Thanks to a letter from a reader, we learned of a shoe disinfecting device that’s been on the market for about a year. The SteriShoe, developed by Shoe Care Innovations, a Redwood City, California company, uses UVC light (280 nm-100 nm) to kill off microbes. The device, which is inserted into the shoe just like a supporting shoe tree, operates for 45 minutes and then shuts off automatically. Thought to be useful for people with nail fungus, athlete’s foot, and foot complications of diabetes, the device might also help prevent embarrassing moments for people with stinky feet.
More info from the product page:
The compression sensor requires that the SteriShoe® ultraviolet shoe sanitizer be in a shoe and slightly compressed. If the SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer is treating a shoe and it is removed from the shoe, the compression sensor will be triggered and the power to the lamp will be stopped. (The heel of the shoe sanitizer is spring-loaded.)
The ambient light sensor allows the SteriShoe® ultraviolet shoe sanitizer to safely be used in open-toed shoes or sandals. The ambient light sensor pre-scans the environment before allowing the SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer to turn on. If the ambient light sensor detects a dark environment, the SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer will turn on; however, if enough light is detected it will not turn on — this is designed to prevent UV light from escaping the shoe. Two shoe bags are provided in every box so a user can cover their open-toed shoes and sandals to provide a dark environment for the SteriShoe® shoe sanitizer.
Product page: SteriShoe…
SteriShoe brochure… (.pdf)
