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Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members!
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Did you know that sweat itself doesn’t smell? The odor you find in your running shoes actually comes from the chemical process of bacteria on your skin breaking down acids in your sweat. Though the sweat glands in your body work differently (like those in your arm pits vs. your feet, for example), the process of breaking down acids is the same, leaving behind some amount of odor.
In total, the human body has between 1.6 to 5 million sweat glands. But do you want to guess which area has an abundance? That’s right, the sole of the feet (along with the palms of the hands) contain the greatest concentration of sweat glands with each foot containing 600 to 700 per square centimeter.
So it’s no wonder when all that sweat and bacteria get trapped in our running shoes and socks that our shoes would retain the smell after going unwashed day after day. On the other hand, our feet and…
