Well hey my friends! I hope you all had a fantabulous extended weekend.
My daughter is obsessed with shoes (who isn’t, am I right?!). She has been rockin’ a pair of blue glitter TOMS for half a year now, and they have definitely seen better days. The shoes themselves are still in wearable condition, but the leather insoles? Um, no. Not only are they crunchy and disgusting, they S-T-I-N-K to high heaven. Leather and sweaty feet make for some disgusting aroma.
Here she is wearing her TOMS last summer.
TOMS are definitely not on the Wal-mart-cheap end, so I want her to be able to wear these things until they are either too small or her toes are literally hanging out of holes worn into the tops of the shoes. Something had to be done about the too-disgusting-for-words insoles though or else I just don’t think I’d be able to ride in a car with her anymore (or spend any time with her and those TOMS unless it was a well-ventilated area).
I’m going to show you how easy it is to replace the insoles in your TOMS (or pretty much any pair of shoes for that matter) in six easy steps.
Step 1: Start out with some cute shoes with barftastic insoles.
Step 2: Remove the Insole. For the TOMS, they were glued in but peeled out very easily.
Here is a perfect example of what disgusting insoles will look like. Crusty? Check. Stinky? Check. Curling up around the toes? Check.
Too bad your monitor isn’t scratch-and-sniff. You’d be in for a big treat.
Step 3: Purchase some new insoles. I found these at Target for about ten dollars.
Make sure to get ones that you can trim.
Step 4: Place your original insoles on top of your new insoles.
Using a pen, trace the original insole onto your new insole.
Once they are both traced onto the new insole, you are ready to cut, cut, cut!
Step 5: Cut along your trace outline.
Now you have insoles that are the same exact size as the original ones.
Step 6: Stuff your new insoles into your shoes and disgard your old ones. You might want to consider throwing the old ones into a bonfire. Just make sure you don’t stand downwind from them.
Don’t the shoes look so inviting now? The insoles I bought have a little bit more padding so they are ultra comfy now.
And that is how you easily replace your tired, worn out, and stinky insoles for a new pair. Just one little bit of advice before you begin — don’t buy insoles that are much thicker than the original pair or else your shoes will be too tight across the top.
Do you have kids with absolutely horrible foot odor, or is it just me? (It’s probably just me.)
If you like this post, share it with all your friends and followers by pinning it. They will thank you!
My daughter has stinky TOMS too. Rub a small amount of deodorant on her feet bottoms before wearing. I promise it works great! I do it with mine too an no smellies. You can reverse the stink or for sure start with a new pair! I use Secret – LOL!!!
Your kid is gonna get cancer on her feet. Do not use chemical-laden deodorant. Gross.
Did you glue the new insoles in or anything? Do they stay just fine without glue? I got a pair of Toms for Christmas, so this may come in handy sometime… Thanks for sharing!
If they are genuine Toms this won’t work. Real Toms insoles are SEWED in. Not glued. Good luck.
If they are genuine Toms this won’t work. Real Toms insoles are SEWED in. Not glued. Good luck.
The insoles of genuine TOMS shoes, regardless of the style, are sewn in the soles and not glued! – from Toms website.
yeah that is the same for anyone who wears shoes without socks, I cannot do it! I actually buy the throw away insoles that are for bare feet at the dollar store, I think its 6 pairs for $2 and I change them after every 4-5 wears, only thing that I can do with bare feet.
My black work flats smell ungodly too, but unfortch don’t have removeable insoles! That’s what I get for target cheapies and HATING stocking feet. I feel bad for the monsters under my work desk.
Throw your shoes in the freezer overnight (in a zip lock bag so freezer contenets are protected). In the morning, all odor causing bacteria should be dead!
Bring your odor eater insoles with you to try on your cheapies, I have had to do this for years since I’m the one in my family with nasty feet! My horrible husband (not really) has baby soft , never bad-smelling feet- even when wearing sandals! So not fair.
My kids feet stink too!!!! They smell like Nacho Cheese which are great for a snack but a horrible smell for feet! Blech. And the weird thing is…. they wear socks and tennis shoes 100% of the time. And their feet still smell!!
“Barftastic”? Seriously, Allison? Have I told you lately that I love you? You’re a hoot!
