Stinky Feet

Reena has a very bad case of stinky feet.

It got to the point where we had to dessert her stinky shoes at the Villa suites hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Reena was playing in my brother's hotel room. That was when he acknowledged the fact that it was crazy stinky when Reena removed her shoes, the entire room stank.

We bought her sandals to air her stinky feet which didn't really help.

According to howstuffworks website, "Foot odor is different from other types of body odor. Most body odor emanates from the genitals and armpits, which contain apocrine sweat glands. The rest of the body, including the feet, is covered with eccrine sweat glands. What's the difference? All sweat is basically odorless, but the sweat from apocrine glands contains protein and amino acids that feed bacteria living on the skin. The bacteria generate body odor."

When we got back to Singapore, I googled on simple home remedies to eliminate the pungent smell present in Reena's feet.


I found an interesting remedy. Two remedies in fact, and decided to try both out.


1. Baking Soda

Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, is an effective remedy to eliminate foot odor. It neutralizes the pH of sweat and reduces bacteria.

• Add baking soda in warm water (one tablespoon for every quart of water) and soak your feet in it for 15 to 20 minutes every night for about one week.
• You can also sprinkle baking soda in both your shoes and socks before wearing them.

2. Lavender Oil

Lavender oil not only smells good but also helps kill bacteria. Plus, it has antifungal properties that are effective in treating foot odor.

1. Put a few drops of lavender essential oil in warm water.
2. Soak your feet in it for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Repeat twice daily for a few days.

I googled on essential oils and found out that lemongrass house was having a sale.

I purchased the pure lavender oil there for about $21.

I inserted about 4-5 drops of that into a tub of water, which was just nice to soak Reena's feet in.

I used my mother's step stool to act as a chair for Reena to sit on as she soaks her feet in for 15-20 minutes. (No small chairs in this house due to space constraints, our BTO Punggol Topaz is darn slow).

This was practiced continuously for a week. On top of that, we sprinkled baking soda into Reena's shoes before she wears them to school.

Alhamdulillah. It was a huge success! Her feet doesn't stink anymore after a week!

Try it out. It's definitely safe for young children.