I often wear the same shoes over and over again, and although I try to wear them with wool socks, they all still develop a stench eventually. I’ve used several of the typical shoe freshener sprays before, but they smell too strong. I have to spray my shoes outside and then immediately run away from the area so I don’t breathe in the overpowering spray fumes. These “fresheners” make my shoes smell better for a while, but the stench still comes back.
Recently I’ve been using deFunkit’s Shoe and Gear Deodorizer spray, and I’m actually quite impressed with it. The best feature to be is that it’s made with all-natural ingredients, including: water, tea tree oil, peppermint oil, and rosemary oil. I can spray it in my shoes indoors, and breathe it in without having to worry about inhaling harsh chemicals. It doesn’t have a very strong scent, so if someone else in the house is sensitive to smells or chemicals, this spray shouldn’t bother them.
For the spray to work effectively, I have to spray enough of the deFunkit Shoe and Gear Deodorizer on my shoes and removable insoles to the point of soaking them with the product. The instructions say “15 to 25 squirts per shoe” and that’s about right. In warmer weather, my shoes and insoles dry within a day and in cooler weather, I just set them near the radiator or heater for them to dry in about the same amount of time.
Once dry, my footwear smells almost neutral. My shoes don’t smell like sweaty feet or or like a strong fragrance. The deFunkit Shoe and Gear Deodorizer seems to neutralize the smell of sweat and bacteria and keeps it away for one or two wearings of the shoe rather than cover it up with a chemical smell. The smells eventually come back, as each time I wear my shoes I create more sweat and bacteria, but it keeps them smelling less stinky as long as I spray the shoes and insoles till wet after every second or third time I wear them. I’ve also been spraying deFunkit Shoe and Gear Deodorizer in my riding helmet to keep it smelling fresh.
The natural oils that deFunkit Shoe and Gear Deodorizer uses have many other uses around the house and body. I used it the other day to make some cushions smell better–they were starting to smell musty– because tea tree oil prevents mold and mildew growth. Peppermint helps keep insects away, so I actually sprayed some of the deFunkit on me (skin and clothes) before I went out to work in the garden. Since it’s made of all natural ingredients, there’s no reason I can’t use it for other purposes!
Bottom Line: Works quite well as long as it’s used properly to soak the footwear. Since I rarely wear socks, deFunkit’s a must-have for me.
Manufacturer’s Site: www.defunkit.com
