It doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman, most of us wind up getting a good sweat while we’re working out.

Whether we get fit by running, jogging or exercising indoors, if we’re wearing sneakers there is a good chance that they will start to smell.

No need to worry. There are ways to fight back against the funk!

The smell is caused by bacteria growing in the damp environment of sweaty shoes. Wearing socks, not wearing the same shoes everyday and giving your shoes a chance to air out between wearings can help cut down on the smell. If your shoes are developing an odor, there are things you can do to kill the bacteria:

According to Katie Berry of Housewife How To’s, the four steps to de-stink your sneakers are:

1. Wash them: in the warm/warm cycle of the washing machine. Make sure that your sneakers are made of a washable material first. Use laundry detergent and white vinegar. You can tumble them in the dryer with towels. But if the banging sound is too much for you, just let them air dry.
2. Sprinkle with a homemade deodorizing powder. Combine 3 tablespoons baking soda, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 5 drops of tea tree oil until thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle this liberally into your shoes after wearing and allow it to sit overnight. (You might want to keep a shaker can of this mixture in the laundry room for regular use.) The powders are both powerful damp- and odor-absorbers, and the tea tree oil’s antiseptic properties will kill odor-causing bacteria. Just be sure to dump the powder out before wearing.
3. Stuff them with newspaper overnight. Newspaper does a wonderful job of soaking up sweat, and the less sweat in your shoes the less they’ll smell. Keep a stack of newspaper in your closet to stuff into your shoes after wearing and leave it there until the next time you’re ready to slip them on.
4. Freeze them. As crazy as it sounds, sticking your shoes in the freezer is a great way to deodorize them since the smell-causing bacteria can’t survive the chill. Of course, it’s best to slip your shoes into a shoe bag first so you don’t get dirt all over your freezer and food. Then, leave the shoes to freeze overnight. Defrost before wearing!

If you have SUPER smelly shoes, combine all four steps to deodorize them:

Wash them then let air-dry. Sprinkle the powder in, then stuff with newspaper and freeze. After defrosting, your shoes will smell as fresh as the day you bought them!