Eliminating and preventing shoe odour

Shoes have their own odour once produced due to the various materials from which the shoe is made, and is particularly noticeable when these materials come into contact with adhesives. When stored in a shoebox for long periods of time, the odour of the shoes becomes stronger, but normally goes after a day or two out of the box.

At uvex, we make sure, right from the selection of the materials, that our safety shoes are produced to be as odour-neutral as possible. We specifically avoid the unnecessary use of adhesives, keeping this to the absolute minimum. For many of our work shoes, our direct soling process allows us to completely do away with the need for adhesive when attaching the outsole. During production the polyurethane outsole is foamed directly onto the outer shoe material - making uvex safety shoes largely odourless.

Our direct soling process allows us to completely do away with the need for adhesive when attaching the outsole.

Most shoe odour only develops during use. When worn, every shoe has to absorb large quantities of sweat: during an 8-10 hour day alone, the human foot can product up to 200ml of sweat. Your footwear must first handle this amount of liquid - some is converted to steam and released through the outer shoe material and some is retained in the individual components of the shoe (in the lining, the outer shoe material, the insole and the footbed).

Sweat itself does not smell, but unpleasant odours arise when it comes in contact with bacteria. Once the shoe becomes sweaty, the warm and humid microclimate inside the shoe creates the perfect conditions for the growth of bacteria and fungi. The bacteria break down sweat, creating fatty acids, among other by=products, as a result. These cause the unpleasant odour we can smell. But how do you get rid of this odour from your shoes?

By doing the following, you can prevent the build-up of unpleasant odours in your work shoes or eliminate existing odours:

✓ Choose work shoes that offer the necessary ventilation for your workplace.
✓ Give your shoes enough time to dry out completely between uses.
✓ Always wear your safety shoes with socks or stockings with good moisture wicking properties. Mixed fabric socks that contain new wool are the best option.
✓ Change your socks every day.
✓ Use two pairs of shoes in rotation or a second pair of original uvex insoles.
✓ Wash the insoles by hand at 30°C if very dirty.
✓ Replace your insoles regularly.