We've all been there. That funky smell coming from your shoes or your gym bag. It could be you left some sweaty clothes in your bag for an extended period of time... or maybe just a few hours. As athletes—dedicated, persistent, hard working, never give up attitude—it's bound to happen. We wear our running shoes anywhere from 200–500 miles. That's a lot of time spent in them, with some sweaty feet. Even if you don't tend to have stinky feet or sweat as much as some (read: me), the moisture from your sweaty clothes or shoes going un-tamed leads to bacteria and ultimately, that stank. We run in the rain, through puddles, not-so-deep (or maybe very deep) rivers if we are running through trails or doing ultras – our shoe are bound to get wet at some point in a training cycle if you like to keep it outdoors. I had a good system of how to dry my shoes out, but it didn't help with the smell that tended to linger.
Plenty of us don't have a choice – you go for a runch and have to toss those sweaty clothes in a bag until you get home. Or maybe it's a post-work workout, but you still toss the sweaty clothes in your bag and forget about them. Even left for a short period of time, that bacteria and smell build up quick. How can we combat the build up of bacteria and keep our shoes/gym bags smelling fresh? SmellWell is the answer.
SmellWell are tiny pouches that you can toss in your bag or shoes. They absorb the moisture and help eliminate those not-so-pleasant smells. They don't contain anything that kills bacteria, however, the natural components helps remove the odor. It can help prevent the build up of bacteria by removing the moisture.
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| After a 16 mile trail run. It was 80+ degrees, so yeah, my feet were sweaty haha. |
One package of SmellWell contains two small pouches that you can toss in your shoes post-workout and leave them overnight. The next morning, your shoes have a nice, fresh scent that isn't overpowering. The easy-to-use pouches don't just hide odors, but effectively goes to the source of the problem and eliminates it. By absorbing moisture and removing odor, SmellWell Shoe Fresehener fixes the problem and leaves a fresh, clean scent.
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| I guess I like pink... |
What did I toss the pouches in? Multiple pairs of shoes, both older and newer, after my run or walk. Each day they ended up in a different pair of shoes, rotating through whichever I wore that day. Post-race, I changed clothes and tossed the sweaty ones in my bag, and with them, the SmellWell pouches. It's summer, and you know I'm sweating even more than usual due to humidity, sun, and heat. That means my hydration packs are even worse than usual. They can be a pain to clean, as it's supposed to be hand wash only (though I've tossed them in the wash a few times, because I had to get the smell out haha). Since getting the SmellWell pouches, I've been putting them inside the pockets to help absorb some moisture and keep my packs fresher a little longer before needing a hand rinse. I'm also excited to use them when traveling. I'll toss them in my suitcase, and then add it to my dirty laundry bag I use to travel back home (I try to contain all of my dirty clothes separate from everything else, so they get their own special bag that never smells good once I get home... SmellWell will help that for sure).
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| About to toss them in my bag with sweaty clothes. |
SmellWell pouches tend to last about 3–4 months, however, their life depends on how much moisture they are collecting throughout the weeks. They'll last a little longer being used in shoes than they would if they are in boxing gloves, which tend to have more moisture after being used. If the SmellWell pouches begin to smell themselves, try airing them out overnight in an open space and that should help them regain their fresh scent a bit. If not? Time for a new pack.
SmellWell has undergone an extensive REACH test showing that it is free from hazardous chemicals, non-allergenic and also environmentally friendly. An extended test has also been done to guarantee that the inks used to print the outer bag are approved.
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| Using them with my hydration pack. |
Each SmellWell pack comes with the same fresh scent, no matter the design. What are some of the options? Black, Blue Leopard, Multi-Colored, Green Camouflage, Pink Zebra (those are the ones I have), and Black/White Zebra — depending on availability, of course. You can buy them over on Amazon. Special bonus! Put three packs in your cart, use code BIBPRO10 and you'll get that third one free (basically it's buy 2 get a 3rd free, but you need to put all three in your cart for the code to work/to get one free). They are $9.95 a pack (two pouches are in a pack) and if you have Amazon Prime, they are included with that :) Yay for quick shipping and a cheap, easy, effective way to help keep your shoes, bags, athletic equipment, etc. smelling fresh.
BibRave and SmellWell gave me an extra pack to giveaway to one lucky blog reader! Enter via the Rafflecopter below. US residents only. Entrants must be 18 or over. Rafflecopter will be open for one week (from July 6 until 11:59 on Thursday, July 13). A winner will be selected on Friday, July 14. Best of luck!
BibRave and SmellWell gave me an extra pack to giveaway to one lucky blog reader! Enter via the Rafflecopter below. US residents only. Entrants must be 18 or over. Rafflecopter will be open for one week (from July 6 until 11:59 on Thursday, July 13). A winner will be selected on Friday, July 14. Best of luck!
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Read what the other BibRave Pros have to say (and enter their giveaways if they are still open):
