How to Solve the Problem of Smelly Dance Shoes
Tips to Alleviate the Smell and Keep Your Shoes and Bag Fresh
Jun 2, 2009
When dancing, there is a certain amount of sweat and friction going on in your shoes. Because of this, there is also a certain amount of smell in your shoes and bag.
Here is a three-step solution to smelly shoes. All of these steps involve items you may already have in your house. It will take just a few minutes to help you stop the odor in your shoes and your dance bag.
1. Overhaul Your Bag
- Empty your dance bag of all shoes, clothing, hair supplies and whatever else you may have in it.
- Spray Febreeze (or another deodorizer) into the bag and let it sit overnight, slightly open.
- While you are airing the bag, make sure you wash anything that needs to be washed. Even tights and leotards that haven't been worn lately have been cramped together in your bag and should be freshened.
- The next day, put everything back in your bag.
2. Continuous Freshness
- Lay a paper towel flat on a counter top or table.
- Put 1/4-cup of baking soda in a small pile in the middle of the paper towel.
- Bring the four corners of the paper towel together, as tightly as possible, and wrap a rubber band around the end so the baking soda won't fall out. This creates a paper towel baggie.
- After dance class, slide a paper towel baggie into the toes of your dance shoes. This pulls all the moisture out of your shoes, and also alleviates the odor.
- Before the next class, remove the paper towel baggie. If the towel hasn't ripped, reuse the baggie after another few classes. As long as the towel remains intact, you should get a few months' use from each one.
- If the baggie does break inside your shoe, don't worry. You will just have a small amount of baking soda that you can tap lightly out of your shoe. The baking soda that remains in the shoe will keep it smelling fresh.
3. Power Boost
- During a heavy rehearsal schedule, or when preparing for a show, your shoes may get more use than on a normal class schedule. Preparing for studio recitals usually takes place in beginning of the summer, so your feet and body will also be sweating a lot more in those rehearsals.
- If your shoes, clothing, and bag need a freshness boost, take an unused dryer sheet and drop it into your dance bag. The fresh scent of the dryer sheet will keep your shoes and clothes smelling as if they were just washed.
Following these tips will help to curb the odors in your dance shoes and will be appreciated by the rest of your studio. Everyone will be asking how you keep your feet so fresh!
The copyright of the article How to Solve the Problem of Smelly Dance Shoes in Ballet/Jazz/Tap Dance is owned by Terry Finch. Permission to republish How to Solve the Problem of Smelly Dance Shoes in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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