Wearing a pair of stinky shoes can make one feel mortified. However, in many cases, these shoes are not smelly when he first uses them. Nevertheless, after a day of usage, his shoes turn smelly. Thankfully, deep cleaning services by the kind wash can help you fix this problem.
Smelly shoes are common occurrences during hot days. The source of this odor is typically germs living inside your footwear. Moreover, the culprit of this smell may also affect your foot health.
Why Do Shoes Smell?
The odor coming out of your shoes is the result of bacteria and fungus growth inside the footwear. Those germs thrive in the shoes because of various factors.
1. Dead Skin Cells
Dead skin cells may build up when you wear shoes for hours. On the other hand, bacteria and fungi feed off dead skin cells. Therefore, the germs can grow and multiply on these build-ups.
While multiplying into thousands of units, germs produce organic acid that causes a bad odor. Consequently, both your feet and shoes become smelly.
2. Sweat
Your feet produce more sweat than some particular parts of the body because they have extra numbers of glands. This sweat can seep into the shoes and cause this footwear to be damp.
This damp environment is an ideal breeding site for fungi and bacteria. As a result, your footwear oozes foul odors. If this happens frequently, opt for professional sneaker cleaning services by the kind wash. It can help maintain your footwear’s freshness and prevent long-term damage caused by bacteria.
3. Poor Shoe Ventilation
Shoes made of breathable material typically will not develop an unpleasant smell after weeks of usage. This is because the material allows the air inside the footwear to circulate well.
However, some shoes have poor ventilation due to the non-breathable materials. Consequently, your feet will produce more sweat. This condition creates damp environments ideal for bacteria and fungi to grow. Therefore, it will lead to smelly shoes.
4. Socks
Some socks will absorb the sweat on your feet and cause moisture to build up inside your shoes. As a result, you will smell an unpleasant odor when you are taking off your footwear.
The Effects of Smelly Shoes on Your Health
Bacteria and fungi that grow inside your shoes do not only cause them to be smelly. These germs can also affect your foot health. Therefore, you must consider using deep cleaning services by the kind wash to help you eliminate this problem before it causes you to suffer from the following conditions.
1. Athlete’s Foot
People can develop this fungal skin infection when they wear smelly shoes daily for a long duration. An athlete’s foot normally occurs between your toes. However, it may also appear on your soles and other areas.
Those suffering from this fungal skin infection show symptoms of itching and burning sensations, redness, smelly feet, and flaky skin. If you suffer from these symptoms, you must apply antifungal cream.
You must also ensure the shoes and socks you wear are clean, dry, and breathable. Regular laundry of your socks is essential to prevent reinfection.
2. Toenail Fungus
Toenail fungus may also develop if you wear smelly footwear for a long duration daily. In this condition, fungus grows under the toenails and causes infections. They can be difficult to treat because the fungus goes deep under the nails.
The symptoms of this fungal infection are nail discoloration, thick nails, brittle nails, foul odor, and pain in the affected areas. If you have those conditions, you must take oral antifungal medications. The treatment can last for three to four months.
3. Pitted Keratolysis
Another foot disease linked to smelly feet and shoes is pitted keratolysis. Some people mistakenly regard this disease as an athlete’s foot because their symptoms are similar, e.g., smelly feet and itching and burning sensations.
However, pitted keratolysis is a bacterial infection. Therefore, you need antibiotics to treat this condition. In addition, you can prevent this infection by wearing clean and dry shoes, changing the socks you wear every day, and avoiding wearing similar shoes 2 days in a row.
How Deep Cleaning Removes Odor from Shoes
Removing odor from your footwear is not always a simple task. Sometimes, simply drying shoes under direct sunlight can remove the smell. However, in many cases, you need to deep clean your footwear to eliminate the unpleasant odor. Deep cleaning services by the kind wash conduct various cleaning methods to make shoes smell as fresh as new.
