When the day is over we sometimes don’t know how quickly we want to throw our stinky socks into the washer.

Our shoes however often don’t get sanitized at all.

We may clean them from the outside or even put some baking soda in the inside to kill off the pathogens but this takes time and effor.

For most of us who suffer from smelly feet, a convenient way to clean our shoes would be a lifesaver.

Especially when you consider that it’s our shoes that are often the cause of infections such as athlete’s foot, toenail fungus, and foot odor.

Apart from community gym’s, swimming pools, and other public areas, our own shoes are a major source of fungal infection.

Ultraviolet light is used to kill bacteria and pathogens in various applications. The scientific name is ltraviolet germicidal irradiation.

It is, for example, used in dishwashers but in those it’s merely a useless gadget since it only works on line of sight and for a dishwasher to be sterilized with all its nooks and crannies a far brighter source of light should be used than that of the gadgets I’m referring to.

Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method that uses ultraviolet (UV) light at sufficiently short wavelength to kill microorganisms. -Wikipedia

However we are talking about a shoe sanitizer here. Does the SteriShoe ultraviolet shoe sanitizer work? Does it effectively fight infection and smell causing bacteria?

According to the reviews it does. It get’s a decent four out of five stars on Amazon.

There are some pros and cons on this nifty device though.

Pros

• It seems to work for most people. (I haven’t  used it myself but definitely going to order one soon since I always thought that once shoes are smelly you can’t get rid of it anymore and have to toss them. At least putting them in the fridge (a popular remedy) doesn’t work for my shoes) I’d love to be able to keep my vintage Nike air maxies for a while longer).

• It’s a convenient way of killing bacteria and other pathogens that cause Athlete’s foot, toe nail fungus, and foot odor. You just turn it on and insert it in the shoe, it turns itself off after 45 minutes.

• Sterishoe is clinically proven to eliminate up to 99.9% of the odor-causing bacteria, fungus and viruses residing in shoes

• Apart from ease of use it seems that rotating shoes isn’t effective because fungus spores remain dormant in your shoes. When you wear them again they are being revived by moisture and heat. The sanitizing 3W UV light kills off the bacteria instead of rendering them inactive.

Cons

• It does not work on high heeled shoes and boots

• Since it’s flexible it may stretch up shoes

Some myths debunked

Contrary to some sources, UV light as a microbial sanitizer does penetrate fabric. (If you are wearing a thin cotton t-shirt you are not protected from the sun, a white shirt for example has a SPF of about 7, when wet, its SPF is about 3)

So for really smelly shoes you may have to repeat the treatment a few times in order to reach the deeper layers of the shoes. The claim however that it can’t work because it will not reach the pathogens inside the fabric is not valid. Just look at the overwhelming positive customer reviews.

Others say you can just as easily (and without costs) place your shoes in the sun for a few hours. The sunlight will sanitize your shoes. The truth is also a bit more complicated.

The reason why ultraviolet germicidal irradiation works is because it’s UV-C light. This short-wavelength radiation is harmful to microorganisms. However, this type of UV light coming from the sun is blocked by the atmosphere.

SteriShoe Review Conclusion

Personally, why I like the concept of the SteriShoe, is because it is convenient. The reality is that if you have sweaty feet, desinfecting your shoes with other household tricks such as baking soda and sprays may work but you have to repeat the remedy week in week out.  (for some of us).

On top of that, there are indications that this device is more effective than said home remedies.

Because traditional sanitizing remedies are time consuming and less effective, the SteriShoe is an convenient, easy to use and better alternative.

Sterishoe costs $129.95 and has a 4 out of 5 stars rating at Amazon.

The SteriShoe shoe sanitizer is endorsed by a wide range of podiatrists and has received the American Podiatric Medical Association’s Seal of Acceptance.

In fact the SteriShoe sanitizer is recommend by more than 1000 doctors, has been awarded 7 patents, and has had vast amount of  positive media coverage including features on The Doctors and Good Morning America.

Alternatives?

• The original Sterishoe sanitized shoes in 45 minutes, Sterishoe 2.0 does this in 15 minutes.

• One size fits all.

• Instead of a 3W light that only treats the front of the shoe the new version has a 5W UVC light that sanitizes the whole shoe interior.

• A fan was added that runs 15 minutes after the UVC light has turned off. This is to kill pathogens more efficiently since funghi thrive on moist conditions.

• Some safety features and an upgraded controller.

The new and improved Sterishoe is now available for $89 on Kickstarter. (suggested retail price is $149.95 ) Estimated delivery, December 2014.

What do you think of the SteriShoe shoe sanitizer?

Does it help you cure your smelly feet and shoes?

Leave your footprint below..