My nephew had the most satanic vile smelling feet in the universe no matter what he wore. My brother put him on zinc and it helped. Apparently it’s a pre-adole”scent” young teenager problem.
Oh. My. Word.
You are my new best friend. My girls and I *just* had a conversation about their stinky TOM’S feet this afternoon.
I will be headed to Target for some insoles tomorrow!
Thanks!
Elena
acasarella.net
Really?? You really had a in depth, step by step, photo tutorial on how to replace insoles in a pair of shoes- *excuse me* “TOMS”??? Gee can you tell us how to replace insoles on a pair of Chucks because apparently there MUST be a different methods per different shoes. – rolls eyes-
Silly me because here I thought it was pretty much a mindless task to replace a pair of insoles. Especially since there are simple instructions on the PACKAGE…without the ridiculously unnecessary before, during and after photos.
Either you just wanted to show off that yes, your daughter too has a pair of TOMS too! or you just have WAY too much time on your hands!
Sabrina, this tutorial has nothing to do with the shoes being TOMS-specific, but if you own a pair of TOMS you will probably quickly realize they are the worst crappiest shoes ever made and the soles wear out very quickly. I have never had to replace soles in any pair of shoes I have ever worn – until we purchased TOMS. Before replacing the soles in these crappy shoes, I had no idea how to do it and I didn’t even know you could replace soles. I had honestly never even thought about it – again, I’ve never owned shoes that needed new soles. I assumed that there were plenty of people out there who also didn’t realize you can replace soles, and that you can create custom soles by trimming them, and that they would benefit from this tutorial. If I’m going to talk about it and write a post about it, I may as well go ahead and be totally thorough to try to answer any questions that may arrise. If I’m going to take the time to write a post telling people you can replace your soles, why not just go ahead and spend 10 more minutes and make it a little more detailed? Considering this has been pinned over 800 times, I feel you are in the minority of people that thought it was a complete waste of time. I’m glad you already know about replacing soles in shoes. Unfortunately, lots of people (including myself) aren’t as smart as you and benefited from the information.
As for being accused of trying to show off that my daughter has TOMS? Oh please. Seriously? If you read my blog at all, you can probably surmise that I don’t give a crap about keeping up with the Jones’s or showing off what I have. I’m not materialistic, and I don’t care. I bought her the shoes because she needed a new pair of shoes for school and those are what she wanted (because her older cousins have them and so she wanted them too). If you know me at all, you would know that my daughter has only a small handful of shoes – one pair of tennis shoes, a pair of flip flops, a pair of TOMS, and two pair of shoes that she saved her Christmas money and birthday money to buy (boots and Vans). I have openly admitted that I buy most of my wardrobe from Costco and that I shop at Goodwill and Ross. I could give a rats behind about being popular and wearing only name brands.
Hopefully this has cleared up your hostility towards this post and towards me as a human.
It was so sweet of you to reply to Sabrina but she definitely did not deserve the reply. I thought this was a great post and maybe she has some sort of problem with Toms? So weird.
#mercygiver
Loved the tutorial. I am buying some Spenco (?) flat insoles that I plan to glue into my Clark’s sandals. The insoles (I have 3 colors) keep shredding. Can’t figure out if it’s the use of poor quality materials or just my very rough feet that are causing this. But the rest of the sandals are perfect so I don’t want to toss them. And I don’t want to pay a shoesmith $$$ when I can cut, glue, and use paper clamps to fix. Loved your response to Sabrina, too. You have so much patience!
You’ve totally got this!
Hi! I thought it was completely useful and I am a 35 year old woman who wears toms and needs to replace the soles of my shoes. I know this post is over 9 years old but hopefully by now Sabrina has replaced her *soul*. I am going to use your tutorial tomorrow and after almost a decade it is still useful. Thank you 😉
Your post was a wonderful help! My daughter actually lost one sole on her shoes because these expensive shoes are really unreliably made and the soles fell out often! I feel they are too expensive to throw away just because one sole was lost so I googled how to replace the soles. Your post came up and I am going to try to rehab hers since there’s lots of life left in the shoe!
