How to Tackle Sweaty Feet in Summer?

40% of the German population suffers from sweaty feet. The bad-smelling foot sweat is often very unpleasant and embarrassing for those affected. In the warm summer months, our feet sweat even faster in the shoes than usual, which means smelly feet (in German it’s called “Käsefuß” – literally “cheese foot”) are not uncommon. It is often mistakenly assumed that poor hygiene is the cause of unpleasant odours on the feet, but foot odour can have many different reasons. You can find out why the feet sweat and what you can do about unpleasant-smelly sweaty feet in this article.

Sweating is a natural protective mechanism of the body, because sweat removes heat when evaporating from the skin and cool down. Our feet have approx. 350 – 370 sweat glands and are therefore one of the body regions with the most sweat glands. These become active through high outdoor temperatures or stress and sweaty feet develop. Sweat is indeed odorless, and the unpleasant odour arises only when bacteria on the skin decompose the sweat. Butyric acid, the by-product, has a very strong and unpleasant smell. In addition, sweat is trapped in closed shoes and thus offers ideal conditions for badly smelling sweaty feet.

Our 5 tips on tackling unpleasantly smelly feet

Sweaty feet should be cleaned daily. It is best to wash with warm water and soap in the morning and in the evening and then rinse off with cold water. It is particularly important to wash the area between your toes and then dry them properly. If the feet become dry or brittle as a result, they can be treated with a nourishing foot cream.

A very simple but effective tip is to put on clean socks every day. As explained above, the unpleasant smell of sweat is caused by bacteria that break down sweat. If socks are worn for several days, it becomes the perfect environment for bacteria growth. For this reason, you should change your socks every day, even if they smell fresh (yet) odorless.

A foot bath provides the necessary refreshment for your feet, especially on warm summer days. Certain additives, such as baking soda or Lavender oil, can be effective against sweaty feet. Baking soda is a popular home remedy, which slightly increases the pH value of the skin to stop the accumulation of bacteria on the feet. Bacteria prefer an acidic environment and therefore cannot multiply in a slightly alkaline environment. For a foot bath with baking soda, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to 2 liters of warm water and soak your feet in it for about half an hour. Finally, dry your feet well again. A few drops of lavender oil can be added for a fragrant foot bath. The oil has an antibacterial effect and also cares for skin or athlete’s foot.

The choice of socks and shoes is particularly important if you have sweaty feet. Socks should best be made of an absorbent material, so wear thin cotton socks rather than socks made of synthetic fibers. Shoes should fit snugly and be made of a breathable material such as canvas or leather. It is advisable to ventilate your shoes regularly, let them dry well and change them more often.

If the shoes still have a sweat odour after drying, a shoe deodorant can help. A deodorant can also provide additional support for stubborn sweaty feet. The foot and shoe deodorant from Casida contains high-quality essential oils such as tea tree, thyme, eucalyptus and peppermint. These have an antibacterial and anti-fungal effect, so foot odour can be treated in a natural way. For leisure, sports and work shoes, the spray is also ideal for on the go. 100% without aluminum.