How to Wash Shoes in a Washing Machine

First, find out if this pair can get wet

We'd settle the care question before touching the washer controls. Water, tumbling and heat can affect a shoe's glue, cushioning or trim even when its fabric looks sturdy. Look inside each shoe for a sewn-in tag or sticker. It may identify materials without giving washing instructions, so use the packaging or the exact style's care page to confirm machine-wash approval.

The washer moves water through the fabric while the shoes tumble against the towels. A gentle cycle reduces those impacts, but it cannot make a hand-clean-only shoe machine washable. If the maker's guidance still does not confirm machine washing, inspect the upper, sole, lining and decoration, then hand-clean the pair.

Which shoes belong in the washer

The upper, sole and trim all matter. The exact pair's care instructions decide whether it can go in the washer.

Studs can strike the washer, and soaking can damage delicate materials or attached trim. For an unmarked fabric shoe, the hand-clean method below gives you a route that avoids soaking the construction.

Clean a fabric pair that cannot go in

For a fabric pair with a no-washer rule or uncertain care instructions, work on the dirty areas instead of immersing the shoe. Use the measured soap mixture (opens in a new tab) for hand-cleaning fabric; it is not a detergent dose for the washer.

1. Remove the laces and removable insoles. Brush dried mud from the upper and tread, then put clean, dry rags inside the shoes to support the fabric.
2. Mix 1/4 teaspoon of dish soap into 2 cups of warm water. Touch a little to a hidden spot and blot it. If color transfers or a mark appears, stop using the mixture on that fabric.
3. Lightly dip a soft cloth or toothbrush in the mixture. Brush the dirty fabric gently with its grain, keeping the upper from becoming soaked. The dirt should lift onto the cloth or brush.
4. Wipe away soap with clean, damp paper towels or a cloth. Replace damp stuffing with dry rags and let the shoes dry in shade. Once dry, repeat limited spot cleaning only where dirt remains.

For smooth leather, wipe with leather cleaner and condition only when the pair calls for it. Brush suede or nubuck dry. For a stubborn mark, test a hidden spot, then rub in one direction with a cloth barely dampened with suede cleaner, white vinegar or rubbing alcohol; let it dry before repeating. Wipe rubber or vinyl with a damp cloth, using mild soap and water on stubborn marks without soaking attached materials.

Get the shoes and washer ready

1. Let thick mud dry, then brush loose dirt from the uppers and tread with a soft brush. Work trapped grit out of grooves with a toothbrush and wipe the sole. The tread should have no loose stones or clumps.
2. Take out the laces. Wash nonleather laces separately in a securely closed mesh bag so they cannot tangle or catch. Remove insoles and gently clean them by hand with a soft cloth and mild soapy water, then wipe off the soap.
3. Put the shoes in a closed mesh laundry bag or tied pillowcase. Add a few old, colorfast towels around the bag, leaving enough room for the load to move. The towels cushion impacts and help spread the weight in either a front-load or top-load washer.

Leave fixed insoles and trim attached. A crowded drum has less room to clean and is harder to balance, so wash only a small shoe load at once. Let removable insoles dry separately from the shoes after cleaning.

Run a cold, gentle wash

Use mild liquid detergent and measure the bottle's small-load amount with its cap or a measuring cup. Use HE detergent if the washer requires it. A full-dose pod can overwhelm a shoe-and-towel load; excess suds can leave residue and slow draining or spinning.

1. Put the bagged shoes, closed bag of laces and towels in the drum without packing it tight. The bags should sit among the towels, with space to shift.
2. Add the measured small-load dose of mild liquid detergent. Select cold water and a gentle or delicate cycle, then choose low or no spin. These settings limit heat and impacts while the detergent loosens dirt.
3. Start the cycle and listen as it tumbles and spins. Gentle wash cycles commonly run about 45 to 80 minutes; the washer display gives the time for your selected cycle. Low spin can leave the shoes wetter, so allow much longer for drying.

If the washer starts banging

A shoe bag and towels can gather on one side during spin. Pause promptly when the impacts become hard or repeated, because letting an unbalanced load keep striking the cabinet can worsen the problem.

1. Press Pause and wait for the drum to stop and the lid or door to unlock.

2. Spread the towels and bagged shoes evenly around the drum. If the load is crowded, remove shoes. The weight should no longer sit in one heavy clump.
3. Restart with low or no spin. If hard impacts or walking continue, stop the shoe cycle instead of letting it finish.

If the washer also bangs with an ordinary, balanced laundry load, test whether it rocks while stopped and place a level across the top, front to back and side to side. On a washer with adjustable feet, bring every foot firmly into contact with the floor and tighten its locknut, then repeat the balanced-load test. How to stop a shaking washing machine covers that separate washer problem in detail.

If hard banging, scraping, leaking or walking persists with an ordinary balanced load after leveling, stop using the washer. Contact the washer maker or an appliance-repair technician, and give them the make, model and serial number, when the noise occurs, any error code and what changed after redistributing the load. Check warranty coverage before paid work. An in-home diagnostic visit and repair estimate costs $70 to $150; repair is extra, and some providers credit the diagnostic fee toward approved work.

Dry the shoes all the way through

Take the shoes out of their bag as soon as the wash ends. Open the tongues, blot surface water and lightly stuff the toes with clean rags or paper towels. Stuffing absorbs moisture and helps the shoes hold their shape; replace it when it becomes damp.

Set the shoes in a shaded, ventilated place with moving air, such as near a fan. Keep laces and removable insoles separate. Choose shade over direct sun (opens in a new tab) because sunlight and heat can wear or dry out shoe materials.

Plan on at least overnight and sometimes several days. Feel deep into each toe, under the tongue, around the heel and across both sides of each insole. Relace, wear or store the shoes only when every part feels dry. If a shoe has structural damage such as a separating sole, stop wearing it and ask a shoe repairer whether it can be repaired. If the inside remains damp after several days, remove the stuffing, leave the insoles out and increase airflow.

High dryer heat can distort shoes and weaken the glue holding them together. Use a dryer only when the shoe's care instructions expressly permit it: place the shoes on a stationary internal rack and select low or no heat. If those instructions permit tumble drying but you have no rack, wrap the shoes in a thick towel and use a delicate, low- or no-heat setting. Stop dryer use if the shoes warm excessively or change shape, and continue drying them in moving air.

Keep the next wash farther away

Brush or wipe routine dirt before it becomes embedded, and let damp shoes dry fully between wears. Wash again when visible dirt or odor calls for it and the pair's care instructions still permit machine washing. Repeated cycles can wear the construction, so targeted cleaning is the first move for a small mark.

Common questions