35 Home Remedies for Eliminating Stinky Feet

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Smelly Feet: How to Get Rid of Smelly Feet Permanently

Written by Montoya Sigafoose, founder of Home Remedy Shop · Medically reviewed by Veronique Claes d’Erckenteel, D.C., chiropractor since 1991 · Last reviewed: 27 October 2026

Avoiding smelly feet is actually really easy: you just need to include some cleaning habits. Wash your feet thoroughly every day, between the toes, the heel and the whole sole, with soap and preferably a little scrub, then dry them just as thoroughly so you dry and exfoliate at the same time. Wear fresh socks every day, and spread a pinch of baking soda with an essential oil in your shoes. If your feet sweat a lot, choose specialised, well-ventilated shoes, and replace shoes that keep smelling. That’s how to get rid of smelly feet permanently. If the smell comes with itching, peeling skin or little pits in the soles, it’s likely a fungal or bacterial infection that needs treating.

Smelly feet (bromodosis) are very common, and they’re not a sign of being dirty. Your feet have more sweat glands than almost any other part of your body, and closed shoes keep that sweat warm and damp all day: perfect conditions for the bacteria that make the smell. In this guide you’ll find the reason for smelly feet, my daily cleaning routine, the best socks and shoes, and 12 natural remedies for smelly feet. For more foot care, see our guide to home remedies for calluses, or browse all our natural home remedies.

The short version

  • Wash: between the toes, heel and sole, with soap and a little scrub.
  • Dry: just as thoroughly, so you dry and exfoliate.
  • Fresh socks every day.
  • Shoes: baking soda and essential oil inside; replace badly affected pairs.
  • Sweaty feet: ventilated shoes, breathable socks, a natural foot powder.
  • Rainy weather: keep spare socks and shoes where you’re going.

See a doctor, podiatrist or pharmacist if your feet smell despite a good routine for several weeks, or if the smell comes with itching, peeling or cracked skin between the toes (athlete’s foot), small craters in the soles (pitted keratolysis), thick yellow toenails, or a wound. If you have diabetes, check your feet daily, avoid hot soaks and see your doctor for any wound, redness or a sudden bad smell: it can be a sign of infection.

Table of Contents

What Is the Reason for Smelly Feet?

Sweat itself has almost no smell. The smell comes from the bacteria that live on your skin. They feed on sweat and dead skin cells, and as they break them down they release smelly compounds. The main culprit is isovaleric acid, made when Staphylococcus epidermidis, a normal skin bacterium, breaks down the amino acid leucine in sweat (Ara et al., 2006; Kanda et al., 1990).

Smelly feet are often the combination of:

  • Extremely sweaty feet: about 1 in 20 people have hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating, and the feet are one of the most affected areas (Doolittle et al., 2016).
  • Closed shoes: they create a warm, humid microclimate that changes the bacteria on your feet (Miao et al., 2021).
  • Socks worn twice or made of synthetic fabrics.
  • Shoes that never fully dry between wears.
  • Dead skin on the heels and soles that bacteria feed on.
  • Hormones and stress: teenagers, pregnant women and stressed people sweat more.
  • Infections: athlete’s foot and pitted keratolysis (see below).

Treatment for Smelly Feet at Home: My Daily Routine

This is the whole routine, start to finish. Do it every day for 2 weeks and most smelly feet are gone.

  • Wash: in the shower, clean your feet thoroughly between the toes, the heel and all of the sole, with soap and preferably a little scrub.
  • Dry: dry very thoroughly between the toes, under the toes, the sole and the upper part, so you dry and exfoliate at the same time.
  • Powder: a little natural foot powder between the toes if your feet sweat.
  • Socks: always fresh socks, every day.
  • Shoes: a pair that has dried for 24 hours, with a pinch of baking soda and essential oil spread inside the night before.
  • Evening: air your feet, and soak them 2 to 3 times a week in baking soda, apple cider vinegar or Epsom salt.

Antibacterial Soap for Smelly Feet

Ordinary soap and a good scrub are enough for most people. If your feet are very smelly, an antibacterial soap for smelly feet, or a natural soap with tea tree oil, helps reduce the bacteria that cause the smell. Use it once a day on the feet only, rinse well and moisturise your heels afterwards, because strong soaps dry the skin (see cracked heels).

12 Natural Remedies for Smelly Feet

1. Wash thoroughly every day, with a little scrub

This is the habit that solves most smelly feet. Every time you shower, clean your feet thoroughly: between your toes, the heel and all of the sole, with soap and preferably with a little scrub.

