Short answer: canvas trainers, most running shoes and knit uppers wash fine in a machine on a cold, gentle, low-spin cycle inside a pillowcase or mesh bag, with towels in the drum to cushion the noise. Leather, suede, nubuck, dress shoes and anything with a glued sole or visible cardboard inside should never go in. And whatever you wash, never tumble dry shoes: heat melts the adhesive that holds the sole on.
What can and cannot go in
| Material | Machine? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas trainers | Yes | The safest case. Cold, gentle, air dry |
| Running shoes, mesh and knit | Usually | Check the brand's guidance; most modern pairs are fine |
| Polyester and nylon uppers | Yes | Cold only; heat distorts synthetic mesh |
| Leather and faux leather | No | Water cracks and stiffens it. Wipe and condition instead |
| Suede and nubuck | No | Water marks it permanently. Brush, then use a suede eraser |
| Dress shoes, anything structured | No | Glue, cardboard shanks and leather lining all fail |
| Memory-foam insoles | No | Agitation destroys the foam. Hand wash and air dry |
| Shoes with LED lights or glued embellishment | No | Obvious, and people still try |
Before the machine
- Remove the laces and the insoles. Both wash better separately and both hold most of the smell.
- Bang the soles together outside and brush off dried mud with a dry brush. Wet mud smears into the fabric; dry mud brushes off.
- Pick the grit out of the tread with an old toothbrush or a key. Small stones damage a drum.
- Pre-treat the toe and heel scuffs with a dissolved pod and a soft brush, following the stain rules in how to get stains out of clothes.
- Bag everything. Shoes in a pillowcase tied shut or a mesh bag; laces and insoles in a second one.
The cycle
- Cold, 20 to 30 °C. Heat softens adhesive, which is how soles start to separate.
- Gentle or delicate cycle.
- Spin 400 to 600 rpm, or no spin at all. A high spin with a pair of trainers in the drum is how machines break their suspension.
- Add four to six old towels to balance the load and absorb the hammering. This is not optional on a front loader.
- One pod, no fabric softener and no bleach. Bleach yellows white midsoles and rots stitching.
- Never a hot or sanitise cycle, whatever the shoes smell like. There is a better fix below.
Drying, where shoes are actually ruined
- Never tumble dry. Heat melts the glue holding the upper to the midsole, warps the shank and shrinks a knit upper by a half size.
- Stuff them loosely with paper towel or white paper. Newspaper transfers ink onto pale uppers.
- Stand them somewhere airy and out of direct sun, on their side or sole-down with the tongue open.
- Replace the stuffing after two hours, when it is soaked.
- Allow 24 to 48 hours. A shoe that feels dry on the outside is usually still damp in the midsole foam, and that is exactly where the smell comes back from.
- Dry laces and insoles flat, separately.
The smell, properly
Shoe odour is bacteria living on the sweat absorbed by the insole and the foam beneath it. Washing the upper does very little about it, which is why the smell returns within a week.
- Wash the insoles by hand in warm water with a dissolved pod, rinse thoroughly, and dry them completely before they go back.
- Between wears, pull the insoles out and let both air. Shoes worn two days running never dry out.
- Rotate pairs. One pair worn daily will always smell; two pairs alternated rarely do.
- A tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda left in each shoe overnight, then tipped out, absorbs what is left.
- If the insole is old and the smell survives all of that, replace the insole. It costs a fraction of the shoe.
The same mechanism, and the same fix, applies to gym kit: see how to get sweat smell out of clothes.
Washing by hand, which is often better
For anything you care about, ten minutes at the sink beats a cycle. Dissolve a pod in warm water, work the solution over the upper with a soft brush, wipe the midsole with a cloth, rinse with a damp cloth rather than running water, and dry as above. Leather and suede never go further than a damp cloth and the right brush.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put shoes in the washing machine?
Canvas trainers, mesh running shoes and knit uppers can go in on a cold, gentle, low-spin cycle inside a pillowcase or mesh bag, with four to six towels added to cushion the drum. Leather, suede, dress shoes, memory-foam insoles and anything glued or embellished should not.
What cycle should I wash trainers on?
Cold at 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, gentle or delicate, with the spin at 400 to 600 rpm or off. Use one pod, no fabric softener and no bleach, and always add towels to balance the load.
Can you put shoes in the dryer?
No. Dryer heat melts the adhesive that bonds the upper to the sole, warps the internal shank and can shrink a knit upper by half a size. Air dry for 24 to 48 hours, stuffed with paper towel, away from direct heat and sun.
How do you get the smell out of trainers?
The smell lives in the insole and the foam under it, not the upper. Hand wash the insoles separately, dry them completely, air the shoes between wears, rotate two pairs rather than wearing one daily, and leave a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda in each shoe overnight. Replace old insoles if the smell persists.
Can you wash white trainers in the washing machine?
Yes, if the upper is canvas or mesh. Pre-treat the toe and heel by hand, wash cold on gentle, and never use chlorine bleach, which yellows white midsoles over time. Air dry out of direct sun.
How long do shoes take to dry after washing?
24 to 48 hours. The upper dries first and the midsole foam holds moisture much longer, which is where odour returns from, so give them a full day even when they feel dry to the touch.
Can you wash leather or suede shoes?
Not in a machine, and not with running water. Leather cracks and stiffens, and suede marks permanently. Brush suede dry with a suede brush and lift marks with a suede eraser; wipe leather with a barely damp cloth and condition it afterwards.
