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With corporate lay-offs looming, lots of companies are grounding all but essential travel. But that doesn't necessarily mean your feet get a vacation — you might find yourself pounding the pavement just to keep the shoes you've got on. Keep your hooves happy — and smelling sweet with success — with these remedies, on the road or at home.

Peppermint Cooling Foot Heaven Gift Set
The Body Shop packages some of its peppermint foot products in the travel-sized Peppermint Cooling Foot Heaven gift set for just $20, which is a pretty good deal. It comes with a potent pumice scrub and a Cooling Foot Spray that will chill you out just enough. There's also a wooden foot file and two toe separators for pedicures on-the-go. But if I had to pick one of these products to bring on the road, it would be the Peppermint Cooling Foot Lotion. It's the perfect consistency for a satisfying rub-down, and while I didn't see it listed in the ingredients, one veteran saleswoman said it contains arnica to relieve pain. I believe her. After slathering the lotion on, my feet got a serious case of the limpies. Price: $20

Masada Dead Sea Mineral Salt Packets
If you can't dip your dogs straight into the curative waters of the Dead Sea, Masada Dead Sea Mineral Soaking Salts will bring the healing to you. The soaking salts come in handy travel-size packets, so you can soothe your aching feet — and even treats athlete's foot — in your hotel tub. (Better yet, for your own home-bathroom spa, try Masada's Relaxing Foot Bath kit, which comes with a jar of minty antibacterial foot cream, two packs of soaking salts and a surprisingly luxurious inflatable foot bath, with a pump.) The salts come in four varieties, including eucalyptus, which is supposed to draw out toxins. I don't know if it did, but I was pleased that it did battle with my calluses. Price: less than $3 each for soaking salts; $33 for foot bath.

Save My Feet Blister Elixir
The shoes that look the best sometimes hurt the worst. To defend against blisters and uncomfortable friction, grab a bottle of Save My Feet Blister Elixir — it'll do just that. Just dab a bit wherever you predict pain and let it dry for 10 minutes; the combination of skin protectants (allantoin and dimethicone) will thwart rubbage for eight hours, and won't stain your socks or stockings. It has a light and fresh scent, almost like suntan lotion, and is perfect for breaking in new shoes — boots, flip-flops and everything in between. If you're a heel hound, Party Shoe Elixir pumps up the protection. Price: $20 for either Elixir

Weleda Foot Balm
If the reek of your feet won't be defeated by routine washing, clean socks or even new shoes, Weleda Foot Balm may be the antifunk weapon for you. I first tried it because the company, named for a Germanic healer and priestess, claimed that the myrrh ingredient had antibacterial qualities. I kept using it because of its light lemongrass smell — and because it absorbs quickly, so you don't have to worry about slip-sliding away on the bathroom floor. And now my feet don't stink. Price: $10

Tea Tree Foot Powder and Spray
For intense reekage (of my Adidas gym shoes, for instance, which have been properly funktified after many a sockless summer) opt for a product with tea tree oil, a natural antiseptic. Thursday Plantation — which is based in Australia, home to the Melaleuca plant from which tea tree oil is derived — has a collection of antifungal products, including a deodorizing, talc-free foot powder, as well as a spray. Powders are messy but necessary for serious offenses; the spray is a better alternative for less heinous stink, whether it's from shoes or feet. The products' aroma is pretty subdued for containing tea tree oil (akin to a sweeter version of Listerine) — an acquired smell, but definitely a foot-stench stomper. Price: about $5.50 for powder; about $3.70 for spray.

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• Leah Pietrusiak