Wear Socks with Running Shoes
The main purpose of socks is to keep your feet and
shoes from smelling. Foot odor is caused by bacteria or fungi
rotting old skin. Your skin turns over every 28 days. A new cell
starts on the bottom layer of skin, then another skin cell forms
underneath it. The process continues until the bottom cell
reaches the top and is sloughed off as dander or dandruff. If you
don't wear socks, your old skin deposits in the shoes where it
rots and emits an offensive odor. Socks prevent the old skin from
getting into your shoes, and washing your socks gets rid of the
old skin.
The bacteria that rot your old skin grow luxuriously when
the skin is wet. If you have a problem with foot odor, try pouring
a small amount of powder into the toes of your socks before you
put them on will help to keep your feet dry during the day and
prevent bacteria from growing. Avoid wearing the same pair of
shoes more often than every other day so they can dry out between
use. You can also kill the bacteria by applying a common deodorant
containing aluminum chlorohydrate to your feet at bedtime and
sleeping with socks on.
Checked 9/29/08