1. Killing the Germs
A shoe cleaning professional will sterilize the footwear to remove the foul odor. The sterilization may involve various methods, depending on the material of the shoes. the kind wash will clean them using the dry cleaning. Aside from these methods, the kind wash cleaning services perform UV sterilization or steam sanitization.
2. Deodorizing the Shoes
Another treatment used to eliminate bad smells in shoes is the deodorizing treatment. This treatment can get rid of any lingering odor inside the footwear. Therefore, it will have a fresh smell.
3. Drying
Proper drying is vital in shoe odor removal. Therefore, deep cleaning services by the kind wash will perform customized drying based on the type and material of the footwear. In some cases, the service will also apply waterproofing products on shoes. Those two moisture control strategies will keep odors away from your shoes for several weeks.
DIY Methods That Will Ruin Your Shoes
Some people may think they don’t need a shoe deep cleaning service to fix their smelly shoes. This is because they believe that some DIY shoe-cleaning methods can eliminate the problems.
However, of course that is wrong. The DIY method will actually damage the quality of your shoes. Here is an example.
1. Sunshine
Drying your shoes under direct sunshine can remove their foul odor. It may take several hours for the footwear to be completely dry. However, drying shoes under the sunshine can cause them to discolor and lose appeal. Moreover, it is not always possible to do it during the wet season.
2. Baking Soda
Baking soda is a popular deodorizer among DIY methods. This home remedy can absorb bad smells and kill bacteria. You can use baking soda in a couple of ways. One of them is to sprinkle it on the inner part of your shoes and leave it for 24 hours.
However, baking soda cannot clean your shoes. Stains and dirt will stay present on your footwear after you perform this deodorizing treatment. Baking soda will actually damage the quality of your shoes.
For a more thorough solution, consider professional shoe cleaning, the kind wash. the kind wash provides various types of shoe services, such as boots, leather, sneakers, and sports shoes cleaning services to ensure your athletic footwear remains odor-free and spotless.
3. New Insoles
In some cases, old insoles are the culprit of smelly shoes. If deep cleaning cannot remove the persisting smell of your footwear, you may need to replace its insoles with new ones.
DIY Shoe Cleaning vs Professional Shoe Cleaning
Should you go for a professional shoe deep cleaning service or clean your shoes yourself? Below are the differences between those two methods based on the advantages and disadvantages they offer.
However, for specific footwear like boots, cleaning them at home can be tricky, especially if they require special care. In such cases, opting for professional boots cleaning services ensures your footwear is treated with the right techniques and products to avoid damage.
1. DIY Deep Cleaning
DIY deep-cleaning footwear has several drawbacks.
- Damaged Shoes: This method increases the risk of damage. Many shoes require special deep cleaning treatments. Therefore, if you are not careful, your footwear may discolor, deform, shrink, and lose the soles.
- Takes Time: Cleaning the inner and outer parts of your shoes until they lose all their stains, dirt, germs, and odor takes a lot of time. Therefore, DIY footwear cleaning is not suitable for those who lead a busy life.
- Ineffective: DIY shoe deep cleaning is not always effective in removing odor, germs, stains, and dirt. This is because most people do not have advanced shoe-cleaning equipment and the right soap or detergent.
2. Hiring a Professional Shoe Cleaning Service
Hiring a professional to deep clean your footwear will give you the following advantages.
- Save Time: Professional shoe cleaning service offers a convenient solution for deep cleaning your footwear. By hiring this service, you don’t need to spend hours washing and drying your shoes. Therefore, you can save your time for other important activities. In addition, just like pram wash services for baby gear, the kind wash ensures that your footwear receives thorough attention and care, extending their durability and cleanliness without any hassle.
- Maximum Result: A shoe cleaning service employs experienced professionals, utilizes advanced equipment, and uses the best detergent. Consequently, your footwear will be spotless, fresh, and free of germs and dirt.
- Last Longer: Instead of damaging your shoes, a professional shoe cleaning service can extend the lifespan of your footwear. This service will perform the cleaning treatment based on your shoe type and materials. Therefore, they get the ideal treatment and last longer.
