A fresh pair of shoes can bring the energy up in an outfit, fill you with confidence and tell a story about how much time you have invested in how you look as well. But, shoes help protect against all the dust, grime and odors. It’s a tempting shortcut to chuck them into the washing machine with everything else, but it’s one that risks damaging materials, deformed shapes, or shortened lifespan for your much-loved footwear. For people who take pride in their prized things like shoes, be it your everyday performance running shoes or your stylish pair of leather sneakers, knowing how to wash shoes by hand is an essential skill.
This detailed guide from Zeppelin Cleaner will simplify the process and offer you a professional, step by step method for the best way to wash shoes by hand. We’ll discuss why hand washing is superior for many shoe types, identify the exact procedures for different materials and answer the all-important question, can you wash shoes at home without destroying them? By the end, you’ll know how to restore your sneakers and trainers, from repainting, for both looks and performance, to ensuring a season’s worth of use without needing new pairs.
Why Is Hand Washing Prefered for Shoe Care
Let’s start with the why before we get to the how. Washing machine agitation and spin cycle is designed for soft fabrics, not the multi-material construction of a shoe. Machine washing can:
- Break Down Structural Integrity: The force can break down glues, detach soles and warp supportive elements such as shanks and counters.
- Damage Delicate Materials: It will crack leather, shred mesh and hare suede/nubuck to be stiff and discoloured.
- Create a Safety Hazard: Poor support in gym shoes or sports shoes can cause your foot to align inappropriately, leading to preventable injuries.
- Be Surprisingly Ineffective:Without proper pre-treatment, a machine may just slosh dirt around rather than lifting it from the fabric.
Hand washing shoes is a controlled, gentle, and targeted means of cleaning. It lets you use the particular cleaner on the particular material with the specific amount to protect the shoe’s form and function. For most pairs of shoes, particularly the pricey ones or performance-enhancing pairs, it is the best way to wash shoes.
Pre-Cleaning Protocol: The Essential First Step
A good shoe wash always begins before the water hits the surface in earnest. Proper preparation is vital to effective and safe cleaning.
- Gather Your Arsenal: You’ll want a soft-bristled brush (like an old toothbrush), a stiff-bristled brush for the outsoles, some clean microfiber cloths, a small bowl, mild dish soap or sneaker cleaner and lukewarm water. Do not use any harsh detergent which contains bleach or abrasive cleaners except dish soap.
- Remove Debris & Laces: Use old shorts to knock your shoes together outside and get rid of all the dirt. Use the stiff brush to clean the outsoles and deep treads with it to eliminate the caked dirt stuck there. Crucially, remove the laces. Each pair of shoes has laces, and they need to be washed separately from the rest of the shoe, in a solution of ponies and warm soapy water, before being rinsed and air-dried outside.
- Remove Insoles: Debug shoes, components A lot of shoes have removable insoles or footbeds. They are frequently the primary source of odor in a shoe and should be removed and washed separately. Simply wash them with the insoles with warm soapy water and gentle brush. Dry them on their window, preferably outside in the sunrays.
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Hand Wash Shoes Like a Professional
Step 1: Create Your Cleaning Solution & Perform a Spot Test
Add a few drops of mild, clear dish soap to a small bowl filled with lukewarm water. Swirl to create suds. Always perform a spot test, take a microfiber cloth and dip the corner into your homemade cleaning solution, wring it out well, and gently dab an unseen part of the shoe (like where you put your foot, inside the tongue. Allow a few minutes to pass without any discolouration or damage.
Step 2: The Main Cleaning Process
Get your soft bristled brush wet with the soapy mixture and start gently scrubbing the upper of the sneaker in small, circular motions. Concentrate on stained or dirty areas but keep up the routine cleaning for the whole exterior which will inhibit water spot marks.
- For Fabric & Mesh Uppers: Apply light pressure. The idea is to massage the suds into the fibers, thereby lifting dirt.
- Leather, Pleather, or Synthetic Uppers: Go with a lighter touch and a well-wrung-out microfiber cloth in place of that brush to prevent scratching. Wipe in smooth, consistent motions.
- For Outsoles and Midsole Foam: Scrub dirt off with the soapy solution to bring the color of exposed foam back to life.
- Tip for White Shoes: For stubborn scuffs on white shoes or midsoles, finish with a paste of baking soda and water applied with the brush. Wait 5-10 minutes, then scrub and rinse.
Step 3: The Delicate Phase of Rinsing
This is a pivotal step. Residual soap attracts more dirt. You have two effective options:
- Damp Cloth Wipe-Down: Dampen a clean microfiber cloth with cool, plain water and wring it out completely, then use the saturated cloth wipe down all of your cleaned surfaces to remove soapy residue. Repeat with clean portions of the cloth, and continue until no more suds develop.
