aka...science room
smelly socks
Cotton socks absorb a good dose of bateria, which gives them their rich aroma! The treatment for smelly socks? A washing machine and detergent for the socks and a hot bath for your feet.
Cotton
Cotton is a natural material. Natural materials can be used as they are found or after a physical extraction processes.
Synthetic materials like nylon, or polyester are made from natural substances which have been chemically changed to make them more useful.
Cotton plants usually grow in tropical climates, and can be up to six metres tall. The seedpods contain seed hairs or fibres which can be spun into threads, then woven into fabric.
Aroma
When we smell something, the 'smell cells' in our nose pick up small particles of the substance we are smelling, and send a signal to our brain. There are different types of smell cells and most smells are a combination of signals from different cells.
Dogs are much more sensitive to smells than we are. They have more types of smell cells, as well as more smell cells overall meaning they can detect fainter smells. Their wet noses are also important as moisture helps the particles stick to the smell cells.
Bacteria
Sweat doesn’t smell much, but socks can harbour all sorts of bacteria from the skin and this is what makes them smell.
The main culprit for cheesy feet is the bacterium Brevibacterium epidermidis which lives on the skin. Scientists think its cheesy smell is what attracts mosquitoes!
But help is at hand. Advances in technology mean that fabrics can now have an antimicrobial, smell resistant coating. So we can have smell resistant socks.
Check out more at : http://www.microbe.org/
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