Cleaning your shoes???

I run about 80% of my miles in the dirt. Some trails, some dirt roads. My shoes are incredibly dirty. I used to throw them in the washing machine every once in a while, and then let them air dry. I saw somewhere that washing machines are really hard on running shoes so now I'm having second thoughts, even though I've never had any issues with doing it.



I'm curious what you all do with your dirty shoes? Do you wear them with pride or do you clean them? If so, what works best for you?

if i had a plastic kiddie pool, i'd fill it up halfway and do some running in place to let the agitation get the stubborn dirt out. Think like you're running through a heavy downpour and have no choice.



Also, running on the beach did it for me. It was high tide and had no choice. They're still pretty clean.

I just let them dry and let the dried mud fall off. After that, it is all pride.

I think you can safely wash the shoes in the washing machine if you take the inserts out first. Let the shoes air dry.

Jim Lentz wrote:I think you can safely wash the shoes in the washing machine if you take the inserts out first. Let the shoes air dry.

I agree with Jim on this. it's not just dirt, they can stink after a while and washing works pretty well.

I take out the insoles and wash them in the machine--we have a front loader. I usually only have to do it twice per pair, when they get so dirty looking I can't stand it anymore. I stuff a hand towel in each one when I take them out to help soak up the water. They are usually dry enough the next day!

Thanks for the replies. Sounds as though many of you also throw them in the washing machine with no ill effects. Good to know.

For grins, I took the inserts out and dumped the shoes in a pail of cold water. Agitated things a bit and pulled them out. Water looked like chocolate milk but shoes were 90% clean. They weren't muddy, just dusty, and this worked well.

Technically the machine can beat up the shoes or weaken elastic parts etc. but I admit that I have washed shoes even though told not to do so. Usually I just let them be dirty though.

Tim C wrote:Thanks for the replies. Sounds as though many of you also throw them in the washing machine with no ill effects. Good to know.

For grins, I took the inserts out and dumped the shoes in a pail of cold water. Agitated things a bit and pulled them out. Water looked like chocolate milk but shoes were 90% clean. They weren't muddy, just dusty, and this worked well.

I take the insoles out and spray them off with the garden hose and set them out in the sun to dry.

Slop sink, mild soap, and a plastic brush. Never washer or especially drier.

I also do the bulk of my running on trails. I just wet a paper towel with hot water and just wipe then down after each run. I never put them in the washing machine until after I've retired them as running shoes.

throw 'em in the washer. med temp. low on the soap. low agitation or ft. loader. Inserts and all. DO NOT USE THE DRYER. Set out to dry. Should be good to go in 24 hours. Also a good thing to do if you retire the shoes but want to wear them around for whatever purpose.

I never wash mine, I want to look like I use them. But I did just do the warrior so if I would have kept the shoes, I would have just sprayed them off like Tim said. I wouldn't throw them in the wash. If you're not seeing any issues with that then you're probably fine.



Keep running hard to make them dirty though!