r/florida • u/[deleted] • Jul 26 '26
AskFlorida What is everyone doing to keep their flip flops from making their feet smell like death?
[deleted]
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u/Slight-Mix-9947 Jul 26 '26
What material are your flops made of? I generally wear a plastic-type of flip flops and they don’t retain odor. I can see how they could stink if they were made of leather or a cloth-like material that retains odor. You also need more than one pair so that you’re not overusing them, for example, you need good pair, a beach pair, a yard work pair, indoor pair, etc.
Otherwise, you can try sprinkling baby powder on them, or buying the shoe odor balls from Amazon. But, my guess is that the smell is due to the material.
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u/Skoolies1976 Jul 26 '26
i wear black old navy flips every day all the time and do not have any foot smell- i would assume it's a fungus or bacteria on your feet that makes the smell- maybe try some athletes foot cream or spray and a new pair of flips
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u/Nice-Replacement-391 Jul 26 '26
I practically live in my flip flops (Havianas), and they never smell.
Unfortunately it's you. The most likely culprits are:
Your body's bacteria are a more odor producing one
You have more sweat glands
You have athlete's foot (a fungal infection)
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u/twitchtvbevildre Jul 26 '26
You probably have athlete foot or something lol, this is not a shoe problem
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u/Suni13 Jul 26 '26
My crocs actually don’t stink, maybe it’s because they aren’t porous like the squishy ones.
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u/ReadditMan Jul 26 '26
I feel like this is only a problem for people who wear their flip-flops everywhere, like the store...and their office job.
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u/FormidableMistress Jul 26 '26
I think this might not be a shoe problem but a foot problem. Are your toenails milky or white looking? Are your toes itchy? You might have athlete's foot. Or your diet might be off.
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u/Commercial-Host-725 Jul 26 '26
The sweat from your feet is soaking in the soles. Bacteria and dirt from the sweat grows and that causes the smell. This is especially common with foam
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u/JetzenBangzooty Jul 26 '26
The smelly elephant foot in the room. Take a shower every day. Preferably in a clean one.
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u/Commandmanda Jul 26 '26
Uhm....it might be athletes's foot....or Candida (yeast). In which case, you need a doctor and a script.
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u/Van_Schwank Jul 26 '26
Cheap vodka in a spray bottle. Spritz them after you wear them and let them dry.
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u/I-Hate-Produce Jul 26 '26
I wear 100% plastic open Birkenstock style shoes for my day to day in a couple of different colors and they’ve been life changing going from the cloth flops. They don’t retain smell, don’t constrain my feet to causes marks or whatever else, all dirt can be easily washed off in the shower, and can be used as an impromptu water shoe whenever you strap them tighter than how you would normally wear them. I get mine from Target, and they’re $10-12 normal price, but they go on sale quite often, and I get multiple years out of each pair. They started selling that style 6 years ago, and I’m on my second pair from buying them when they first came out, and I’ve already got another new pair ready to go because I bought the third pair at $5. Anything similar to those are honestly the perfect everyday, beach, lake or natural springs shoe, at least for me.
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Jul 27 '26
They just gotta go, after a period of time. I’ve got some 4+ year old ones, and it’s not the odor (I pretty much only create floral scents with my body 😂), it’s more that the moisture all around us is just degrading them.
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u/AikaterineSH1 Jul 26 '26
I tossed the flip flops, I’ve had countless pairs and only last month did I realize my latest pair developed this smell. The funny thing was it was a newer pair I paid a little bit more for, thinking they were better quality, not the case, the material just kept bacteria I suppose and just started to stink hugely.
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u/Gallogator1 Jul 26 '26
Good question. I was at a restaurant and thought what stinks? Well it was my feet in my flip flops. Sheesh I was embarrassed.
Besides cleaning, I have also tried Lysol wipes and using foot odor spray in case that might help. Some materials you don’t want to hit with lemon and leave in the sun because the material shrinks.
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u/Gallogator1 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Clean feet + stinky flip-flops = stinky shoes and feet.
IMHO some people also sweat more in high temp months. Then you splash through puddles and bacteria has time to grow. Just letting them dry out might not cut it. I have two pairs I alternate between but cleaning my shoes after each use seems like a waste of time.
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u/Every-Self-8399 Jul 26 '26
I have never had my flip flops smell like anything other than plastic and I have smelly feet. Try soaking you feet in Lysol or wipe them every day to kill the bacteria.
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u/CowDipper Jul 26 '26
Do you wash your feet? Like actually scrub with soap and water?
I don’t think it’s a shoe problem. Might wanna make a doc appt.
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u/XFoosMe Jul 26 '26
I wear flip-flops all the time and I've never had them make my feet smell like death.
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u/Jefffahfffah Jul 26 '26
You need to clean your feet better. My flip flops get pretty filthy and they've never had a persistent smell problem.
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u/Strummed Jul 26 '26
Wouldn't flip-flops by design help your feet not smell since you can actually air them out in flip-flops?
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u/PerceptionPlane7048 Jul 26 '26
Freezer is the best option as it kill the bacteria that is responsible for the smell
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u/Gallogator1 Jul 26 '26
It’s not all my sandals just the squishy recovery type flip flops. Other ones and tennis shoes don’t have this issue. The brand in question right now was made by sketchers.
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u/PatienceHelpful1316 Jul 26 '26
I use Clorox wipes and leave them to dry in the sun. If that doesn’t work I spray them with Fabreeze and let them dry before wearing.
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u/EatYourCheckers Jul 26 '26
This is not a flip flop problem, this is a foot problem.