Shoes, so damn hot 1

[wiimike]

Hey all. I've been an avid sandals wearer for about eight years now, but graduating from college I got into a position with very formal attire (slacks, dress shirt, dress shoes). I bought some "giorgio brutini" (From Kohls, looked nice, $40 on sale during some great sale weekend, and I'm a big sale skeptic).

So my problem is that my feet sweat, a lot. I pretty much get home to a solidly wet inner shoe. I don't remember this being an issue when I was younger in sort of kidsey shoes. I'm not a sweaty guy in general, it's just the feet and in dress shoes. It's never an issue in sandals. It's not appropriate to take my shoes off at work. Both pairs of shoes I own do this, they are by the same manufacturer.

Regardless of cause, I'm willing to bet there are ways of dealing with this some people must have come across. Are there certain brands/styles that address this problem? Are my particular shoes made badly or with poor material and that's what's causing it? Something I'm not thinking of?

 

[KenCunningham]

You are (obviously) not alone. My own solution has been to apply an anti-perspirant gel (made by Compeed I believe)each morning after showering. Seems to have made a difference to me and is far less messy than powder.

I'm intrigued by Dave's (SantaMufasa's) suggestion for soaking the feet in tea and might even give it a go. I guess adding a couple of sugar lumps couldn't harm in making the feet smell even sweeter ;-)

I want to be good, is that not enough?

 

[Welshbird]

Oh, I forgot to say that socks are generally 100% cotton too.

(And when I'm feeling posh I even have two pairs that are silk! Man they're comfy..)

Fee

The question should be [red]Is it worth trying to do?[/red] not [blue] Can it be done?[/blue]

 

[wiimike]

Just to clarify, I really don't have a problem with foot odor, it's just sweating.

I tried the dr. scholl's foot powder this morning. With my walk from the train to the office my feet are usually pretty damp, today nothing. so far so good. the powder stuff is pretty messy. I remember someone mentioning putting it in the shoe. Should it be just put in the shoe? Or should it be on the feet (pre-socks/shoes)?

I'll try the gel if this one doesn't work out.

The tea thing, while an interesting suggestion, is just not up my alley. a 40 minute ordeal each day is just not desirable.

 

[flapeyre]

Put the powder inside the sock, pinch the sock at about the ankle, and shake gently to distribute the powder. Then put on the sock. If you see powder residue after putting on the sock, gently brush it off.

No need to put the powder directly in the shoe.

Tibi gratias agimus quod nihil fumas.

 

[wiimike]

I'll give that a go on Friday

it's three hours later and my feet are now sweating through the powder, doh!

 

[flapeyre]

Gold Bond foot powder is also pretty good, if the Dr. Scholls doesn't work for you.

Tibi gratias agimus quod nihil fumas.

 

[buck2506]

Try socks that wick moisture away.

https://www.smartwool.com/default.cfm

offers many different styles but the heathered rib is the dress type sock.

They are extremely comfortable and should help.

 

[chiph]

Smartwool makes some fine socks -- excellent for hiking and general wear.

But not their cycling socks -- for that application, buy some made by DeFeet.

Chip H.


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If you want to get the best response to a question, please read FAQ222-2244 first

 

[aarenot]

A change of socks mid day on a hot day is sure sweet on the feet. A ziploc bag for the sweaty ones is a good idea. I have seen people who have a pair of shoes at the office which they put on once they get there, and change out of before they leave. One guy had a shoe box, and the other put them in a drawer. I have even seen gel shoe inserts that could be refrigrated before inserting.

 

[Thadeus]

So what's the update wiimike?

Also, has anyone here tried the tea tanning yet?

~Thadeus

 

[wiimike]

The powder stuff helped a lot actually, didn't try the tea thing. truth of it is I had a week and a half vacation followed by a week of grubby work that let me come in with tennis shoes.

 

[flapeyre]

Glad to hear that it seems to have worked for you.

Tibi gratias agimus quod nihil fumas.

 

[dilettante]

I'd have to agree that there may be a significant psychological component to this. Of course that doesn't make it any less real.

The powders may prove effective to one degree or another. For the most part they probably serve as a drying agent and a form of "lubricant" thus providing a bit of temporary relief. Some may contain chemicals that suppress bacterial growth or have anti-perspirant properties.

The ideal solution might be to keep a second pair of shoes on hand at work. Swap shoes at noon or even at quarter-day intervals.

In an extreme case place a dessicant in the "resting" pair. Calcium Chloride pellets (as sold for snow melting) could be used for this, perhaps in brown paper bags but more likely in polyethelene bags: this is an aggressive dessicant that may deliquesce in the moisture it absorbs. Check the bagged pellets and discard them as soon as they soften. Keep spare bags handy in an airtight container. You don't need a lot to do the job, maybe 4 tablespoons per shoe. This ought to be fairly cost effective.

 

[eyetry]

Buy two + pair of shoes and rotate. Wear sandals on your way into the office and change once there (you probably have a bag/case you carry to and from work). Kick off your shoes while at your desk (buy loafers so you can slip them on quickly if needed). You may be surprised at the number of management people that do.

Your best bet is to buy good quality shoes and socks. Brand name does not guarantee quality. Most large retailers like Kohl’s, Target, Wal-Mart and others can request a manufacturer produce merchandise to their standards/specs. Also, designers usually manufacture varying qualities of their products from high to low end.

I usually buy 100% leather shoes from a name brand retailer (leather breaths better than rubber and plastic). You know the kind of place that measures your feet, knows their product inside out, only deals in shoes and is not a discounter retailer. They also deal with questions like yours all the time. Don't be embarrassed. Ask them.

Remember you do get what you pay for. Same goes for socks, slacks, shirts and suits. I haven’t had to wear a suit to work in years but all 7 of those I still own are of classic cut and design (never out of style, always fashionable). They look like new and always lay right. The weaves are still tight. Can’t say that for the Men’s Warehouse suits I’ve purchased, even their name brand ones.

eyetry

PS: slacks, dress shirt, dress shoes is really business casual. Casual is jeans, golf shirts and sandals. Business is a suit and formal....

 

[wiimike]

Good suggestions all round. I've found it out really is the shoes that trap in the heat. Socks help, powder helps, anti-perpirant deoderant helped, but the true fix is breathable shoes.

Maybe I read the sarcasm into the psychological bit, but I hope not. Nothing to do with nerves, wearing running shoes to the office cleared up the problem completely.

 

[jaymaechtlen]

Sweaty feet?
For me, new shoes help for a few weeks, then the problem continues. I'm sure that quality all-leather shoes would be better than the cheap stuff I've been wearing...
Recently I got some black leather sandals. With black socks, they look pretty innocuous. (fashion be damned!)
That pretty well solves the sweat problem.
Maybe I'll try the tea...

 

[guidomyte]

Stop wearing polyester socks and man-made material shoes. They make my feet sweat and stink.

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