Sniff out a solution for odorous employees

Dealing with the body odour caused by strenuous jobs or pre-work exercise has traditionally been combated with liberal use of deodorant and, hopefully, a quick shower.

However, scientists claim to have invented a device that can eradicate foul shoe smells, leaving them as fresh as a daisy in minutes. It works by using ultraviolet light to sterilise the bacteria that cause the offensive odours.

The electrical gadget, which looks like a shoe tree, is slipped into the shoe and turned on at the mains before eradicating the smell.

The makers claim the average person produces up to 280ml of sweat per foot per day, but their device SteriShoe will kill 99.9% of bacteria in just 45 minutes.

The device works for people who suffer from athlete’s foot, toenail fungus or just plain smelly feet. Made in America, the SteriShoe comes in various sizes.

Regular shoe trees are often made of cedar wood, which helps limit some foul smells by absorbing moisture and odour.

Given the increasing number of people who cycle or run before work, are there other innovations that an Australian start-up could bring to market to reduce the embarrassment of overly-sweaty meetings?