How To Wash Trainers By Hand Or In The Washing Machine

Here’s my ultimate guide on how to wash all types of trainers – whether they are canvas, synthetic, wool, suede, or leather – either by hand or in the washing machine.

Whether you’ve been jogging through muddy puddles, walking your dog along a mucky path, or just getting from A to B on a wet day, getting your favourite trainers dirty is inevitable.

Yet if you’re not sure how to wash your trainers, it can be tricky to keep them in good condition. And if your trainers aren’t in good condition, they’re more likely to be binned or relegated to the back of your wardrobe.

Given that the fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions, one easy way to reduce your impact is to keep the clothes and shoes you already own in good condition for longer.

Thankfully, it’s easy to make your favourite pair of trainers – no matter the fabric or colour – look brand-new again. I’ve got methods to try by hand or in your washing machine, along with exactly what to do for the best results – without damaging your favourite shoes.

Here’s everything you need to know:

Can You Put Trainers In The Washing Machine?

Using the washing machine is the way to go for most pairs of trainers – the general rule is that you can machine wash trainers made from synthetic materials or canvas. Done properly, machine washing won’t damage your trainers – and can actually help them last longer.

If you have trainers made from wool, leather, or suede, then generally these shouldn’t go in your washing machine. If you are in any doubt, do check out the laundry care label on your trainers for the manufacturer’s recommended advice.

If your trainers can’t go in the washing machine, don’t worry. Keep scrolling for my handwashing guide.

How To Wash Trainers In The Washing Machine

For trainers that are safe to machine wash, here are the full steps to follow for the best results. There are quite a few no-nos that could sabotage your cleaning intentions, so make sure you read the guide fully to avoid any potential mishaps.

Remove The Laces

Removing the laces before washing your shoes might seem like a faff. However, it’s a really important part of the laundry process.

Dirt collects around the eyelets of your laces, so removing the laces allows you to get in and give the area a good scrub. Removing the laces also allows all of the laces to be properly cleaned. Otherwise, the water and detergent can’t get in to do their thing, and your laces may come out of the wash patchy or still dirty.

So take your laces out. It’s worth it, I promise.

Pretreat Very Dirty Trainers

Mud sounds like it should be easy to remove from your trainers. It’s just wet dirt, after all.

However, the water that turns dirt into mud is made from 100% pure evil. This water pushes the dirt deep into the fabric of your trainers, making it harder to remove. As such, before you pop your muddy trainers in the washing machine, it’s important to pre-treat them.

How you pre-treat them depends on if the mud is fresh or if you’ve left it to dry on.

If the mud has dried, gently brush off any solid mud with a scrubbing brush reserved solely for cleaning shoes.

If the mud is wet, try to blot off what you can with a cloth. Avoid the urge to rub your trainers with the cloth. That only pushes the mud ever deeper into the fabric, making it even harder to remove.

Next, hold the shoe under a cold running tap or hose to rinse off as much mud as possible. Never ever use hot water. Hot water is not a friend of mud, and never the twain should meet. This is because hot water causes the protein in mud to bind to the fabric, setting the stain into the fibres and making it much harder to remove.

Think of it like Ghostbusters, where Egon warns that you should never cross the streams, but with mud and hot water.

Once rinsed with cold water, apply a stain remover that’s formulated to deal with protein stains, such as mud. Ethical Superstore has a good range of eco-friendly stain removers that are gentle on both your shoes and the planet.

Let that sit for ten minutes before placing both the trainers and laces in a mesh laundry bag or a pillowcase – whatever you have to hand. You can then pop that in your washing machine.

Pick The Right Cycle

Your first instinct is to probably run a hot wash with lots of detergent to get rid of all that dirt and mud. Whatever you do, absolutely do not trust that instinct. That is not the right approach here.

Instead, add around a tablespoon of laundry detergent. It can feel tempting to use more, but don’t! Using too much can make your trainers – particularly white ones – come out of the wash looking a bit grey and dingy. If you’re trying to clean white trainers and keep them looking bright, the golden rule is that less detergent is always better.

