A few years ago I received a phone call from my youngest son’s primary school. It was the most embarrassing call I had to take. Mic was being sent home because his feet stank so bad his teacher and class could not take the smell anymore. My heart sunk

for Mic as I thought about how he would feel being sent home for smelling bad. I also knew exactly what the teacher was saying because Mic’s feet were off. They were so bad I would insist when he came home from school that he shower and scrub them with a rose scented scrub.

We had gone through the years teasing him for smelly feet and although this was only in fun, I realized this day exactly how much it was upsetting him. These loving taunts were becoming something he resented in us. He was embarrassed and we, his family who loved him unconditionally, were not helping the problem.

I had taken him to my GP asking if there was anything we could do and besides the normal rant about cleaning, not wearing shoes without socks and the typical foot powder, he came up with nothing. There were several medications and creams that we tried however, that was becoming expensive and really weren’t helping the problem that much.

Incredibly the only thing that I found worked and that was inexpensive, as his condition was costing us an arm and a leg at a time we couldn’t afford, was a mixture of bi-barb soda and vinegar sprayed in his shoes before wearing them and by using a roll-on-deodorant directly on his feet.

Mic was over the moon about this new found cure and became excited. While he chatted to me about how this would ‘change’ his life I realized just how much this had affected him and his self esteem. His friends would tease him, they refused to sit next to him unless outside and his teacher would sniff around him and say openly and while in front of others, ‘oh, is that you again Mic’.

He began to hate school because of it and began to misbehave so he would be sent out into a ‘time out’ area where he would be on his own. Then he would come home to his family and go through much the same with us. Something I never realized until this one day.

I was and still am very much strict with hygiene in my home. I taught my children about personal hygiene at a young age and brought them deodorant before they needed it so that they would get use of using it regularly. I explained about not wearing shoes without socks as it isn’t good for your feet or shoes, but I never considered foot odor being a topic that I had to stress, let alone one that would affect a person to the point of acting out.

I know this advice may seem ‘obvious’ but like with my situation, some times it is not taken seriously and so many things can be overlooked. Smells like this are not only offensive to those around it – but also to the ones who have the problem.

What causes smelly feet?

Feet sweat as they are trapped inside footwear. This sweat, combined with bacteria causes the smell. Feet contain more sweat glands than any other part of the body and being that they are normally confined to shoes the sweat is unable to evaporate. Sometimes other factors contribute to this problem and include, stress, medication and changes to hormones.

Prevention

Obviously good foot hygiene reduces bacteria and typically the most obvious advice given is to:

• Bathe your feet daily in lukewarm water with a mild soap and dry thoroughly, especially between the toes.
• Change socks at least once a day Dust your feet frequently with a foot powder (remembering to wipe between the toes to remove moisture)
  
• Wear thick socks to help absorb the moisture.
• Wear natural fiber socks (wool or cotton) and other absorbent materials.
• Avoid using nylon socks or plastic shoes. Shoes made of leather, canvas, mesh encourage feet to breathe.
  

If feet smell considerably bad, change your shoes regularly. It is suggested that it is best not to wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row as they need time to dry out. Remember to remove the innersoles to dry alone and replace often.

And in extreme cases you can always try the bi-carb soda and vinegar, especially when finances are a little low….. It really does work miracles.