“The bristles are gentle enough to uphold the integrity of the fabric, but sturdy enough to scrape off stuck-on dirt,” he says. (And by the way, lots of sneakers are made from more than one kind of material, so it's possible that you'll have to use different methods for cleaning the same sneaker.)Ī brush is the easiest and most effective way to clean running shoes in general, says Ornelas.
Washing sneakers in washing machine how to#
Here's how to properly spot clean the different materials most sneakers are made of. Never ever put them in the dryer the high temperatures will break down most materials. Once the cycle is complete, let the shoes air dry, he says. Use a small amount of mild detergent, throw a few towels in the machine with your shoes, and set the washer to the delicate cycle (which should always mean cold water and a gentle spin cycle). You can put them in a pillowcase or mesh laundry bag to prevent tangling, he adds.
Also, wash the laces separately from the shoes. Ornelas recommends wiping off as much mud as you can before putting sneaks in a washing machine. Washing machines without agitators are gentler and allow more room for shoes to move freely. “Agitators can be a little rough and if they thrash your shoes around too much, it can affect the shape of the shoe as a whole,” he says. If you must wash your shoes-say, an unfortunate run-in with muddy terrain makes it your only option to salvage them-avoid agitators, he adds.