By John Harmata

Greetings everyone! Figure skating is a great sport and can be loads of fun for the entire family. Ice skating has many health benefits for the body as well, but just like any other sport, there are risks involved.

Believe it or not, much of that risk comes from not having the proper equipment, i.e. skates. In the coming months Mr. Edge will be sharing with you important information about boots and blades, injuries, and injury prevention. If you have a skater in the family, or know someone who does, then you might want to share this information with them.

With summertime in full swing let’s take a few moments to talk about taking care of your boots and feet during the hot summer months. You can also take the same precautions when wearing your everyday shoes as well.

6 Tips for Preventing Boot and Foot Odor

Here are 6 quick tips that will help reduce or remove altogether the odor from your skating boots, everyday shoes, and feet:

* Wash feet daily with an antibacterial soap. Scrub thoroughly using a soft brush to remove any dead skin cells.

* Completely dry feet after washing. Use a hair dryer if necessary. Apply foot-specific antiperspirants or antibacterial gels to control moisture and bacterial growth. Antifungal powder also can be applied to help prevent athlete’s foot.

* Wear absorbent cotton socks rather than nylon ones. Change socks daily, or twice a day, if necessary.

* Wear shoes that breathe, such as sandals or shoes made from mesh or canvas. Bacteria love warm, moist, dark places in which to grow, so these types of shoes help prevent bacterial growth.

* At the end of the day, remove insoles from skates and allow them to air out. Twenty four to thirty-six hours is a good drying time. Also loosen the laces and pull the tongue forward to allow the inside of the boots to dry.

* Dryer sheets, such as Bounce, placed inside the boots also will help eliminate odor.

If anyone has any other suggestions in caring for stinky boots, by all means, try them. What may work for one, won’t necessarily work for another.

Well everyone, that about wraps things up for this column. Till next time, have a great skate……..

If you have any questions for Mr. Edge, you can e-mail him directly by clicking on the authors name at the end of this article. All your questions will be answered directly and will also be featured in the following month’s column as well.

– Guest author, John Harmata, askmredge.com