Smelly socks and stinking feet are a common occurrence that most people encounter at least once in a while. Most of us might have a friend who can turn the whole room noxious by just taking off his shoes!
Why do socks stink: While it's very evident that people with stinking socks and feet do not change their socks frequently enough, the technical reason behind the stink is that the humidity and heat in a person's socks and shoes can promote the growth of bacteria and fungi. Athlete's foot is one such fungal infection that can affect the feet due to fungal growth. The waste products that these microbes excrete mix with sweat and produce noxious odors.
Foot smell is aggravated by sweat and by not washing your feet regularly. Our feet perspire a lot as there are about 250,000 sweat glands in each foot. Although there are sweat glands in the rest of your body, the difference with is that due to your socks and shoes that the sweat cannot escape easily and instead starts to collect on the surface of the skin. The warm moist conditions within your shoes also provide the bacteria with the perfect breeding grounds to multiply and as the number of bacteria increases, so does the odor.
Tips to reduce foot odor:
- You can reduce foot odor by reducing the bacteria on your feet and this can be done by decreasing the sweat that collects in your shoes and socks. This is where cleanliness comes in.
- Wash your feet regularly with anti-bacterial soap.
- Change your socks regularly and wear clean ones everyday.
- Air out your shoes. Do not wear the same pair for more than 24 hours.
- If you have a chance, wear shoes that have enough ventilation and are not constricting.
- Wear cotton socks as these can absorb sweat and thus, the bacteria won't have a chance to feed on the sweat.
- You can buy shoe inserts that have absorbent odor-eaters.
- While this might sound strange, you can use antiperspirant on your feet to check the perspiration.
- If after doing all this, you still have bad foot odor you may be suffering from a fungal infection, so pay a visit to the doctor as you may need prescription medications to get rid of the infection and consequently, the smell.
Well, try these tips out for fresher, cleaner feet and odor-free shoes and socks.
answered by M W