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!
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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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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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!
Rebecca Christenson
What are some alternatives for Tea Tree? I don’t have that one.
Bren
Rebecca, you can use whatever oils you desire but tea tree is the more effective for foot odor.
Emma Lamb
Just made this and it’s amazing! So quick and easy I had everything in. Thank you X
Bren
Thanks, Emma!
Mama B
Can the eucalyptus oil be replaced with another oil? I do not have that. Thanks!
Bren
I would simply omit the eucalyptus if you do not have any.
John
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.
Bren
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!
Lorena
Would this work with tapioca starch instead of arrowroot or corn starch? That’s all I have…
Bren
I’ve never tried it with tapioca starch, sorry!
Tiffany
Do you have to use the peppermint? I have ever else but I am out of peppermint essential oil.
Bren
The peppermint is what gives the lotion its cooling feeling so I would not recommend leaving it out.
Shi
Can you leave out the baking soda? Or even sub it with extra arrowroot?
Bren
I’ve never tried it without baking soda but it should work if you sub extra cornstarch or arrowroot.
Gretchen Schaefer
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.
Bren
Yes, it should work just fine with the peppermint! You can also try my deodorizing foot spray.
Meredith
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.
Bren
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.