Rubber rain boots keep your feet dry but no one likes the tire smell they emanate. Keeping your feet dry shouldn’t be this much of a hassle.
New rubber boot smell is caused by off-gassing. This is a normal reaction to the manufacturing process, but it doesn’t mean you have to live with the smell. Get tough with it and use one of these solutions to eliminate it.
How to Get Smell Out of Rubber Rain Boots
1 Get ’em Dirty
If your goal is to get the new rubber smell out of the boots, you need to get down and dirty with them. Grab a handful of grass and rub it all over the boots. Follow up with some good old fashioned dirt and rub it right in to the boots. They can take it. This should get the new smell right out of them and replace it with a more lived in type of stank.
2 Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda Spray
You can make your own recipe to get the rubber smell out of your boots by mixing up a batch of 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide, 1 quart of distilled water, and 1/4 cup of baking soda. Place the ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well and spray the boots thoroughly to get the smell out.
3 Ghost Wash the Smell Out
Ghost Clothes Wash Scent Eliminator is used by hunters to remove the human smell from clothing. Spray the boots liberally with the product and allow them to dry overnight to get rid of the rubber smell. This product can be ordered online.
4 Bury them in Grass Clippings
Don’t discard your grass clippings the next time you are working on your yard. You can use them to get the rubbery smell out of your new boots instead. Take the boots and place them in a half bag full of the green stuff. Cover completely with grass. Leave them in place for a couple of days. When you pull the boots out, all you should be able to smell is grass instead of rubber.
5 Kitty Litter Solution
Kitty litter is an excellent product for absorbing odors. For best results, choose a good quality brand. Place the litter in a plastic bag and put the boots on top of it and close it tightly. Let them sit for 24-48 hours before removing them.
6 Baking Soda Shake-up
Baking soda is a great choice if you need to get the rubbery smell out of your boots, and you probably have a box of it on hand at your home. Take a large plastic bag and sprinkle some it it inside. Place the boots in the bag and tie the bag shut. Shake up the bag and let it sit for a couple of days. The baking soda will absorb the smell.
7 Vinegar Scrub Down
Give the rubber boots a thorough cleaning with pure white vinegar. We have it on good authority that this product will get hog smell off rubber boots. If it can tame that foul stink, it will have not problem dealing with the new rubber smell. Just mix up 1/4 cup of vinegar in a pail of water and use a rag or a sponge to clean your boots.
8 Take them Outside
Fresh air and sunshine will help to kill the rubber funk in your boots. To keep water and assorted “pets” from entering your boots, drive a couple of stakes into the ground. Turn your boots upside down and put them on top of the stakes. Leave the boots outside in a sunny spot for a couple of days. When you return to check on them, inspect them thoroughly to see if they still stink. If you detect some odor, leave them in place for a few more days. If not, they are ready to take inside.
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Mix up a solution of 2 teaspoons of baking soda and two teaspoons of corn starch. If you want to add something extra to this anti-stank remedy, you can add a few drops of essential oil if you like. Not only will it banish the smell from your Emu boots, but it will soften the inside of them as well. Shake it into your footwear and leave it overnight. Shake out the excess the next day.
If you want an all-natural way to de-funk your boots, try grass. We are not talking about the type that other people would be tempted to roll up and smoke to zone out for awhile. Take some fresh grass clippings and stuff them into your boots. Leave them in place for a few days. The grass will absorb the offensive smell from your boots. Who doesn’t like the smell of a freshly-mowed lawn? Now your boots can have the same lovely smell in stead of smelling like feet! We think that’s a win-win proposition.
When your boots are made for walking on their own because of the stank factor, you need to do something about the issue. You can get the smell out of your boots and be kind to the environment at the same time by stuffing them with some old newspapers. Leave the papers for a few days before checking the boots. If there is any lingering offensive aroma, simply replace the newspaper with some fresh stuff and recheck it in a few more days. You can always make a point of stuffing your boots every time you take them off to absorb odor and wetness and keep any smells at bay.
The reason your Emu boots are smelling stinky is due to bacteria. If you want to kill the bacteria where they live, sprinkle some borax into each boot. You can find this product in grocery stores (check the laundry aisle) or online. Sprinkle one teaspoon into each boot to get the job done. As a bonus, the borax will also kill athlete’s foot.
If you are looking for a mess-free solution to the issue of getting the smell out of your Emu boots, try tucking a scented dryer sheet into each one. Leave it in place to absorb the odor overnight or until you are ready to wear them again. The advantage to this solution is that you don’t have to deal with any powders getting onto your socks or pants when you wear your boots next time. Simply replace the dryer sheets between wearings to keep the smell to a minimum.
You can make your own baggies to absorb odor and keep your shoes sweet smelling. Take a paper towel and lie it on a flat surface. Pour 1/4 cup of baking soda in the middle of the paper towel. Fold the edges of the paper towel into the middle and secure with a rubber band or a clip so the baking soda doesn’t escape. Place the baking soda baggies into the toes of the jazz shoes after each dance class. They will absorb the moisture to keep the foot funk factor down to a minimum.
