page_title: Smelly socks
section_title: Botany
hierarchical_section_title: Smelly socks / Botany
caption_attribution_description: Grevillea leucopteris (cultivated, labelled), Maranoa Gardens, Balwyn, Victoria, Australia
context_page_description: Smelly socks are socks that have acquired a strong odour due to prolonged wearing. Their odour, which is complex and remains the object of study, is a mixture of ammonia, fatty acids, and lactic acid.
  Odorous socks are a strong attractant for some animals, including dogs and mosquitos. They have proven useful in controlling the behavior of these animals.
  Although the odour of smelly socks is often associated with feet, it arises independently of contact with human feet in various foodstuffs such as dairy products, cheeses, sausages and fish sauce, and is naturally present in several plants. The smell has also been noted in building and automotive air treatment systems, where it is described as "jock socks odor" or "dirty socks syndrome".
  Several technologies have been developed to incorporate materials into sock textiles which reduce or eliminate the strong smell.
context_section_description: The plant White Plume Grevillea has long white flowers whose stink resembles that of smelly socks, causing the plant to be known as "Smelly Socks Grevillea" or "Old Socks".  Another plant with a similar smell and name is Clary Sage.  The herb valerian has a musty smell of this sort too. Mushrooms of the genus Amanita often have a strong odour which may also seem like that of smelly socks.
caption: Smelly Socks Grevillea
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