In terms of detergent, either laundry powder or liquid is fine. Some people say you should only use laundry liquid when washing trainers, but I’ve used powdered detergent many times to no ill effect. I’d just avoid using laundry pods or laundry sheets, as it’s harder to control the dose with these types of detergents.

You can also add a little white vinegar to the fabric conditioner compartment. This will help remove any excess detergent during the rinse cycle, which also helps to keep white trainers looking bright. And, as a bonus, it will also help tackle any bad smells, so they come out smelling super fresh.

I also recommend adding a couple of towels to the drum. This softens the impact of the trainers hitting the drum, making it less likely for the washing machine to cause any damage to your shoes.

Finally, no matter how dirty your shoes are, always run your machine on a cold water wash. I know it is really tempting to run a hot wash to try to shift any dirt. Yet as we’ve just learned, all that does is set the stain. Stick with cold. Never cross those streams!

Always Air Dry Them

Once done, remove your trainers from the washing machine, and place them somewhere away from direct heat to dry.

No matter how much of a hurry you are in, don’t put your trainers in the tumble dryer. The heat from your dryer can shrink or warp the soles of your shoes, and/or loosen the glue. This can make them lose their shape, and potentially making them unwearable.

For dark shoes, you can stuff the toe box with scrunched-up newspaper to help absorb moisture. For white trainers, I would always use a scrunched-up cotton cloth to help avoid getting any newsprint on your newly cleaned shoes. If you can, also flip the tongue of your shoe down, so that air can get in to circulate. This helps to really speed up the drying process.

Once dry, pop the laces back in, and you’re good to go!

How To Clean Trainers By Hand

As I mentioned, the washing machine isn’t the best option when it comes to wool, leather, or suede trainers. Instead, you want to spot-treat any stains or marks. Here’s the full how-to:

Cleaning Leather Trainers By Hand

Believe it or not, washing up liquid and an old brush are all you need to clean leather trainers.

To revive your leather trainers, add a little washing-up liquid to a bowl of cold water. Remove the laces and scrub with an old soft toothbrush or scrubbing brush to remove stains. Once done, wipe with a damp cloth to remove any excess soap, and leave to dry away from direct heat.

If the insides of your trainers are smelly, try my guide on how to deodorise stinky shoes using bicarbonate of soda to freshen them up.

Cleaning Suede Trainers By Hand

For suede trainers, I recommend avoiding water. Instead, your friend here is a brush. In particular, a suede brush works to remove dust and dirt from your trainers, whilst restoring the suede’s nap (the velvety texture).

For more stubborn dirt, a brass suede brush gets deeper into the suede to get your trainers clean. And if you want to get your trainers really clean, try investing in a crepe brush. These types of brushes drag dirt and stains right out of the suede.

You can use these brushes in conjunction with a suede cleaner block. Just rub the block on – without wetting your shoe – to eliminate stains.

Cleaning Wool Trainers By Hand

Whilst suede trainers require quite a degree of work to clean, it’s knitted wool trainers that are, in my opinion, the hardest to clean. You can’t chuck them in the washing machine, and you can’t use a brush, as it can snag the wool.

Instead, you need to do a little bit more leg work, blotting them with a cloth.

To do this, take a bowl of cold water, with a little washing-up liquid added to it. Pop your cloth in the solution, wring it out, and then gently blot your trainers with the cloth. It can take a little while, but it is your best bet for removing marks without damaging your wool trainers.

Once you’re done, rinse your cloth and wipe your shoes down to remove any washing-up liquid. Then, allow them to air dry – again, away from direct heat. Similar to drying other types of trainers, it’s best to pop a cloth in the toe box to help your trainers keep their shape and absorb excess moisture.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

As I’ve mentioned, most trainer-washing mishaps come down to a few simple mistakes:

• Using too much detergent can leave residue behind, giving shoes a grey finish.
• Heat – whether from hot water or a tumble dryer can lead to warped soles and misshapen shoes.
• Skipping pre-treatment can also mean stains never fully come out, no matter how many times you wash them.

Remembering these golden rules can make a massive difference between trainers that look fresh and clean, and ones that you don’t want to wear again.