Shoes and sneakers are one of the most loved and preferred pairs of footwear among people these days, especially youth. And washing and cleaning them might be undoubtedly one of the most important things, if a person is a sneakerhead. Especially when shoes are washed in the washing machine, it not only saves a lot of time, but effort as well. But not all sneakers are made of materials which can be safely washed in a washing machine. Only shoes that are made of materials such as nylon, cotton, canvas, and polyester are considered to be safe to wash in a washing machine.
These materials are very durable and should not get damaged by the laundry detergent. But before you always decide to clean your sneakers, make sure that you check the care and cleaning instructions for them. Now, you might wonder how to wash sneakers in washing machine, as there is always a thought of not getting them spoiled while washing. So for this, you need not to worry, as we got you covered through this article.
As you scroll down, you will find out complete details about washing sneakers in the washing machine, such as what are the tools and supplies required for it, how much time it takes, a detailed step by step guide on how to wash and much more. So just keep reading further to check out all the info.
A complete guide on how to wash sneakers in washing machine?
Washing your sneakers in the washing machine is not very difficult, but it definitely takes some preparation. So before you get started, you need to check the cleaning and care instructions for your sneakers in order to make sure that they are safe to wash and dry. Also, you need to make sure that you have the tools and supplies available as mentioned below-
1. Tools needed to wash-
a) Old towels
b) A sponge
c) A soft brush or rag, such as an old toothbrush
2. Supplies needed to wash-
a) Sneakers cleaner
b) Baking soda
c) Laundry liquid detergent
d) A garment bag of mesh
3. Time estimation of washing- Washing the sneakers in the washing machine usually takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour with a delicate cycle of the washer. You should keep in mind that the sneakers will at least take a night to get completely dry. And so once you have collected all the required materials, you can simply begin cleaning your sneakers by following the steps provided below. (Just make sure to follow the care instructions for your sneakers before you get to wash them).
Now, a step by step guide on how to wash sneakers in washing machine is as follows-
1. Firstly remove the laces and insoles of your sneakers.
2. Then, wash the laces- In order to keep your laces from getting wrapped or tangled around in any part of the drum, you should wash them in a mesh garment bag which is securely closed. And for stubborn messes, you can use soft brush and laundry detergent to manually scrub the laces.
3. Then, wash the insoles of the sneakers by hand- Third step for how to wash sneakers in the washing machine is that you are required to wash the insoles of your sneakers by hand, unless it is otherwise written in the care instructions. If you machine wash them, it might leave the insoles waterlogged, which simply means that they could take a couple of days to dry. And if your insoles are not washable in machine, then you can clean and deodorise them by following the instructions written below-
a) Wipe the sneakers down using a soft brush or rag and some soapy water.
b) By using a sponge and to soak it up as much as possible to release the excess moisture.
c) Sprinkle the insoles with some baking soda and then let them sit overnight to deodorise and soak up whatever moisture is remaining.
d) Then, brush the baking soda off in the morning.
e) And finally when the insoles have dried out, you can simply place them back in your sneakers.
4. Clean the soles of the sneakers- If your sneakers have debris or mud in the soles, you can use a soft brush to clean it as much as you can. And once the dirt gets removed, you can clean the marks of scuff by using a soft brush to apply a shoe cleaner on it.
5. Place the sneakers in a garment bag made of mesh- After you have cleaned your sneakers, you are required to put them in a garment bag of mesh, which will keep them from tumbling forcefully in and around the washing machine.
6. Place the mesh bag in the machine and prepare the load- Now, another step for how to wash sneakers in washing machine is to place your sneakers bag in the washing machine, with a few old towels which help in balancing the load. Also, make sure that the towels are not new and old, as new ones could leach the extra dye which could possibly stain the sneaker.
7. Wash the sneakers in a machine- Set up your machine on a cold water and delicate cycle with no-spin or slow option. Use laundry pods or liquid detergent only, because there is a possibility of power detergents getting stuck in the sneakers if it does not get properly dissolved.
8. Dry out the sneakers- Once the washing of your sneakers is completed, remove the laces and sneakers from the mesh bag and let them dry in the air for quite a good time. Put paper towels or clean rags to maintain the shape and absorb the extra moisture.
9. Re-insert the insoles in sneakers- Finally when everything is done, you are ready to place the insoles back in your sneakers and restring the laces. And so the only thing left will be to head out with your all new and clean footwear!
And thus, this is a complete detailed guide on how to wash sneakers in the washing machine, which you can simply follow in a step-by-step manner to get the best and new looking sneakers!
