The Best Shoes For Sweaty And Smelly Feet – An Expert Guide

Finding the best shoes for dealing with sweaty and smelly feet can be a challenging prospect. Ultimately, everyone is different. With that in mind, as independent footwear experts, we are asked this very question every day by our customers and thought we would share our knowledge. Here is our guide on selecting the appropriate materials, reasons why your feet might be smelly or sweaty and our personal recommendations for different styles of shoes.

Everyone needs a pair of comfortable casual shoes for weekend social meetings or holidays. You want to be sure that your footwear has been manufactured using breathable materials such as leather. We recommend:

Legero Tanaro 5 Zip

Lotus Katya

Combining smart and casual, a pair of pumps are a great option for those who want a versatile style. A pair of leather pumps with perforations in the summer will allow for greater airflow.

Begg Exclusive Allday Wide

Legero Tanaro 5 Slip

If you find that a number of shoes that you wear regularly all have the same issue, unfortunately it may be you and not the shoes.

In some cases however, we have seen in our stores that the adhesives and internal components of a shoe can start to break down (literally rotting inside) leaving you with a very strong smell from shoes.

The natural salinity of sweat is highly corrosive over time and when you wear the same shoes every day, sweat soaks into your shoes. If they don’t get a chance to fully dry out, this can encourage bacterial growth decomposition of the shoe interior. When it gets to this point – replacing your shoes is the only permanent cure. Some of our customers have politely described the strong small as similar to cat urine and sometimes the smell from the shoes can transfer to your socks or your feet.

If all of your shoes are the same, consider the alternative, that the smell may be you. Smelly feet are a common problem all year round and are medically recognised as bromodosis. The common causes behind this foot problem are a combination of sweaty feet and wearing the same shoes every day.  Anyone can get sweaty feet regardless of the temperature, although it does tend to be more common in teenagers and pregnant women. We recommend you check out our guide on the best shoes for pregnancy if this applies to you.

Other common causes include if you’re on your feet all day and wear shoes that are too tight, under a lot of stress or have hyperhidrosis. This is a medical condition which means your feet sweat more than usual. If you are concerned about this, we recommend you speak to your GP or a qualified podiatrist.

The good news is there are some things you can do at home to help prevent smelly feet.

1. Wash Your Feet

We recommend getting in touch with your local pharmacist who can advise you on the right antibacterial soap for you to wash your feet with once a day.  Additionally, our podiatrist-written blog on Top Tips for Summer Feet shares all of the information you need to get your feet summer season ready!

2. Dry Your Feet

It is really important to thoroughly dry your feet after you’ve washed them or any time they get wet, especially between the toes – easy to forget when in a hurry.

3. Wear the Right Shoes

One of the most effective solutions is not wearing the same shoes two days in a row so that they have at least 24 hrs to dry out between use. At the very least try to rotate insoles (swap them out) and leave them to air out every night. Now you have a good reason to go shoe shopping!

The best shoe material for sweaty feet is leather due to its breathability and its ability to absorb excess moisture. Certain shoes, typically featuring man-made materials can make your feet smell and sweat more due to them trapping in the heat and moisture. We recommend avoiding brands such as Crocs if you suffer from sweaty feet and instead look to brands that focus and specialise in leather uppers.

4. Wear the Right Socks

Along with changing your shoes regularly, it stands to reason you should also change your socks at least once a day. Ideally, you should avoid synthetic materials and wear wool or cotton socks as these natural fibres are absorbent and help maintain cooler foot temperatures.

5. Get New Shoes

If the shoes turn out to be the source of the smell, or have become unbearable there is no other choice. First, replace the insole (fillers) if you can remove them and if the problem persists dispose of the shoes and get some new ones. After a short period of time, this can be a manufacturing defect so it is worth speaking with the retailer where you purchased the shoes before disposing of them.