In the modern sense, slippers generally refer to sandals. sandals are lightweight, waterproof, anti slip, wear-resistant, easy to clean, and relatively inexpensive, making them an essential household item.
The odor of slippers mainly comes from something called anaerobic bacteria. They will release a unique odor when we put on shoes.
Anaerobic bacteria prefer moist and enclosed environments. The plastic slippers themselves are made of impermeable sweating material, and the surface of the plastic slippers looks smooth and waterproof, but actually there are many holes sewn to hide dirty things.
There are over 250000 sweat glands on the human feet, which sweat continuously every day and produce sebum and dandruff. These sweat and sebum flakes, although not smelly themselves, provide food for anaerobic bacteria to grow. The more sweat and sebum are metabolized, the more severe the odor released by anaerobic bacteria will be.
Ultimately, the root cause of the odor of slippers lies in people’s feet.
Most slippers on the market now are made using the “foaming process”. Foaming refers to adding foaming agents to raw materials to form a porous structure in plastics. Compared to traditional solid slippers, it can make slippers more lightweight, comfortable, cost-effective, and have excellent physical properties.
1. Material of slippers
The materials of plastic slippers are mainly divided into two types: PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate).
PVC foam slippers are assembled from foam soles and non foam shoe hooks. This type of slipper has a soft texture, is comfortable to wear, has excellent plasticity, can be soft or hard, and is the largest production of slippers.
The material used for EVA slippers is ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymer (also known as ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer), which is made by copolymerizing ethylene (E) and vinyl acetate (VA).
EVA foam material has good softness and elasticity, anti-aging, odor resistance, non-toxic, soft shock absorption, and is the most widely used material in advanced lightweight shoes, sports shoes, and leisure shoes.
Overall, EVA slippers have stronger odor resistance compared to PVC slippers, but they may not escape the fate of becoming smelly.
2. Design and craftsmanship of slippers
For the sake of breathability, water leakage, and convenience for bathing and rainy days, most slippers are designed with many holes;
In order to better prevent slipping or imitate leather textures, the upper and sole of slippers often have uneven grooves and textures;
In order to save materials and facilitate production, the upper and sole of many slippers are made separately and bonded together, with many adhesive gaps.
Even if these slippers haven’t been worn for a long time and are just quietly placed in the corner of the bathroom or shoe cabinet, they are still important biological weapons that cannot be ignored.
Post time: Nov-22-2024
