Can UV light device really combat smelly shoes?

Consumer Reporter Lynda Steele smells sneaker to see if SteriShoe UV light device helps eliminate odours.

***Story originally aired Sept. 9, 2013***

A new product has hit the market that uses a bacteria-killing UV light to help sterilize shoes and reduce odours. But does it really work? Consumer reporter Lynda Steele took the device to our radio colleagues at the Beat 94.5 to test it out.

Radio studios are notoriously tiny and when you work in close quarters, shoe odour can be an issue for everyone.

The Beat 94.5 morning show host Jonny Staub admits his sneakers can sometimes get a little odiferous. And while his co-host Amy Beeman doesn’t think her shoes are as stinky as Jonny’s, she does admit they can smell.

Beeman and Staub aren't alone. Feet are extremely sweaty appendages.

"Each foot in a 24 hour period sweats approximately half a pint of sweat,” said podiatrist Dr. Amandeep Randhawa.

The SteriShoe sanitizer isdesigned to provide a healthier environment for your feet by sanitizing the inside of your footwear. You just stick the gadget in your stinky shoes, cover them with a bag and turn it on for 45 minutes.

The SteriShoe uses an antibacterial UV light, like the ones used in hospitals to neutralize the germsthat cause odour. It claims to kill up ato 99.9% of problematic microorganisms.

"It really just kills and eliminates the germs, fungus, viruses, bacteria, yeast even things that are inside your shoe," said. Dr. Randhawa.

After using the SteriShoe we took Jonny and Amy’s shoes back to the radio studio to see if they thought it had eliminated their shoe odour.

Staub thought his sneakers smelled much fresher and Beeman was impressed with the results as well.

Clinical studies found the device also kills toe fungus and the stuff that causes athlete’s foot. Those infections can be cured by using medication, but the fungus is still lurking in your shoe, and as soon as you stick your foot inside, you re-infect yourself.

The SteriShoe normally sells for $150, but it's on sale for $130 right now. Click here for more information.