Cleaning Running Shoes Properly – Brush Gently, Don’t Wash

To prevent our running shoes from breaking when we wash them, it works best to clean them by hand. To do this, we first remove the insoles and unthread the laces.

First, we wipe off dry mud and dust on the upper with a cloth and brush them out with a soft brush. “The best way to do this is to put the running shoes in a bathtub or shower,” says Eva Hirschhäuser. That way, we can easily rinse out the dirt once we’re done cleaning the shoes.

Once we have removed coarse dirt from our running shoes, we can clean the outer sole with a damp cloth. If dirt remains, it helps to put a little mild soap or dishwashing liquid on the sole and wipe the shoe again with the damp cloth.

We clean the upper material of our running shoes in a similar way. To avoid damaging the mesh material, we should brush the shoes gently with a soft brush, some soap and lukewarm water. Afterwards, we wash out the soap with a damp cloth.

Cleaning the insoles separately is especially useful when we want to get rid of sweat odors. We wash the insole with a brush and lukewarm, soapy water – without completely soaking it. Otherwise, we risk that the shape will change when they dry. Shoelaces, on the other hand, will not be harmed by too much water. To clean them, we can hold them under running water and rinse them with soap.

Once our running shoes are clean again, they need to dry before our next run. The best way to do this is to leave them at room temperature and put kitchen paper or newspaper inside. Newspaper absorbs moisture – and thus makes the shoe dry faster. To further speed up this process, we can change the paper two or three times.

However, it is not advisable to put our running shoes on the heater to dry them. The heat can deform or damage the shoe’s materials. The same can happen if we leave the running shoes to dry in direct sunlight for several hours.

Time and again you read on the Internet that some athletes wash their running shoes in the washing machine. However, this can be just as harmful as leaving them to dry on the heater. The reasons are the metal washing machine drum, the wrong detergent and excessively high temperatures, which can, in the worst case, damage the running shoes and greatly shorten their lifespan.

Even if we would like to start running again directly after cleaning, as long as the running shoes are not completely dry, we should wait. If we don’t, we may develop blisters which will make our training much less fun.