How to Wash Trainers in the Washing Machine Without Ruining Them
Read the method
Most everyday trainers can go in the machine. The damage people worry about comes from washing them loose, not from washing them at all. Here is the method that gets them clean and keeps their shape.
Scrubbing trainers by hand is slow work, and it rarely reaches the parts that actually look dirty. A washing machine does reach them. That is why so many people try it, and why so many end up disappointed when the trainers come out misshapen, or still marked, or both.
The difference between those two outcomes is not luck. It comes down to three things: the temperature, the programme, and whether the trainers are protected while the drum turns.
Get those three right and a machine wash is a genuinely good way to clean trainers. Here is how.
Can trainers go in the washing machine?
Many can. A lot of everyday trainers, running shoes, canvas shoes and children's shoes are made from materials that handle a cool, gentle wash without any trouble at all. If you have been putting off cleaning a pair of running shoes because you were not sure a running shoe washing bag would be enough, the answer for most pairs is that it is.
You will notice that most shoe brands say no on the care label. That is because the label assumes the shoe goes into the drum loose, where it spends a full cycle knocking against the metal and everything else in the load. That is what damages a trainer, not the water. Wash it protected, in a bag built for the job, and the picture changes.
The one real exception is the material itself. Leather, suede and shoes with delicate glued detailing are usually better cleaned by hand, whatever they are washed in. For everything else, the question is not whether the shoe can go in the machine. It is how it goes in.
The mistakes that actually cause the damage
Almost every story about trainers coming out of the machine ruined traces back to the same short list.
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Washing them loose in the drum
With nothing around them, trainers knock against the drum for the whole cycle. It is one of the most common causes of lost shape and strained seams, and it is also why a shoe wash makes so much noise from the next room.
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Washing too hot
Heat is what softens the adhesives holding a trainer together. A cool wash cleans perfectly well and asks far less of the glue.
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Choosing an aggressive cycle
A fast spin throws a shoe around harder than any pavement ever will. Gentle programmes exist for exactly this kind of item.
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Overloading the machine
A packed drum stops anything moving freely, so the wash is less even and the shoes take more knocks on the way round.
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Using harsh cleaning products
Strong detergents and anything containing bleach can lift colour out of a trainer and leave the material dry. A small amount of mild detergent does the job, and no shoe cleaning bag can undo what bleach has already taken out.
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Drying with direct heat
A radiator, a tumble dryer or a hot windowsill can stiffen and shrink a shoe that came through the wash perfectly well. Drying is where a good wash is most often undone.
None of these are unavoidable. Each one has a simple fix, and together they make up the method below.
How to wash trainers safely, step by step
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Check the material, not just the label
Most labels say no to the machine because they assume the shoe goes in loose. In a Skovasken bag it does not. So look at what the shoe is made of instead. Mesh, canvas, knit and most synthetic uppers are fine for a cool, gentle wash in the bag. Leather, suede and delicate glued detailing are better cleaned by hand.
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Remove loose dirt, laces and removable insoles
Knock the soles together outdoors and brush off any dried mud. Take the laces out and wash them separately, and lift out any insoles that come free. Loose grit is what scratches, and it is easier to remove before it is wet.
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Put each trainer in a protective wash bag
This is the step most people skip, and it is the one that decides how the shoes come out. A trainer washing machine bag sits between the shoe and the drum for the whole cycle, and a shoe bag for washing machine use is built to stay closed while it does. One shoe per bag is the recommendation, and it is what gives the microfibres room to work.
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Wash at 30°C on a gentle programme
Use a small amount of mild detergent and the lowest spin speed your machine offers. Skip the fabric softener and skip the bleach.
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Reshape and air-dry naturally
Loosely pack the shoes with paper to hold their shape, and leave them somewhere airy and out of direct heat. They will take longer to dry than you would like. It is worth it.
Steps three to five
Why a trainer washing bag makes the difference
Of the five steps above, the wash bag is the only one still doing anything once the machine is running. The other four are decisions you make before you press start.
A purpose-built shoe washing bag does four things at once:
It cushions the trainer
Padded walls absorb the impact that would otherwise go straight into the shoe.
It reduces the knocking
Less banging against the drum, and a much quieter wash.
It helps the shoe keep its shape
The trainer is held in place rather than thrown around loose.
It cleans where a brush cannot
The bag is in contact with the whole surface of the shoe for the full cycle, including the areas that are awkward to scrub by hand.
That last one is where Skovasken's construction comes in. The inside of this microfibre shoe wash bag is lined with thousands of soft microfibres that stay in contact with the trainer throughout the wash, lifting dirt gently rather than scrubbing at it. The padded outer wall handles the impact at the same time. It is the reason a wash bag for trainers behaves so differently from a shoe washing machine bag made of plain mesh.
It is the same wash you were going to run anyway. The bag is what stands between the shoe and the drum while it happens.
The same trainers, one wash apart
Drag the handle to see the difference. Both photographs are Skovasken's own, taken with the same pair of trainers.
The easier way to clean trainers
Most people arrive at a shoe wash bag for washing machine use having already tried the alternatives.
- Scrubbing by hand
- Takes twenty minutes an arm and still leaves the mesh looking tired.
- A towel in the drum
- Muffles some of the noise but does nothing to hold the shoe's shape.
- A pillowcase
- Tears, and it offers no cushioning at all.
- An ordinary laundry bag
- A plain shoe laundry bag for washing machine use keeps the pair together, and that is roughly the end of its contribution.
A bag built for trainers is a different object. Search results will offer you a sneaker washing bag, a trainer cleaning bag or a shoe washer bag and mean roughly the same thing, so the question worth asking is whether the one you pick cushions the shoe or merely contains it. Here is what a proper trainer wash bag gives you:
- Soft microfibre cleaning across the whole surface of the shoe
- Cushioned protection from the drum for the full cycle
- Less noise and knocking while the machine runs
- A simple, reusable design that lasts wash after wash
- Suitable for many trainers, running shoes, casual shoes and children's shoes
- One shoe per bag for the best protection and the best clean
Skovasken is fully reusable. Shake the dirt out after a wash and this bag for washing trainers is ready for the next one, and the one after that.
Every order is backed by free tracked delivery and a 365-day money-back guarantee.
What people say after the first wash
I've trained and run outdoors a lot for a long time, and unfortunately my running shoes are white and get dirty easily. I've tried washing them directly in the machine but didn't find them getting very clean. Someone told me about this product and it's so brilliant! The shoes come out much fresher and stay fresh for longer.
Super happy. Finally you can wash shoes in the machine without them getting worn out and ruined! Both my shoes and the kids' shoes are clean and lovely again! I love that the bag dampens the noise and knocking in the washing machine.
It simply works, the shoes come out clean and keep their quality. It's barely audible; it dampens the noise.
The product delivers on its promise, absolutely brilliant for washing trainers in. The shoes come out clean and the wash is gentle.
Reviews published on skovasken.com.
Washing trainers well is mostly about four decisions
Whether a pair of trainers comes out of the machine looking better or looking worse is decided before the cycle starts. The temperature you choose. The programme you choose. How you dry them afterwards. And whether anything is protecting the shoe while the drum turns.
Get those right and machine washing stops being a gamble and becomes a reliable way to keep trainers looking like trainers.
Discover a simpler way to wash your trainers while helping them keep their shape.