Nevermind the rude comments, she obviously has some personal issues that she needs to hide behind posts and be hateful. I personally am thankful for your post
Thanks Kelly! Glad my post is helpful for you. xo
I just found this page and was really thankful that someone put it up here. Until today, I didn’t realize that you had to remove the old insole first. I tried using insoles before and they didn’t work (duh!). So, yes, there are a few of us who missed that clue 🙂
Wow!!that was an extremely rude and highly unnecessary post from Sabrina. Apparently she is the only one with too much time on her hands to reply to a post and make horribly unkind comments. I thought this article was great. She was just a mean person!
I don’t know why I never thought of changing the insoles in my TOMS. It really never occurred to me. I throw them in the washing machine from time to time, which definitely cuts down on the odor, but the leather insoles really do wear out. Thanks for the tutorial. It is such a simple idea, but I would have never thought of it, if I hadn’t seen it on Pinterest.
Allison,
Not only did I enjoy this tutorial, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading your response to Sabrina. 🙂 HA!
Essa
Psst…you can put TOMS in the washing machine – even the non vegan ones. I do it every week with my regular similar colored laundry on the regular cycle in a cold water cycle. Just don’t put them in the dryer. They dry on their own in a few hours and look BRAND NEW afterwards. I’ve been wearing mine for years and the outside and insides don’t look more than a few weeks old.
Wow. Sabrina has issues. Why did she read it if she already knew how to do it? I for one am really grateful that you put such a detailed tutorial about Toms. I wouldn’t have tried it if I hadn’t found your tutorial since I hate the waste the ten bucks if it won’t work. As an aside, I am SO glad I’m not related to Sabrina! Could you imagine holiday dinners with her?!
Hi Thanks on your post on the insole! But does anyone have an issue with the soles wearing off? Not the insole. I really love my pair of toms, and been searching for hours on anyone revamping their soles. So if anyone has a solution please do let me know. Here in my country it always rains without warning, and the worn out soles aren’t helping… thanks!
Maybe take them to a shoe repair place?
Shoe Goo! Its great for sole repair.
Also I noticed a little hole forming on the tips from her toes. A little layer of Shoe Goo inside on the cloth will help them last a bit longer without holes.
Yep, sole was coming off by toe within 2 weeks of receiving them. I used Gorilla glue, worked like a charm! 🙂
Just came across this post and laugh at the post from Sabrina…. she actually took the time to write that comment….and I LOVE your response! Thanks for this post!
Melanie {reasons to skip the housework}
Hey there, this post literally saved my TOMS. I loved it so much I reposted it on my blog along with a tutorial on how to cover TOMS in burlap!! Thanks for your work!
Stay classy,
Savannah Mae
bloggingsavvy.wordpress.com
Awesome! I’ll go check it out. I’m glad you like the tutorial.
LMBO @ “Too bad your monitor isn’t scratch-and-sniff. You’d be in for a big treat”
Oh, Sabrina, get over your own arrogant self! Jennifer, I agree. That would be one long holiday dinner!!
As for you, Allison, you are the best!! As for “fragrant” Tom’s (or sneakers or feet or whatever), I have a couple of ideas that might help a bit. When the offending shoe is just beginning to get smelly or if you get them wet or damp, try placing wadded up newspaper inside them at night. It does help to soak up the moisture and/or odor. I’ve also been known to put baking soda in stinky shoes a few nights in a row. Putting the shoes outside on a bright sunny day also helps a bit. None of these ideas are a cure all, but they do help. Oh, just thought of another idea I read online one time. You can put rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle, spray your feet, and let them dry. I understand it helps kill bacteria. That might cut down on the odor. And, yes, I have washed my Tom’s in the washing machine, too.
Take care, ladies! Thanks for all the suggestions!!
Judie
P.S. “There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” Madeline Albright
OMG. Thank you so much for this post. I have worn right thru the leather insoles in my toms. Like some others I have washed mine several times. I had no idea you could just pull the old insole out. By the way I have been using a diy foot spray for some time and I really think it works. I use an old spray bottle from body spray or something like that. Fill half way with witch hazel and top off with the green minty rubbing alcohol. Add a few drops of tea tree oil (as much as you like or can stand). Shake it up before spraying on your feet. I also spray it on the inside of my shoes at the end of the day. Really helps.
Gah!! The stinky TOMS! I must do this immediately…after trying to throw them in the washer. Never thought I could!
