If your feet smell to high heaven, the latest socks from Lands' End Inc. might be a godsend.
Online and catalog retailer Lands' End, based in Dodgeville, Wis., said it is the first company to sell socks that have special silver-coated fibers to prevent the growth of bacteria that cause foot odor.
The socks also contain acrylic fibers that pull moisture away from the skin and inhibit sweating, the company said.
Rigorous independent testing by the textile division at New York-based Good Housekeeping magazine confirmed the socks' ability to keep feet smelling fresh.
In the magazine's test, people hiked, exercised or just walked in the socks for two days without washing. The Lands' End socks were then sniff-tested, and had only a slight odor compared with cotton socks subjected to the same treatment.
"One of our wear testers was a male who has a constant foot-odor problem," Kathleen Huddy, director of Textiles for Good Housekeeping, said. "At the end of testing, his fiancee was begging for these socks because they worked great on his problem."
After five washings and three more days of wear, the socks did not smell at all, Huddy said.
The socks are priced at $19.50 for two pairs and can be purchased from the company's catalog or on its Web site at http://www.landsend.com.
