Machine washable shoes: which ones actually survive the wash

Almost any shoe can go through a washing machine once. The question is which ones come out the other side still fitting, still shaped like a shoe, and still worth wearing.

This guide covers what makes a shoe genuinely washable, how to tell before you buy, and what the wash actually does to the parts you cannot see.

Quick Summary

A washable shoe is one built so that water and tumbling do not destroy its structure. Three things decide it: the upper material, whether the midsole is glued foam or something more stable, and whether the insole comes out.

• Knit and canvas uppers wash well. Leather and suede do not.
• Removable insoles matter more than the label. They hold the moisture and the smell.
• Heat is what ruins shoes, not water. Cold wash, air dry, never a tumble dryer.
• Glued soles are the weak point. Repeated hot washes soften adhesive.
• Washable does not mean wash weekly. Most shoes need it a few times a year.

What survives the machine and what does not:

What makes a shoe washable?

Not a label. A washable shoe is one whose materials tolerate water and whose construction tolerates tumbling, and those are two separate things.

Water is rarely the problem. Knit, canvas and mesh all get soaked in rain and recover.

What a machine adds is mechanical agitation and, if you are careless, heat. Agitation stresses the bond between upper and sole. Heat softens adhesive and shrinks synthetic fibres.

So the shoes that wash well are the ones with few glued overlays, a simple upper, and a sole bonded well enough to take a few cycles over the life of the shoe.

Which uppers survive the machine?

Knit. The best case. It is a single piece of textile, it dries from the inside out, and there is little to come unstuck. Most knit sneakers come out looking close to new.

Canvas. Also good, with one caveat. Cotton canvas can shrink a little if dried with heat, and white canvas can yellow if detergent is left in it. Rinse thoroughly.

Mesh. Usually fine, but mesh running shoes often have welded or glued plastic overlays for structure, and those are the first thing to lift at the edges.

Leather and suede. No. Leather is a skin, and washing strips the oils that keep it flexible.

It dries stiff, often with a tide line, and suede mats permanently. Clean these by hand, with a product made for the material.

Atoms' own guide to cleaning canvas shoes covers the hand method in detail.

What happens to the sole?

This is the part nobody inspects afterwards, and it is where the real wear happens.

Most sneakers are cold cemented, meaning the outsole is glued to the midsole rather than stitched or vulcanised. That adhesive is strong at room temperature and softer when warm. A cold wash barely touches it. A hot wash, repeated, slowly weakens it, and the first sign is a small gap opening at the toe or the outer heel edge.

Foam midsoles have their own issue. They absorb water, get heavy, and take far longer to dry than the upper. A shoe that feels dry on the outside can still be wet in the midsole a day later, which is how a freshly washed shoe ends up smelling worse than before.

If you want to understand what is actually under your foot, the sole of a shoe and what is an outsole break it down.

Why does the removable insole matter?

Because it is the dirtiest part of the shoe and the slowest to dry in place.

The insole sits directly under your foot, absorbs most of the sweat, and holds most of the odour. Leave it in during a wash and you get a soaked sponge sitting inside a damp shoe. Take it out and you can wash it separately, squeeze it, and dry it flat in a fraction of the time.

A shoe with a glued in footbed is a worse candidate for machine washing for exactly this reason, regardless of what the upper is made of. More on what that layer does in what is the insole of a shoe, and on replacing it in replacing insoles.

Do washable shoes actually smell less?

Only if you wash the right part. A full cycle cleans the upper, which is rarely where the smell lives.

Odour comes from bacteria breaking down sweat, and the sweat collects in the insole and the lining. That is why a shoe can come out of the machine looking clean and still smell within a week. Washing the insole separately, and letting it dry completely before it goes back in, does more for smell than washing the shoe ever will.

The other half is rotation. A shoe worn every day never fully dries, and a shoe that never fully dries will smell regardless of how recently it was washed. Two pairs alternated solve more odour problems than any product.

Atoms covers the odour side specifically in how to deodorize shoes.

How do you check before buying?

Four checks, none of which need the box.

1. Pull the insole. If it lifts out cleanly, that is a good sign about the whole design.
2. Look at the toe seam. Stitched or bonded cleanly is better than a thick bead of visible glue.
3. Feel the inside. A slick synthetic lining traps water. A textile one does not.
4. Check for a membrane. Anything marketed as waterproof is usually the wrong answer here.

That last point surprises people. A waterproof shoe is built to stop water passing through, which also means it struggles to let water out once it gets in. For wet weather that is the point, and water repellent shoes covers where it helps, but it is not the same as washable.

How should you actually wash them?

Preparation does more than the cycle settings.

1. Take out the laces and insoles. Wash both separately.
2. Knock off dry mud first. Wet mud spreads, dry mud brushes away.
3. Use a mesh bag or a pillowcase. It stops the shoe battering the drum.
4. Add towels. They balance the load and cushion the impact.
5. Cold cycle, gentle, mild detergent. No bleach, no fabric softener.
6. Skip the spin if you can. High spin is the most violent part of the cycle.

