Save Your Soles (And Sterilize Your Shoes)

We’re going to have to admit that we had no idea a shoe sterilizer even existed. (When we go bowling, they clean the shoes the old-fashioned way, with a spray of Lysol and a swipe of a rag.) But now that we know there is such a thing, we want our bowling alley to get with the program.

The SteriShoe Ultraviolet Sanitizer uses germicidal ultraviolet light (UVC) to eliminate bacteria and other microorganisms. We’re heard that this is incredibly important to those who suffer from toenail fungus, athlete’s foot, diabetes, and other problematic foot issues. Apparently, many doctors recommend this product to patients who have reoccurring infections. For those of us who just suffer from sweaty, smelly feet, getting rid of odors is appealing. We’ve noticed that after a day on our feet, our shoes might as well be a hog refinery.

Since we’re dealing with ultraviolet light, safety measures are in place to make sure the UV rays are not harmful to our health. The ambient light sensor pre-scans your environment before allowing the SteriShoe shoe sanitizer to turn on and do it’s thing. Needless to say, the environment must be dark for the sanitizer to turn on. We were provided with two shoe bags in order to create the right mood lighting.

The cycle takes about 45 minutes for a pair and it worked nicely for a pair of our own La Sportiva Testarossaclimbing shoes. On a smellier pair of shoes we had, we treated it with a couple cycles and though the smell didn’t totally dissipate, it was definitely less abrasive to our nostrils.

Some of us are women who own quite a few pairs of heels and other backless shoes. For us, the Sterishoe presented some problems. It acts like a shoe tree and the handle component must be pressed down firmly in order to activate the sanitizer light. The bottom of the handle is curved and even if you can rig it to work, it still slips. Sterishoe recommends propping the shoe against the wall, but we had our own difficulties with that as well. All in all, we would prefer they introduce a model strictly for these types of shoes. What would Christian Louboutin do? We would suggest you use the Sterishoe for tennis shoes and other types that have a backing, and stick with a damp cloth for the heels.

You can purchase in a variety of men’s and women’s shoe sizes from Amazon.

About the Author

Rita Professionally in healthcare, and semi-professionally a photographer, former student at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, and full-time student of human nature, Rita has been writing for Truly Net for many years. Born and raised in the Midwest, she spent years on Oahu, and has formed some very strong opinions about all things knitting, pie, and the best places to climb. She really enjoys good food, music and friends, and is perfectly willing to write about, and photograph any or all of those things.