The footwear marketplace has really changed over the past 10 years. These days you can find thousands of sneakers and shoes that are completely machine washable. What does that mean? It means you can safely launder them in your washing machine to keep them looking clean. Not only clean, but to help cut down on the germs that you carry into your home via your feet.

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I quit purchasing leather and faux leather sneakers several years ago. I now buy washable knit sneakers and shoes. Let’s face it…footwear is expensive and we want to keep our footwear looking nice for as long as we can! Leather and faux leather shoes can only be spot cleaned or cleaned with a leather cleaner. Knit and canvas sneakers can be tossed into your washing machine for easy cleaning.

Here’s a few tips you should follow when laundering your washable sneakers and shoes.

1. Invest in reusable, washable laundry bags that are specifically made for laundering your shoes! These bags help protect them, keep them from bouncing around in the washing machine (making lound noises) and will prevent knocking your machine off-balance.

Tip: I personally use and recommend the Teletrogy Shoe Laundry Bags that I purchased from Amazon. You get 2 reusable, soft-fiber bags along with 4 plastic shoe trees (see below for info on why you should use those).

If your sneakers and shoes have removable inserts…remove them. Some of our footwear has removable inserts and those should be removed…especially orthotic inserts. Spot clean them instead.

2. Insert plastic shoes trees into each sneaker before laundering them. This will help them to maintain their proper shape during the laundering process.

3. Pretreat – If you get a stain or dirt on your shoes you want to pre-treat them with a stain remover as soon as possible. Follow instructions on the package. Then launder.

Stain Removal Tip – I like using the new Dawn Platinum Dish Spray as a pre-treater in our laundry. It does a wonderful job at removing stains, dirt, grease and foul odors. Spray the area and let them sit for 30 minutes before tossing them into the laundry bag.

4. Detergent – I personally prefer using a liquid laundry detergent vs. pods for washing our shoes. Why? Because I can control the amount of detergent that I’m using. I don’t use the full amount as I don’t need soapy, sudsy shoes once the laundering process has been completed. You only need a 1/4 of the amount that you typically use for a full household load.

5. Remove them promptly from the washing machine. Take them out of the laundering bag and sit them flat to air dry. I leave the shoe trees in while they’re drying to help maintain their proper shape. Don’t toss them into the dryer! If it’s a nice day outside…take them outside to dry in the sunlight and warm air.

How often should you launder your shoes? I wash our’s every 3-4 months or sooner if they get dirty. You don’t want to let the dirt, stains and odors sit in/on your shoes for a long period of time. The longer they sit, the harder it is to get the dirt and stains out!

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