  • Use soap and a washcloth, soft brush or a gentle foot scrub.
  • Spread your toes and wash between each one.
  • Scrub the heel and the whole sole, where dead skin builds up and feeds bacteria.
  • Rinse well: leftover soap irritates the skin.

What the research says: Dead skin and sweat are the food that skin bacteria turn into foot odour (Ara et al., 2006).

2. Dry thoroughly, and exfoliate while you dry

When drying your feet off, do the same: dry very thoroughly between the toes, under the toes, the sole and the upper part of the foot. That way you not only dry but also exfoliate.

  • Use a clean, slightly rough towel and rub every part of the foot.
  • Pay extra attention between and under the toes, where moisture stays longest.
  • Let your feet air-dry for a few more minutes before putting on socks.

3. Fresh socks every day

Always wear fresh socks every day. Socks soak up sweat and bacteria, and wearing them twice brings all of it straight back to your skin.

  • Change your socks at least once a day, twice if your feet sweat a lot.
  • Choose cotton, bamboo, merino wool or moisture-wicking sport socks.
  • Wash socks inside out at 60 degrees.

4. Baking soda and essential oil in your shoes

Mix a pinch of baking soda with an essential oil of choice and spread it in your shoe. Baking soda absorbs moisture and neutralises the acids that cause the smell; the oil adds an antibacterial boost and a fresh scent.

  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 2 to 3 drops of tea tree, lavender, peppermint or eucalyptus oil per shoe.
  • Spread it inside the shoe in the evening, and tap it out in the morning.
  • Repeat 2 to 3 times a week.
Revive tea tree essential oil

For your shoes and foot soaks

The oil I mix into my shoe powder

A pinch of baking soda with a few drops of essential oil, spread in your shoes, keeps them fresh between wears. Tea tree is my go-to: it’s naturally antibacterial and antifungal, so it works on the cause of the smell, not just the smell itself.

  • 2 to 3 drops in a pinch of baking soda for each shoe
  • 5 drops in a foot bath, mixed with Epsom salt first
  • Never undiluted on the skin; not for children under 6
  • Keep away from pets, especially cats

Get the tea tree oil I use

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5. Baking soda for smelly feet: a foot soak

Baking soda works on your feet as well as in your shoes.

  • Dissolve 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a foot bath of warm water.
  • Soak for 15 minutes, then dry very thoroughly.
  • Use 2 to 3 times a week; skip it if your skin is cracked.

6. Apple cider vinegar for smelly feet

Vinegar makes the skin more acidic, which bacteria don’t like.

  • Mix 1 part apple cider vinegar with 2 parts warm water.
  • Soak your feet for 15 to 20 minutes, once or twice a week.
  • Rinse and dry well; skip it on broken or irritated skin.

What the research says: Acetic acid, the active part of vinegar, kills many bacteria and breaks down their protective biofilms in the lab (Feng et al., 2022).

7. Epsom salt foot bath

Epsom salt makes the foot bath more hostile to bacteria and leaves feet feeling fresh and soft.

  • Half a cup of Epsom salt in warm water.
  • Add 5 drops of tea tree oil, mixed into the salt first.
  • Soak for 15 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week.

8. Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is one of the best-studied natural antibacterial and antifungal oils.

  • Add 5 drops to a foot bath or to your shoe powder.
  • Or mix 2 drops with a teaspoon of carrier oil and massage it between your toes after drying.
  • Never use it undiluted; stop if your skin reacts.

What the research says: Tea tree oil kills a wide range of bacteria and fungi (Carson et al., 2006), and is safe on the skin when diluted (Hammer et al., 2006).

9. Black tea soak

The tannins in black tea tighten the pores and reduce sweating for a while.

  • Steep 3 to 4 tea bags in a litre of boiling water, then add cool water.
  • Soak your feet for 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week.

10. Powder for smelly feet

A natural foot powder keeps your feet dry during the day.

  • Arrowroot or cornstarch with a little baking soda and 2 drops of tea tree oil.
  • Dust it between your toes and on the soles before putting on socks.

11. A natural antiperspirant for smelly feet

For very sweaty feet, a natural mineral deodorant stone (alum) can help.

  • Wet the stone and rub it over clean, dry soles in the evening.
  • Or drink sage tea, a traditional herb against heavy sweating.

12. Air your feet and your shoes

Bacteria love warm, closed, damp places. Give your feet and shoes a break.

