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As a parent you can handle a bad smell – from dirty diapers to those leftovers that have been in the fridge just a little too long.
But… somehow there’s nothing that quite compares to the smell of your kid’s soccer cleats after a weekend long tournament in the summer heat.
You walk into your garage, or mudroom, or even the back porch and BAM! It just smacks you in the face.
Heaven, forbid you leave them in your car.
So, what can you do to combat the unrivaled stench of your child’s soccer cleats?
Let them dry!
Do not, I repeat, do not leave soccer cleats in dark or enclosed locations while still damp. Your player’s soccer bag is the perfect environment for growing mold and mildew.
Unless you’re trying to run some kind of science experiment, store cleats by loosening up the laces a bit to expose the inside and let them rest in an exposed area that gets a decent amount of light.
If, like me, your player has extra sweaty feet or you need a quick dry between tournament games– you might want to check out a tool like the KwikGoal Shoe Dryer (or just use a blow dryer).
Fight the stink!
Once you’ve got your player’s cleats dry, it’s time to attack the stench. As long as you’re not talking “next-level” stink, I usually just throw a couple dryer sheets in each shoe and come back to a nice, subtle fresh scent.
For extra stinky feet, dryer sheets probably aren’t going to be enough. In this case I use a two-pronged approach. First, spray a light mist of VaporFresh deodorizing spray into the cleats and plug in some Meister Glove Deodorizers (they say “glove” but they work just as well for shoes).
Throw ‘em out!
I know this isn’t what you want to hear as a soccer parent who's already spending thousands of dollars a year on the sport – but in some cases, it’s just a lost cause.
For me it was somewhere in the 12 to 18 month mark, where (if I hadn’t busted through them) my cleats just STANK!
If you get to this point, I’d recommend hopping over to your local soccer shop or browsing soccer.com and snagging a new pair.
*Note – the links provided are recommendations based on items I use personally. I have no affiliation or receive any compensation from any of the brands or retailers referenced.
