How to remove perfume smell from the sole of a boot?

May 2, 2017 1:02 PM

I stepped in quite possibly the worst smelling perfume/deodorizer/something with one of my boots. It's been nearly a week, and it still reeks. Help!

So, a few days ago (almost a week now) I took a Lyft, and afterwards noticed that one of my boots absolutely reeked of some sort of perfumish something. I figure it was either spilled perfume, or something the driver had used to try to cover up some other smell, or something. It only got on my left boot.

I wear these boots and the sole of the boot absolutely stinks. It is so bad that if I am sitting down, and cross my leg up on my knee with that foot, I can smell it.

I've so far tried dirt, sand, grass, Greased Lightning, and generic unscented household cleaning spray (kitchen/bathroom sort of thing). None of them have even lessened the smell. I've scrubbed the sole like mad with a good bristle brush, but nothing seems to be getting the smell off.

Help! How can I get this horrible odor off my boot?

posted by strixus to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (11 answers total)

Leave it sitting in the sun all day - the sun helps neutralize odors pretty well (at least it does for off-gassing plastic, cigarette smoke, mildew).
posted by littlesq at 1:08 PM on May 2, 2017

Alcohol gets out perfume, as long as the perfume itself is alcohol-based. So you might try some rubbing alcohol on a paper towel.
posted by holborne at 1:09 PM on May 2, 2017

Try soaking the sole in vinegar overnight, then leaving it to dry in sunshine.
posted by HeyAllie at 1:09 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Maybe you should try the unscented version of Febreze fabric spray, which has been reintroduced after a time when only a perfumed version was available. (If you can find it locally it will be cheaper than it is on Amazon.) Its main ingredient is a large cage-like molecule, beta-cyclodextrin, that can grab and imprison smelly molecules, rendering them non-smelly.
posted by artistic verisimilitude at 2:05 PM on May 2, 2017 [1 favorite]

Try baking soda: add just enough water to baking soda to make a thick paste to coat the affected area. Let sit overnight. Scrub in the morning.
posted by carrioncomfort at 2:26 PM on May 2, 2017

Baking soda and newspaper will remove the smell from inside shoes and boots, so might also work on the outside too.
posted by Grinder at 3:41 PM on May 2, 2017

You might try leaving the boots in coffee grounds for a few days. Grounds are used to get rid of many unwanted smells.
posted by jennstra at 3:41 PM on May 2, 2017

I suggest hot mashed potato spread like frosting on a cake. set aside to cool and dry . the heat and moisture do the trick the spud just concentrates and prolongs the action and likely won't stain your sole.
posted by hortense at 5:33 PM on May 2, 2017

Response by poster: Forgot to mention I have tried alcohol. No luck with that.

I'm not really worried about staining the sole, as they are rubber soled.

Good lord, 25$ for the Frebreeze? Last hope, I may try that.

Unfortunately I don't/can't drink coffee so no access to grounds.

I'll try the vinegar and then the baking soda and sunlight thing. Will report back. This stuff is really horrible smelling.
posted by strixus at 6:35 PM on May 2, 2017

Along the sunlight line, I'd add just plain heat. If you smell it, it's some molecule that's evaporating away from the sole. Evaporation is acquiring the energy to break whatever force is holding it to the sole. I would try (depending on the nature of the shoe ...) popping it into a 125℉ oven for a while, or using really hot soapy water, or attacking it with a hair dryer.
Your goal is to provide the energy needed to break free of the sole and a medium to carry it away or at least keep it from re-bonding to the sole.
posted by zengargoyle at 9:32 PM on May 2, 2017

FYI - You can get (used) coffee grounds from Starbucks. Dry them out and let the shoes rest in them for a few days.
posted by jennstra at 11:57 AM on May 3, 2017