The other day, I switched cars with Mike. The car Mike handed over to me had all the windows down along with the sunroof wide open. After a couple of moments, I noticed a weird odor, so I kept everything open for the drive home. When I got home, Mike asked if I noticed an odor and if I could guess what it was. I thought it might be his workout clothes or work equipment. He told it was his stinky Keens. Apparently, odor is a common problem with Keens. He asked if I knew what to do.

My first thought was that I was so glad my Chacos didn’t have the same problem. I literally live in them from spring to fall, and fortunately, they don’t seem to be as prone to odors as Keens or Tevas. But the second thing that came to mind was that – I bet white vinegar and baking soda would do the trick. I put the sandals in a shallow tub, sprinkled (actually dumped about a cup) of baking soda on them and then poured in enough white vinegar to cover the sandals. I left them soaking over night.

Mike left them for almost a week and then rinsed them off. Voilà! The odor was gone! Another option was to put them in the washing machine, but I didn’t want to risk putting my clothes in the machine afterwards. Let me tell you, that odor was very impressive and there is no way I would risk that stench getting into our washing machine.

So, if you have stinky sandals, simply grab your handy baking soda and vinegar and BAM!, the stink will be gone!