I don’t like wearing socks for my regular everyday workouts. Personal flaw? Maybe! Foot health aside, sockless workouts have another undesired side effect: sweaty sneakers.
This is not an instant trick to de-stink your workout shoes, but it really does work (and it’s basically free). If you’re looking to take great care of the rest of your workout clothes, I have more tips, too!
You will need:
- Old socks OR tissue paper
- Baking soda
- (optional) Lavender essential oil (see below for why I don’t recommend most other essential oils for this project)
Then:
Fill each sock about 2/3 Full with baking soda. A paper funnel might help here, but I was able just to pour baking soda into my socks with no issue.
Sprinkle in 3 to 5 drops of lavender essential oil if you are using it.
Tie the top of the sock into a not to keep the baking soda from his billing. If your socks are too full, this will be pretty tough
If you don’t have any old socks, you could just pour a pile of baking soda onto a square of tissue paper or even a paper napkin. Instead of tying it closed, secure the top by twisting it tightly or adding a twist tie.
Once your socks or tissue bunches are filled, place each one in a shoe and leave it there until the next time you need to wear your shoes! I have quite a few pairs of workout sneakers, so I make about a five pairs of these every three or four months and rotate in the new ones. (The old ones are destined for the trash or recycling…or I suppose you could try washing and re-filling the socks.)
Depending on the texture/weave of your socks, a little baking soda may leak out over time. This is why I recommend using only lavender essential oil or another essential oil that is definitely safe to be applied directly to your skin without dilution. Essential oils can very easily burn or irritate your skin when they’re not diluted, and “burning feet” isn’t anyone’s fitness goal. Tissue paper doesn’t leak at all!