- Gentle Water Flow: If your shoes are very tough and fabric-laden, you can hold them under a gentle stream of water that is cool (such as from faucet or hand-held shower head) to rinse. Never submerge shoes and keep them away from strong, direct water pressure.
Step 4: The Critical Drying Phase
Improper drying is where most DIY shoe washing efforts fail.
Remove Excess Water: Absorb as much moisture as you can from every part of your car, using dry microfiber cloths both inside and out.
Reshape & Stuff: Avoid shrinking and retain shape by reshaping the toe box and structure overall. Then fill the shoes firmly with crumpled white paper. The paper will leach moisture from the inside. Do not use colored paper which may also transfer dye.
Air Dry Strategically: Whenever possible, maintain a room temperature cellarish dry space such as an air-conditioned area or any other airy and drying place. Never put them directly on or near sources of heat such as a radiator, heater or in the sun light. Extreme heat will warp materials, crack leather and break down glues.
Patience is the Key: Allow 24-48 hours for complete drying. Replace the damp stuffing paper with fresh, dry paper every 8-12 hours to accelerate the process.
Material-Specific Guidance for Your Shoe Wardrobe
The process for how to wash shoes by hand is relatively similar, but will vary slightly depending on what they’re made of.
- How to Wash Tennis Shoes / Sneakers / Athletic Shoes: Follow the main process but rule out any drying time in the sun or near a fireplace. Particularly, look for mesh panels and foam midsoles. These are the most workhorse items in your wardrobe, and they need regular, gentle hand washing to thrive.
- Leather Sneakers and Dress Shoes: Leather-specific cleaner or heavily watered-down soap. Employ a cloth, not a brush. If leather is slightly dry after it has dried, you really want to condition it as soon as possible to avoid cracking.
- Canvas Shoes: They can tolerate a bit more of a scrubbing from a brush. Be mindful of printed graphics.
- Suede or Nubuck Shoes: Keep in mind, Do not use water. This involves special dry cleaning solutions and implements like a suede eraser and brush. If you have delicate substances, professional treatment is likely the best option.
When Could Machine Washing Be Considered
We recommend hand wash shoes as the primary method. But for old, all-fabric, non-leather sneakers you don’t mind taking a risk with. If you must explore how to wash shoes in the washer, follow these strict protocols:
- Remove laces and insoles.
- Put each shoe in its own mesh laundry bag or an old pillowcase, tied shut.
- Use a gentle, cold water cycle with a small amount of mild detergent.
- Absolutely do not use bleach or fabric softener.
- After a cycle, move immediately to the thorough drying steps above. I’ve heard that the machine’s spin cycle isn’t strong enough.
Ask yourself: can you wash tennis shoes in the washing machine without ruining them? For simple, durable pairs, perhaps. With leather-appliquéd and detail-glued-on shoes, or anything that offers a bit of actual structural support, the answer is no.
Preserve Your Footwear with Confidence
Learning how to wash shoes by hand is never just a chore, it’s an act of preservation that prioritizes your style, your comfort and your investment. Adopting this careful, gentle process over the abrasive washing machine, you ensure your sneakers, trainers, and dress shoes continue to look sharp and provide support for years.
For Northridge and Sherman Oaks residents, Zeppelin Cleaner is your expert fabric and material care solutions provider. When routine, everyday shoe care isn’t enough, we provide professional quality shoe wash service that provides outstanding results safely for your favorite footwear. Contact Zeppelin Cleaner today for consultation, and take that first step with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Can you wash shoes with leather accents?
Yes, but with extreme care. For the leather bits, a slightly damp cloth and a small dab of leather-safe cleaner; for fabric, just treat it as you would any hand-wash item. Always spot the test first.
Q2: How often should I wash my shoes?
For gym shoes or running shoes used on a regular basis, give them a light hand wash every 4-6 weeks. For everyday sneakers, rinse off when visibly dirty. Avoid washing too frequently, which can stress fibers.
Q3: My shoes still smell after washing. What did I do wrong?
Odor tends to stick around in the non-removable foam midsole. Be sure that shoes are completely dried with adequate stuffing. Between washes, insert odor-absorbing pads or sprinkle baking soda inside at night.
Q4: Is it okay to put shoes in the dryer?
Never. The wildly fluctuating heat will twist, shrink and ruin your shoes. The only safe way to air dry is outdoors.
Q5: What’s the single most important step in hand washing shoes?
Thorough and proper drying. Trying to rush this part could result in mold, material degradation and a ruined form, undoing all that hard-earned cleaning work.
