Stinky Feet on the Interstate

[elysian]

My son is 13. This past weekend my parents invited he and I to go with them to see my sister in NC. It's about a 500 mile road trip (one way) so we went in their van and had various things to read, snackies, projects, games, etc.

Now when we were kids we were taught that it's majorly rude to remove one's shoes or socks in another's vehicle. My shoes of course stayed on my feet. Unfortunately my son is my parents' grandson: translation "my grandson can do no wrong." My son can get away with things that my Dad would have backhanded me into next week for, such as removing my shoes in his vehicle. (Likewise, had I forbade my son from removing his shoes, I'd likely have gotten backhanded by my Dad for "upsetting my grandson." )

I have almost no sense of smell left after a lifetime of working around noxious chemicals and having chronic sinus infections pretty much all the time, but I thought to myself (before I could see that he had removed his shoes) that the boy must have some pretty gamey breath. Then I remembered it couldn't be his breath because I had watched him brush his teeth and use Listermint. He was also chewing gum, because he had just bummed a piece of Big Red from Mom. Just as I had that thought I thought my Mom was going to have a fit of apoplexy. She can smell things in much lower intensities than I can, and she was just about turning blue. "FEEEEET," she got in between the gags and coughs. Then I saw them: size 11 narrow feet with deadly looking dagger-like toenails. If smell had a vision there would have been a dirty green noxious cloud surrounding both The Feet and the inside of the van.

Mom was holding her nose with one hand and stuffing The Shoes into a plastic bag. Then she got some car air-freshener out of the glove box and sprayed The Feet directly. That did absolutely no good. She was hanging her head out of the passenger's side window for about 200 miles until we stopped at a Taco Bell in Kentucky. There was a gas station next door and we bought a can of Right Guard spray and doused both The Feet and The Shoes. Now I understand why you see shoes along the road or hanging on wires. I can picture someone saying "gimme that skanky thang" and sending it airborne. Why on Earth they didn't ask him why he was rude enough to remove his shoes in the first place, or better yet, why didn't they forbid them from removing his shoes I will never know, but the Right Guard helped somewhat.

When we got to my sister's we made a trip to her local WalMart for some Odor Eaters and Carpet Fresh so we could hose out The Shoes. Nasty.

[$cirisme]

[Em7add11]

Grossssssss.

My friend puts dryer sheets in his shoes when he takes them off.

[mossrose]

You can buy deoderant foot powders that you sprinkle into the shoes before you put them on. Dr. Scholl's makes a good one, and I got some for my son's and my hubby's work shoes. It really work well.

Actually, I suppose any talcum powder type of product would work. Even baby powder would absorb the moisture that causes the odour. Or baking soda, even, might work....

[elysian]

You can buy deoderant foot powders that you sprinkle into the shoes before you put them on. Dr. Scholl's makes a good one, and I got some for my son's and my hubby's work shoes. It really work well.

Actually, I suppose any talcum powder type of product would work. Even baby powder would absorb the moisture that causes the odour. Or baking soda, even, might work....

We got the Dr. Scholl's insoles. Thankfully the WalMart near my sister's house has a good selection of such items. They do work well. So did the Carpet Fresh- which is a really strong citrus-smelling powder that you would normally sprinkle on the carpet before you vacuum. I have since insisted that he keep the Scholl's insoles in his shoes and that he use Gold Bond powder in his shoes and on his feet after he showers in the evening and when he gets up in the morning. I've used Gold Bond powder on my feet and in my shoes for years- it keeps feet dry and helps prevent odor as well as it prevents athlete's foot.

I had no idea his shoes and feet reeked so bad until I had to sit with him and his feet for 500 miles! Nassssty!

[mossrose]

We had the insoles too, but they weren't doing the job by themselves. So, the Gold Bond or whatever powder you use along with the insoles should do the trick!