The following are NOT official Tom’s comments. They are only mine, a Toms’ collector and observer.
For the past several months Classic Toms I believe have had two changes:
1. The footpad is very light in color and does not feel as leather does. The footpad seems to be impossible to separate from the bottom of the shoe.
2. The distance between the heel and the top of the shoe has been increased by one or at least one half a centimeter. My guess is this leaves more air into the shoe.
Thus, Toms has ended the problem of leather getting old and bending as it dries out. If the footpad is covered with synthetic leather, it may not absorb any sweat that is smelly or otherwise. No shoe can be odor free with use for months or longer. Obviously foot pads can get dirty and/or adopt the color of socks.
My favoriteToms are every bit two plus years old and are holding up well. They do not smell bad — I am lucky. I like my Toms and want to be able to buy them “forever”. I believe they are well built and worth the money. Keep in mind most people live in warm climate areas where Toms should sell well.
Robert Lukens
We just han new carpeting installed in our home and I cut a pair of insoles from the leftover carpet padding and so far they supporting my feet comfortably. I can’t see paying $15/20 for Dr Scholls.
Try them you might like them.
As most of you guys know, TOMS can be very very comfy. I just got my first pair from a friend for Christmas. (I. E. Im a guy. Specifically, a teenage guy.) so of course my feet STUNK after a few weeks with them on. And usually I just toss some tea bags in them to stop the smell, but I decided to wash them. The insoles held up pretty good, so I was happy. Now, this is where problems hit the fan. See, we have this fireplace with doors, and those doors have handles. We ususally hang shoes on the handles to dry them. TOMS and fireplaces don’t mix. The insoles CURLED UP. It hit me hard, because I have only had them for three weeks. This tutorial helped TONS!!! Thank you so much!!! I hope you’ll ways find life this easy, God knows we need people who can find their way through!!
Just a side note to add to this useful tutorial. I recently experienced the same problem with my daughter’s TOMS. The insoles curled up after a month of constant wear. I contacted TOMS customer service and found out TOMS shoes carry a one year warranty. Although they do not replace insoles separately, they will accept the return and issues a full refund.
My insoles always came right out even brand new, so when I wash the tom’s I take them out and put them in a big baggie with a little baking soda while the shoes are washing and drying! No stinky feets!!! Thank for the laughs and the tutorial!!!!
Bought some really cute used shoes and this is going to come in handy, thanks!!!
I was about to buy a new pair of Tom’s because the insoles were so worn out that they were causing blisters. I really appreciated the step-by-step instructions with photos. But the reason I’m taking the time to comment is because I’m appalled by Sabrina’s diatribe. Wtf? She is the definition of an internet troll and you, my dear, handled her with more grace and dignity than I could muster.
I’m a self-professed fashionista and wore my Tom’s out globe trekking. It doesn’t matter what your socioeconomic status is, you were just sharing useful info.
They look horrible, you could even see the faint outline of her toes. What did they smell like???
Obviously the guy on here talking about his feet is a troll, and any others mentioning boy feet and shoes. This is about Toms for FEMALES, so we don’t wanna hear about your gross male feet ok?
Allison, as a new Toms lover, I enjoyed your post very much and plan to adopt your instructions. I appreciate the step-by-step tutorial. Your daughter and her shoes are very cute.
Sweet! I need te repair my fave flats cause the insoles in both have come unattached and are loose and lame. Now I know what to do : ) Thanks
I often put my own insoles into things. It’s important though that you don’t remove the arch support, especially for kids, as it not only encourages fat feet but if feet roll inwards you can get knee, back and other problems with toes (bunions/tailor’s bunions).
For the commenter who mentioned what they smell like…. It is wise to always take your inserts out of your shoes after use. At least for work boots and gym shoes. Any time you work up a sweat it is best to pull out the inserts so any moisture can be released.
good advice!
About every two weeks I wash my Toms in the washing machine. I circulate two pairs of Toms as slippers. They allow me to safely run up and down stairs or to step out on the patio to call our dog inside. Spray vinegar inside, concentrating on the insoles.until saturated. Next, place them in a mesh laundry bag. Wash according to colour, darks with darks, lights with lights. Allow to air dry overnight.
Not only the tutorial with lots of pictures was helpful but your writing put a smile on my face today.