- Eco-Friendly Equipment and Solutions: The equipment and solutions used by professional shoe cleaners are eco-friendly. They produce low emissions and won’t cause allergic reactions.
- Pick-Up and Delivery: A professional deep cleaning service also offers pick-up and delivery services. Therefore, you don’t need to drop your footwear and pick it up again after it gets the deep-cleaning treatment.
3. The Winner
Based on the data above, a professional deep cleaning service is a better choice than washing your shoes yourself. The professional service can remove the odor, germs, and dirt from your footwear. This service also maintains the beauty and lifespan of the shoes.
the kind wash: Best Shoe Deep Cleaning Services Singapore
Hiring a professional deep cleaning service will give you the advantages above only if it is from the best company. Therefore, you must only get the service from the kind wash, a South Korean cleaning service in Singapore.
the kind wash has over 20 years of experience in deep cleaning shoes, bags, and baby gear. Below are several things about the kind wash you must know.
1. Prices and Services
The prices of this service vary depending on the shoe types, such as sneakers, leather shoes, boots, and branded shoes. They range between $25 and $50.
The most affordable one is the sneaker shoe cleaning service. Meanwhile, the most expensive service is boot and branded shoe deep cleaning services. These services are expensive because both shoe types require special care. If you have branded shoes, investing in a professional brand shoes cleaning service will ensure that your shoes receive the proper attention they deserve.
The deep cleaning process by the kind wash takes about 3 or 4 days. Moreover, customers will get free pick-up and delivery services if they meet the minimum order.
Otherwise, they must pay an additional fee of $20 to get those services. As an alternative, customers can drop off and pick up their shoes at the kind wash office.
2. Its Excellences
the kind wash has some features that other shoe-cleaning services may not have. What are they?
- Sustainable Cleaning Process: the kind wash conducts a sustainable cleaning process. This process can extend the lifespan of your shoes without damaging the environment. In addition, similar to bag cleaning services by the kind wash, not only your shoes but also your bags receive meticulous care, keeping them in top condition for longer.
- Advanced Technology from Korea: As a Korean deep cleaning service, the kind wash uses highly advanced cleaning equipment from South Korea. The company also employs South Korean technicians to perform advanced cleaning techniques.
- Gentle and Thorough: the kind wash also uses gentle, non-toxic cleaning detergent. This product will not damage footwear and cause allergic reactions. Despite the gentle formula, this product is effective in removing odor, dirt, and stains from shoes.
- Germ-Free: The deep cleaning process done by the kind wash can kill all the harmful germs inside and outside your shoes. Therefore, this service can prevent you from suffering from athlete’s foot, fungus toenails, and other germ infections.
3. A Glance at Its Deep Cleaning Process
The deep cleaning process from the kind wash consists of various steps. There are dry/wet cleaning, deodorizing, UV sterilization, and bacterial disinfection. Moreover, branded shoes get additional waterproofing treatment, while leather shoes get conditioning treatment.
Smelly shoes do not only cause embarrassment when you take them off. This foul odor also indicates that your footwear is full of germs, which can cause infections. Therefore, you must get deep cleaning services from the kind wash to remove this odor.
F.A.Q
What are the common causes of smelly shoes?
- Dead skin cells accumulating inside the shoes.
- Excessive sweat produced by feet.
- Shoes made from non-breathable materials.
- Moisture from socks that traps sweat inside the footwear.
Can smelly shoes affect your foot health?
Smelly shoes indicate the presence of harmful bacteria and fungi. These harmful bacteria and fungi can cause athlete’s foot, toenail fungus, and pitted keratolysis.
How long does a professional deep cleaning service by the kind wash for shoes typically take?
Typically around 3 to 4 days, including cleaning, deodorizing, and drying.
Why do shoes get smelly so often?
Smelly shoes are caused by bacteria and fungi that thrive in warm, moist environments. In addition, sweat and dead skin cells help them grow.