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Can you wash shoes in the washing machine?
Canvas and synthetic trainers can go in the washing machine. Leather, suede, dress shoes and anything with glued embellishment cannot. Remove the laces and insoles, put the shoes in a mesh bag with a couple of towels to cushion the drum, and run cold on gentle. Then air dry — never tumble dry them.
Which shoes are safe
Usually fine: canvas trainers, most running shoes with synthetic uppers, cotton or polyester flats, and washable slippers.
Never:
- Leather and suede — water strips the oils, then they dry stiff, cracked and misshapen. Not recoverable.
- Dress shoes — the internal structure is glued and will separate.
- Anything with beads, sequins or glued-on trim.
- Shoes with memory foam or gel soles — the same reason memory foam pillows cannot be washed: agitation breaks the foam structure permanently.
If you cannot tell what the upper is made of, hand clean it. A wrong guess on leather is not reversible.
Prepare them properly
- Knock off loose dirt outside. Dried mud in the drum ends up in your next wash.
- Remove laces and insoles. Both wash better separately, and loose laces tangle around the drum. Insoles frequently disintegrate in a machine — wash those by hand.
- Bag them. A mesh bag stops the shoes hammering the drum and door glass. A graduated set of mesh bags covers shoes and delicates; extra-large bags suit bulkier trainers.
- Add two or three old towels. This matters more than people expect — towels cushion the impact and keep the load balanced. Without them, a pair of shoes in an empty drum is genuinely loud and puts real stress on the machine.
Settings
- Cold water. Heat softens the adhesives holding soles on.
- Gentle or delicate cycle.
- Low spin, or no spin. High-speed spin is where shoes bang hardest.
- A small amount of liquid detergent. Powder can lodge in the mesh and dry white.
- No bleach or fabric softener.
Drying — the part that ruins shoes
Never put shoes in a tumble dryer. Heat melts adhesive, warps soles and shrinks synthetic uppers. This causes more ruined trainers than washing ever does.
Instead:
- Stuff them with paper towel or newspaper to hold their shape and draw out moisture.
- Air dry at room temperature, away from direct heat — not on a radiator, not in direct sun, both of which crack and discolour.
- Replace the stuffing once it is saturated.
- Allow 24 hours, longer for thick soles.
A drying rack with airflow underneath speeds this up considerably compared with leaving them on the floor.
How often you can do it
Sparingly. Even a careful machine wash ages the adhesives and the foam midsole. For trainers you wear regularly, two or three machine washes a year is reasonable; spot clean in between.
Frequently asked questions
Will it damage my washing machine? Not if they are bagged and cushioned with towels. Unbagged shoes in an empty drum can chip the door glass and stress the bearings.
Can I wash shoes with clothes? With old towels, yes. Not with anything you care about — shoes shed dirt and dye.
My white trainers came out yellow. Usually detergent residue reacting as it dries, or drying in direct sun. Rinse again and dry indoors.
What about the smell? If it persists after washing it is usually the insole, which holds most of the odour. Replace insoles rather than re-washing the shoe. And check the machine itself is not the source.
