How to Clean Athletic Shoes

Co-authored by Marc Sigal

Last Updated: July 28, 2022 Approved

Regular Cleanings

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Removing Odors

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Cleaning Your Laces

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

A good pair of sturdy, comfortable athletic shoes can be expensive and yet, if used to their full potential, they are likely to get dirty in no time. You need to be careful cleaning your shoes, but proper care and a good cleaning can restore your shoes and protect your investment. Throwing them in a washing machine will not. To properly clean your shoes, be prepared to perform a handwashing.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Regular Cleanings

1
Clean with a dry brush. Before you wash your shoes, you should remove any large chunks of dirt and grime. Use an old toothbrush or dry scrub brush. Rub the dry brush over any problem spots to remove excess dirt and grime.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Marc Sigal
Shoe Care Specialist
Expert Interview. 15 January 2020.}
2
Mix warm water with laundry detergent. Fill up your sink with water that is warm, but not hot. Then mix in a small amount of laundry detergent.

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3
Remove the insoles and laces. Laces and insoles need to be cleaned separately. Remove them from the shoe and place them to the side.
4
Wet a sponge. Alternatively, you can use a soft towel or a soft bush. Be sure that the sponge has absorbed sufficient soap and water before squeezing out excess moisture. Use the solution to scrub out problematic stains.
- An old toothbrush can be handy for scrubbing around the tongue and in other hard-to-reach spots.^{[2]
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  Expert Source
  
  Marc Sigal
  Shoe Care Specialist
  Expert Interview. 15 January 2020.}
- Try not to wet parts of the shoe made of leather or foam. You could research specific cleaning instructions for your shoe through the manufacturer. If in doubt, avoid getting moisture on any surface that is already clean.^{[3]
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5
Wet a sponge with clean water to remove soap. After you have removed stains, dunk a second sponge or cloth in warm water without soap. Rub the shoe to remove all excess soap.
6
Allow to air dry. Do not place shoes in the drier. Leave them out in room temperature. Allow them to dry naturally.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Removing Odors

1
Always wear socks. Without socks, sweat will accumulate in your shoes. Bacteria will thrive in this moisture, giving your shoes a distinctly unpleasant smell that you will struggle to fix.^{[4]
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2
Sprinkle foot powder in your shoes. You might find that your feet will sweat all the way through your socks, getting your shoes moist even when you do have socks. Sprinkling foot powder on your insoles before you lace up will help to absorb some of that moisture and prevent your shoes form developing an odor.^{[5]
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3
Clean your insoles. If your shoes are already stinky, you can clean your insoles to improve the odor. Remove the insoles from the shoes and then follow the steps listed above. Clean it with a sponge soaked in water and detergent, wipe it with a second wet sponge to remove soap, and then allow the insole to air dry.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Cleaning Your Laces

1
Remove the laces from your shoe. Laces can be subjected to tougher cleaning than the shoe itself, so you should remove your laces and clean them separately.
2
Pretreat laces with laundry detergent. For tough stains, you can begin by sprinkling a little bit of laundry detergent over the tough stains. Use your fingers to rub in the detergent before running it through warm water.
3
Wash your laces in a delicates bag. Laces can be run through the laundry machine, but if left loose they will wrap themselves around the other items in your laundry. Place laces in a delicates bag and then run on a normal setting.^{[6]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

How can I clean my athletic shoes after they got soaked in the rain?

Marc Sigal
Shoe Care Specialist
Marc Sigal is the Founder of ButlerBox, a dry cleaning and shoe care service based in Los Angeles, California. ButlerBox places custom-designed, wrinkle-resistant lockers in luxury apartment buildings, class A office buildings, shopping centers, and other convenient locations so you can pick up and drop off items 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Marc has a BA in Global and International Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Marc Sigal

Shoe Care Specialist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

First, make sure that there isn't any dirt or mud on your shoes before drying them. If there is mud or dirt, hose your shoes down or hold them under a sink until the dirt or mud washes away. Then, crumple up some newspaper and shove it inside your shoes. Let them air out in a well-ventilated area or set them next to a fan. Whenever the newspaper gets damp, replace it to ensure your shoes keep drying out.
Question

What to do if you don't have any foot powder?

CageyCat

Top Answerer

Try sprinkling some baking soda into shoes. Shake the shoes to let it go throughout the inner shoe. Let it sit overnight. Next day, shake each shoe out, outside. Holding them at the heel, slap the soles together. Your shoes should have a fresher smell.
Question

how to clean fabric athletic shoes?

Community Answer

Use dishwashing detergent ,warm water, an old toothbrush, and paper towels. Wipe down the fabric with a dry paper towel to remove any loose surface soil. In a small bowl, mix one teaspoon of dishwashing liquid in two cups of warm water. Working on a small section at a time, dip the toothbrush in the soapy solution and lightly scrub the fabric.

Warnings

Never wash athletic shoes in the washing machine or dry athletic shoes in the dryer, as doing either may damage or shrink the shoes. They will lose much of their supportive qualities.

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