Do my feet smell?

If the answer is yes, give me a rating from 1 to 10 on how much your feet stink after a long shift—for me, it’s an 8.🍿🙂

Never. I’m being dead serious here, so here is the game plan:

- Stick strictly to plain white socks made of at least 95% pure cotton (always double-check the tag before you buy them). Make sure they can handle a heavy-duty 190°F wash. And—obviously, though I feel like I have to say it—change your socks every single day. Just head down to Target or Walmart and stock up on 15-20 pairs; it’s not like it breaks the bank. In the summer, you might go through three pairs a day $3.25 while in the winter you might need a few more. You don't necessarily have to hit them with that high heat every single wash, but every few cycles, throw them in for a deep clean at 190°F to kill everything.

- At least once a week, trim your nails and clean everything out with some small scissors. After that, hop in the shower and grab that coarse scrub brush that I’m pretty sure everyone has sitting in their bathroom > Lather up and scrub your nails and your entire feet from top to bottom.

- Wash your feet (take a shower) every single day.

- Build a habit just like how you spray something under your arms every morning—start using an antiperspirant. Spray it all over your feet, top to bottom, and even between the toes before you pull your socks on. But I mean actual antiperspirant/antitranspirant, not just regular deodorant. You can find this stuff at places like Walmart or CVS. $3.25 Grab a 200ml bottle; you can find specific foot sprays at a drugstore for about the same price, but it’s essentially the same thing.

If you want to go the extra mile, after you've trimmed your nails and scrubbed everything, wait for them to dry and then spray antiperspirant directly into each individual nail bed. Don't be stingy with it—you want to wipe out all those bacteria and fungi and whatever else is lurking there. On the other days, you can be quicker with it—just a second on top, a second on the bottom, and you're good to go.

About a mile out.

granitegardener said:I mean, just go ahead and splurge on a good antiperspirant so you don't have to worry about killing off all those bacteria or fungi or whatever, right? On any other day, life's just a little bit easier when you aren't dealing with that stuff—it’s probably just a second or two of difference, but it does the trick.

So, did someone seriously tell you that antiperspirant is strictly just for stopping sweat? Is that really what you think?

George Cook31 said:Did someone seriously tell you that antiperspirant is just for stopping sweat? Is that really what you think?

I honestly thought this was some kind of joke, but if you're actually being serious, here's the breakdown deodorant vs antiperspirant to clear things up.

Nicole Myers said:I honestly thought Temu was just some massive internet prank or a joke, but if it turns out I'm actually crazy and this is legit... here's the link. So, I was thinking about this the other day—probably shouldn't be spending my afternoon overthinking hygiene, but here we are—and I kept wondering if anyone else gets genuinely tripped up by the whole deodorant versus antiperspirant debate. It seems like such a small thing, right? But honestly, if you're trying to stay fresh during a humid summer in Chicago or just running errands around town, there’s actually a pretty big difference between the two, even if most people just grab whatever is on sale at CVS. Basically, if you're looking at just a deodorant, you're mostly dealing with something that masks the scent. It’s all about those fragrances and maybe some antibacterial stuff to kill off the bacteria that makes you smell funky when you sweat. It doesn't actually stop you from getting wet, though. So, if you're someone who sweats a ton, you might find yourself feeling a bit damp even if you don't technically "smell" bad yet. Antiperspirants are a slightly different beast altogether. They usually contain aluminum-based salts, which basically act like a temporary plug for your sweat glands. I guess the idea is to physically block the moisture from reaching the surface of your skin. So, if your main goal is staying bone-dry while you're out walking through NYC or stuck in a stuffy office, an antiperspirant is probably what you're actually looking for. I mean, personally, I tend to lean toward the antiperspirant side of things, especially when the weather gets heavy, but I can see why people prefer just a regular deodorant if they have sensitive skin or if they just want something more natural. It really just comes down to whether you're worried more about the smell or the actual moisture. It's kind of a toss-up depending on your body chemistry, I suppose. Just something to keep in mind next time you're wandering the aisles!

Nicole Myers, look, you know I think you’re one of my absolute favorite people on this whole forum, but honestly, reading that article you posted just makes me want to bury my head in a pillow and scream while pulling my hair out.

Man, what a headache. Why deal with all those foot sprays? Just use the sink, lift your leg, and wash it. If you can’t handle that little bit of gymnastics, you might as well just stick to the shower.

George Cook31 said:Nicole Myers, look, you’re one of my favorite people on this board, I mean it, but reading that article you just posted makes me want to bury my head in a pillow and scream while pulling my hair out.

🤣 Give me a hint about who you actually are so I can figure out if we're on good terms or not. 😬
To be completely honest, I didn't even read the whole thing. 🤣 There's no need to go screaming and tearing at your hair; just take it easy. 🙂

Just drop a link to something you actually think is better. 👍

It probably ranges from 0 to 2, depending on how much cotton is actually in the socks.
The higher the cotton content, the less odor you'll deal with. With synthetic materials, the smell tends to soak through your sneakers after a full workday and hits you right in the face. I’d say maybe a 9.95, but I don't work that kind of job anymore.

Nicole Myers said:🤣 Maybe give me a little hint about who you actually side with, just so I know if we're on the same page. 😬
To be totally honest, I haven't even really read his stuff in detail. 🤣 So, maybe don't go pulling your hair out or screaming just yet, let's just take it easy. 🙂

Just drop a link to whatever you think is better. 👍

They definitely started off strong, but I feel like the more you read, the more everything just kind of falls apart. 😵
If I told you I was meden, would that mean anything to you?

George Cook31 said:They started off on a high note, but honestly, the more you dig into this, the faster everything falls apart. 😵
If I told you I was meden, would that ring any bells?

🙂 I didn't quite catch who you were. 🙂

Swing by the late-night diner whenever you're up. 🙂

Nicole Myers said:🙂 I honestly didn't even recognize you there. 🙂

Anyway, swing by the late-night diner whenever you're actually awake. 🙂

I'll definitely make an appearance next time I catch you guys out. 🎉

Staring at my own mess... 10 out of 10. Usually, it's a 9.

It’s funny what you stumble upon while scrolling through these forums... My foot odor really depends on which sneakers I happen to be wearing that day. When I'm wearing my beat-up old trainers for a run, the scent afterward hits a solid 8/10.

But if I'm heading over to a friend's house, I make sure to put on my pristine ones. Before those go on, I wear fresh socks, and before the socks, of course, there's a good shower and a thorough scrubbing of my feet. Problem solved; my feet end up smelling so sweet a honeybee might mistake them for a flower.😁

I’m honestly telling everyone right now: go out and get yourself a cat that doubles as a lie detector. Before you even think about heading over to a friend's house for dinner, let the feline run a quick diagnostic on whether or whether those socks you picked out are actually guest-worthy or just straight-up embarrassing.