  • Go barefoot or wear open sandals at home.
  • Rotate your shoes: let each pair dry for at least 24 hours.
  • Take out the insoles and let them dry separately.

Sweaty, Smelly Feet: Shoes and Socks

If your feet are often a little wet, sweat is the root of the problem, and the fix is ventilation.

Breathable Shoes for Smelly Feet

If your feet sweat a lot, I’d very much recommend buying specialised shoes, like Geox, designed for the best ventilation, with breathable soles that let the moisture out. Leather, canvas and mesh shoes breathe better than plastic or rubber. And if your shoes are highly affected, no remedy will help: buy new shoes.

Socks for Smelly Feet

  • Merino wool, bamboo or cotton, or moisture-wicking sport socks.
  • Toe socks keep the spaces between your toes drier.
  • Bring a spare pair to change at lunchtime if your feet get damp.

How to Clean Smelly Shoes

Your shoes hold on to the bacteria long after your feet are clean, so freshen them regularly:

  • Insoles: take them out once a week, wash them by hand with soap and warm water and let them dry completely. Replace them every few months.
  • Washable trainers: wash them at 30 to 40 degrees in a laundry bag, then dry them at room temperature.
  • Leather shoes: wipe the inside with a cloth dampened with diluted vinegar, then let them dry fully.
  • Overnight: baking soda and a few drops of tea tree oil inside, tapped out in the morning.
  • Fresh air and light: put your shoes outside or by an open window when you can; sunlight and airflow dry them and slow the bacteria down.
  • Cedar shoe trees absorb moisture and smell naturally.

If a pair still smells after a few weeks of this, it’s time to say goodbye and buy new shoes.

For more on excessive sweating, see our guide to excessive sweating and sweaty hands.

Smelly Feet in Cold, Rainy Weather

In cold areas with lots of rain, have an extra pair of socks and shoes at the destination where you’re going. That way, if your shoes get wet, you’re not obliged to wear them all day long, creating smelly feet.

  • Keep a pair of shoes and socks at work, school or in your car.
  • Change as soon as you arrive.
  • Dry wet shoes at room temperature, stuffed with newspaper; not on a radiator, which cracks the leather.
  • Waterproof, breathable shoes for the commute.

When Smelly Feet Are an Infection

How to Get Rid of Smelly Feet Permanently

Smelly feet don’t come back when the habits stay. Keep washing and drying thoroughly, wear fresh socks every day, let your shoes dry for 24 hours, use breathable shoes if you sweat, and replace shoes that keep smelling after treatment. Treat any infection, and if you sweat heavily all the time, talk to a doctor or dermatologist about hyperhidrosis.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get rid of smelly feet permanently?

With daily habits: wash between the toes, heel and sole with soap and a little scrub, dry thoroughly, wear fresh socks every day, dry your shoes for 24 hours and wear breathable shoes.

What is the reason for smelly feet?

Skin bacteria break down sweat and dead skin into smelly acids. Sweaty feet, closed shoes and socks worn twice make it worse.

What are the best natural remedies for smelly feet?

Baking soda in your shoes and in a foot soak, apple cider vinegar or Epsom salt soaks, tea tree oil, black tea soaks, a natural foot powder and airing your feet and shoes.

Does baking soda help smelly feet?

Yes. A pinch of baking soda with an essential oil in your shoes absorbs moisture and smell, and a baking soda foot soak helps too.

Does apple cider vinegar help smelly feet?

A soak of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water makes the skin less friendly to bacteria. Use it once or twice a week, not on broken skin.

What is the best soap for smelly feet?

An antibacterial soap or a natural tea tree soap, used with a little scrub between the toes and on the soles. Moisturise your heels afterwards.

Should I throw away smelly shoes?

If your shoes are highly affected and still smell after baking soda and airing, buy new shoes: the bacteria live in the lining.

How do I get rid of smelly feet instantly?

Wash and dry your feet thoroughly, put on fresh socks and a different, dry pair of shoes, and dust your feet with a little baking soda or foot powder.

Why are my feet so sweaty and smelly?

Some people sweat more by nature (hyperhidrosis), and closed shoes trap the moisture. Ventilated shoes, breathable socks and foot powder help.

Some links on this page are affiliate links, marked as such. If you buy through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This article is for general information and does not replace a diagnosis from a qualified professional. Read our medical disclaimer or browse more natural remedies.

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montoya sigafoose
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