photos without permission is prohibited.