How To Get Rid of Shoe Odor With Tea Bags

What does putting tea bags in your shoes do? Apparently, you can learn how to get rid of shoe odor with tea bags.

It is a joy when you can use household items to do nice things. For example, some time in the past, we looked at how to break in shoes by placing them in the freezer overnight.

And now, today, we will find out how to use tea bags in shoes. Keep reading to see more information about this.

Do Tea Bags Absorb Odor?

First, bacteria and heat are among the major causes of shoes odor.  The enclosed nature of your shoes, the tight spots between your toes and the heat all combine to create the “perfect” environment for festering bacteria.

Black tea bags are going to absorb the odor from your shoes. However, white tea may not have the same effect. For example, black tea is rich in tannin and they are responsible for absorbing the odor.

The good thing is that a pack of black tea bags will not cost you much money. Therefore, you can get as many as you need. Besides, smelly shoes tea bags work fast.   

So to the questions of: do tea bags absorb odor? The answer is a resounding yes! They do. The tannin in black tea are responsible for that.

How to remove smell from shoes instantly

If you work long hours on your feet, in the evening, your boots will be smelly. Unfortunately, you have to wear them the following day.

Therefore, using tea bags as a remedy for your smelly shoes is recommended. In the same line, they will leave your shoes clean, fresh, and ready for use the next day. 

If your shoes are free from the nasty smell, you will confident because you can go anywhere without fearing that some nasty odor is escaping from the shoes.

There are other ways that have been used to remove bad smell from shoes.  For instance, you can use baking soda, lemon pills, washing the shoes regularly and drying them in direct sunlight. In addition, alcohol can also clean the bad odor out of your shoes.

However, among the above-mentioned techniques, using tea bags is the most convenient and effective way to remove odor from your shoes. After all, it does not take as much time as the other techniques. Basically, you can treat your shoes at night and wear them fresh in the morning.

The Process of How To Get Rid of Shoe Odor with Tea Bags

The good thing about using tea bags for smelly shoes treatment is that it is a simple process. In addition, you will just use the tea bags themselves and hot water. Keep reading to see how you can use this ingenious method to get your shoes smelling fresh again.

If your shoes have mild odor

Remove your shoes and place them in an airy room. Perhaps you can also place them on your veranda where there is free circulation of air. That way, the air will help to dissipate some of the smell.

Image of tea bags for smelly feet

You can then proceed to choose tea bags with a pleasant aroma of your choice and place 2 of them in each shoe. Some tea bags are scented with lemon, vanilla and so on. Therefore, their scent will be left inside your shoes.

Leave the tea bags in the shoes for at least 24 hours.  This duration allows the tea bags to absorb the bad smell from the shoes.

If you check your shoes after this period, you will love the smell. Your shoes will have acquired the pleasant aroma of the tea bags. However, if in the first place the shoes odor was too bad, this technique might not work.

When the shoes odor is too extreme

In extreme cases, you know when the smell from your work boots is too intense, you have to use a different method that will be most effective. Don’t worry though because it is still going to require you to use tea bags.

Start by boiling water to 100 degree Celsius.

Take 4 tea bags and dip them in the hot water.  Remove them after a few seconds and squeeze them a little to get the excess water out.  Put two moist tea bags in each shoe and leave them for about 3 hours.

Black tea is recommended in this case as it has a high concentration of tannin.  Moisture from the tea bags will soak into your innersoles sacking out all the bad smell.  Your shoes will be left with the pleasant aroma of the tea bags. 

Remember to air your shoes and avoid wearing them while they are still moist. In addition, you can buy yourself an extra pair of shoes so that you don’t have to wear the same pair of boots every day.

There, you have seen just how simple the process of how to get rid of shoe odor with tea bags. You have also seen that it is not as messy as cleaning the shoes in water.

Benefits of using tea bags to get rid of shoe odor

Are feet supposed to stink?

Well, when your feet sweat excessively, you are likely to develop a case of bad foot odor. The reason for this is that there are bacteria that exist on the feet naturally.

To some extent, we can say that feet will always stink. Therefore, it is best to know how you can rectify that issue. Thankfully, as you have seen here, using tea bag deodorizer is easy and effective.

To reiterate, black tea has a high concentration of tannin. This compound helps to fight the bacteria that cause bad odor. The bad smell in your shoes is brought about by a bacterium, which breeds when shoes are moist because of sweaty feet.

Tea bags are easy to use and they are readily available in every household.  If you have run out of stalk of tea you can easily buy at your nearest retail shop. In addition, you should use new tea bags.

Also, do not use them to make your tea and then use them in the tea. If you do that, the effective components that help with the smell will have run out.

Simple way to avoid foot odor

To avoid having smelly shoes, always wash your feet with warm water and soap to kill any bacteria that will be there every time you remove your shoes. 

In addition, dry the feet well before putting on your socks and shoes.  On the same note, ensure you wash your shoes regularly and dry them in the direct sunlight.  Avoid putting on wet or semi-dry shoes.

Always put on clean socks as they help suck sweat from your feet. Therefore, this helps keep them dry so that they do not give room for bacteria to form. 

In addition, you can look for socks that are specifically designed to keep feet dry and free of sweat. That way, there will be no sweat mixing with your foot bacteria to form nasty odors.

Conclusion

Tea bags can make a good leather shoe deodorizer. Therefore, you don’t have to spend your day in smelly shoes. In addition, you have seen just how simple it is for how to get rid of shoe odor with tea bags.

Even people who normally do not develop foot odor do find their shoes smelly especially in summer. Therefore, it helps a lot to keep some tea bags for smelly feet at home.