Get a whiff of this

Put your best foot forward, even in the dead of winter

by Nina Willdorf

It's Winter's Worst-Kept secret: that hideous odor that wafts out of your shoes as you peel off your socks. Poof! And peeeuu.

Sure, you wash -- and wash. You may even chuck your shoes outside for a day or two, hoping the snow might freeze away the badness, or that a dog will munch on them and force you to purchase a new pair. But no, that reek is relentless.

Listen, oh smelly one, you are stronger. Yes ... you are. All you need are some tools to beat down the bacteria growing inside those rank boots. Michael L. Ramsey, a fellow of the American College of Dermatology, advises washing with antibacterial soap, or even applying an underarm antiperspirant to your feet. He also suggests soaking feet in black tea, which contains bacteria-killing tannic acid.

But bending over to smear on deodorant or brewing tea for a daily soak might seem too, well, effortful to some of us. So we found some alternative products to use on our fetid footsies.

Last spring, Lands' End introduced an odor-fighting sports sock ($20 to $24 for two pairs). The socks contain silver-coated fibers that kill off malodorous bacteria before they get all cozy in your shoes, as well as acrylic fibers that inhibit sweating. We find the thought of that a little frightening. Sweat may be stinky sometimes, but experts tell us that it's actually a good thing.

If you can bear lacing up those smelly shoes one more time, walk -- gingerly, now -- over to Bed Bath & Beyond, where you'll find some of Albert Einstein's "No More Smelly Shoes!" ($7.99). We're not quite sure what's in the "molecular counteractant," but the box warns us to keep the milky-white spritzer away from children. It smells somewhat like a Sysco disinfectant found in bus-station restrooms, though -- your toes may not reek of sweat after you apply Einstein's concoction, but the alternative might not be much better.

The Body Shop offers up a Refreshing Foot Spray ($6) and a Peppermint Foot Lotion ($6.50 to $21), laced with tea-tree oils and rosemary, to squirt and slather away your stink. These fancy products are good for masking the odor rather than duking it out with the putrid culprits, so most likely you'll find yourself reapplying frequently. The Body Shop's Chad Little promises, however, that the products will turn your "searing soles into pleasure zones."

Well, Chad, sounds much better than the current state of affairs. Bring it on.

-- Nina Willdorf

Where to get it:

* Lands' End, www.landsend.com, (800) 963-4816

* Bed Bath & Beyond, Landmark Center, Boston, (617) 536-1090

* The Body Shop, 200 State Street, Faneuil Hall, Boston; 1440 Mass Ave, Cambridge; Prudential Center, Boston; 277 Washington Street, Boston; (800) BODYSHOP

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