This solution involves a one-two process. First, you spray the inside of the shoes with Febreze. Then you place them outside while the Febreze is drying. The combination of the air freshener and the power of the sunshine should banish the bad odors from the shoes. Leaving them out overnight is best if you have the time to do so.
You can mix up a solution of rubbing alcohol and water to mist the foot rot stank out of your shoes. Put it in a spray bottle and treat the shoes spray them lightly. The alcohol will remove the stink as it dries, which should not take very long. Repeat each time you wear the shoes to try to keep on top of the smell issue.
Placing odor-destroying insoles in your shoes should help with the issue of keeping your jazz shoes from stinking up the room when you remove them. There are a number of brands on the market. You may need to experiment with a few before you find the one that will work best for you. Look for one that contains activated charcoal, since this is the material that will absorb the foot odor. Dr. Scholl’s Odor Destroyers is a brand that a number of dancers find effective for dealing with stinky jazz shoes.
All that is required to deodorize most moccasins is to let them air out within the sun. The fresh air and open space will help to diffuse any smelly wet residues within the moccassin. Additionally, the direct ultra violet rays will work to neutralize the any odorous bacteria within the shoes. For best results, make sure that you place the moccasins within a location outside where they are sure to receive a minimum of 8 hours of direct sunlight. If any smell remains after the first day, try placing them out for a second or third day.
Though normally associated with treatment of cat waste, the use of cat litter can be a very effective absorbent for foot odors. Scoop a half cup of this deodorizing granule to be poured within each moccasin. Next, proceed to lightly shuffle the moccasins to ensure that the granules make there way to the toe area of the footwear. This method can be perform this task nightly until the moccasins are smelling fresh. In addition, the cat litter can be stored after use to be reapplied the following night.
If you have the time, the use of activated charcoal can help remove odors and ensure that your moccasins stay fresh. In order to make the appropriate activated charcoal inserts, you will need to cut the nylons in half and put several briquettes within the foot area of each stocking making sure to tie a knot to enclose the activated charcoal. Next, you will want to place these nylon enclosed activated charcoal inserts within your moccasins nightly until no foot related stink remains within the shoes.
Smells often develop within Converse shoes when they are worn too often. Constant use can have the effect of not allowing the needed airing out time required to dry out the odorous residues. As a preventative solution to this problem, the shoes can be rotated with another pair to ensure that one pair is being aired out while the other is being worn. This method can also help with maintaining a fresh apperance on a daily basis, as Converse shoes come within a range of colors and styles.
If the odors living within your Converse are especial repugnant, an enzyme cleaning solution can be use to eat through the smelly foot residues. Begin by spraying down the interior of your shoes with an enzyme cleaning spray. Your will want to make sure that the spray makes it all of the way down to the toes area of the shoes and that no area is left untreated. Next, you will need to stuff the shoes to completely full with newspaper balls and allow them to sit overnight. By morning, the newspaper balls can be removed from the interior of the Converse, and the shoes can be placed outside in the sun to air dry any remaining enzyme moisture.
If the foot odors are especially bad within the Chacos, the use of active enzymes can be effective in freshening the rubber fiber. Pour enzyme cleaner within large rectangle container until the solution becomes a half inch deep. Next, place the Chacos within the solution upside down to ensure that all areas of the sandal that normally come into contact with feet are submerged within the formula. Allow the Chacos to sit for 4-6 hours before removing to place the sandals outside to air dry.
As a product solution, many people would not think to use denture cleaner for deodorizing rubber Chacos. However, this ingredient can work wonders in cutting through smelly foot residues to leave the Chacos smelling fresh. Fill a large rectangluar dish with water and drop in one tablet of Efferdent. Next, place the Chacos within the solution upside down and allow the sandals to soak for 2-3 hours. After this time has passed, remove the Chacos and air dry them within the sun. 
It is important to treat the Chacos as soon as an odor is found within them. The longer that you wait, the stronger the odor will get and the more challenging it will be to neutralize. Much time and effort will be saved by treating the odor within your Chacos immediately after it has been discovered.
Most Airwalks allow for the use of a washing machine to clean and deodorize the shoes. Be sure to check your Airwalk’s tag to see if this is a possibility before running them through the washer. If so place the shoes within the washer and add in your normal clothing detergent along with a half cup of baking soda. Run the wash on the coldest setting and place the shoes outside within direct sunlight for drying to prevent shoe shrinkage.
The use of bleach can be an effective alternative to baking soda and white vinegar for eliminate odors within white socks. Similar to the other compounds, start the washing cycle with the detergent and smelly white sock and allow water to rise before adding in a full cup of bleach. During the cycle, the bleach will work to cut through the bacteria that is causing the sharp odor within the socks.
If the smells are especially bad they can be soaked within a highly concentrated mixture of hydrogen peroxide. Mix a solution of one part hydrogen peroxide with 4 parts warm water within an appropriate sized bucket. Proceed to submerge the smelly socks within the mixture and allow for them to soak for 1-2 hours. After this time has passed, the socks can be removed and placed through a normal detergent wash. This solution works best with white socks as minor bleaching may occur with colored ones.