Fabric softener deserves a specific mention. It coats fibres to feel soft, which on a shoe means reducing breathability and leaving a residue that attracts dirt faster. Leave it out.

Atoms has a step by step for the machine method in how to wash shoes in the washing machine, and for the inside specifically in how to clean inside of shoes.

Why is drying the part people get wrong?

Because the damage from drying is permanent and the damage from washing usually is not.

A tumble dryer does three things to a shoe. It shrinks knit and canvas, it hardens foam, and it softens the adhesive holding the sole on while throwing the shoe against the drum.

A radiator is gentler but still hardens foam and can warp the shape.

What works is boring. Stuff the shoes loosely with paper or a cloth to hold their shape, leave the tongue open, and put them somewhere with air moving across them. A fan does more than heat. Expect a full day, longer if the midsole got properly soaked.

Atoms covers the dryer question directly in can you put shoes in the dryer.

How often is too often?

More often than people think for the insoles, less often than people think for the shoe.

The pattern that keeps shoes looking good longest is frequent small cleaning and rare full washes. A damp cloth on a scuff the day it happens saves a cycle later.

There is one exception worth making. If a shoe has been soaked in something that will set, such as mud with grit in it or anything oily, treat it quickly rather than waiting for the next scheduled clean. Dried grit works into the knit and acts like sandpaper on the fibres every time the shoe flexes.

When is hand washing the better call?

Whenever the shoe is structured, expensive, or made of something a machine will ruin. Also whenever the mark is local rather than general.

Hand washing gives you control over how wet the shoe gets, which matters for anything with a foam midsole. A soft brush, mild soap and lukewarm water handles most of what a machine would, without soaking the parts you want to keep dry.

It is also the only option for leather, suede, anything with a membrane, and anything with decorative elements that are glued rather than stitched.

Which shoes are not worth risking?

• Anything leather or suede. No upside, guaranteed damage.
• Waterproof or membrane lined shoes. Detergent breaks down the membrane.
• Dress shoes with a shank. The internal stiffener warps and does not come back.
• Boots. Too heavy for the drum, and usually leather anyway.
• Shoes already coming apart. A wash finishes the job.
• Anything you cannot replace. If it is irreplaceable, hand wash it.

If the sole is already separating, that is a repair question rather than a cleaning one, and how long do shoes really last is a better starting point.

Where does Atoms sit?

On the washable side, and the specification is the reason rather than the marketing.

From Atoms' own published details, the Model 000 has a knit upper, a lightweight foam midsole, stretch laces, a removable insole, and a copper infused lining that Atoms states kills bacteria and prevents odour. The knit upper and the removable insole are the two features that matter most for washing. The upper is a single textile piece with little glued structure to lift, and the insole lifting out means you can wash the dirtiest part separately and dry it fast.

The foam midsole is the part to be careful with. Like any foam midsole it will absorb water and take longer to dry than the upper looks like it should, so a cold wash and a full day of air drying is the right treatment rather than a hot cycle and a dryer.

What the copper lining does not remove is the need to dry properly. It addresses bacteria, not moisture, so a damp shoe is still a damp shoe.

How to choose

Buy for the upper and the insole. A knit or canvas upper with a footbed that lifts out will stay fresh for years with a few cold washes and regular insole cleaning. A structured leather shoe never will, however carefully you treat it.

Then wash rarely and dry slowly. Nearly every ruined shoe was ruined by heat, not by water.

Frequently asked questions

What makes a shoe machine washable?

Materials that tolerate water and a construction that tolerates tumbling. In practice that means a knit, canvas or mesh upper, few glued overlays, and a footbed that lifts out. Water is rarely the problem. Agitation and heat are.

Can you put any trainers in the washing machine?

No. Leather, suede, anything with a waterproof membrane, structured dress shoes and boots should all be cleaned by hand. A wash stiffens leather permanently and detergent degrades membranes.

What temperature should you wash shoes at?

Cold, on a gentle cycle, with mild detergent and no fabric softener or bleach. Heat is what softens the adhesive holding the outsole on and shrinks knit and canvas uppers.

Should you take the insoles out before washing?

Yes, always, along with the laces. The insole holds most of the moisture and most of the odour, and left in place it becomes a soaked sponge inside a damp shoe. Wash it separately and dry it flat.

Can you put shoes in the dryer?

No. A tumble dryer shrinks knit and canvas, hardens foam, and softens the sole adhesive while throwing the shoe against the drum. Air dry with the tongue open, stuffed loosely to hold shape, somewhere with air moving.

How long do shoes take to dry after washing?

Around a day in ordinary room conditions, longer if the foam midsole got properly soaked. The upper dries first and can feel ready while the midsole is still wet, which is how a freshly washed shoe ends up smelling.

How often can you machine wash shoes?

A few times a year for the shoe itself, monthly for the insoles, and laces whenever they look grey. Each full cycle stresses the bond between upper and sole, so frequent small cleaning beats frequent washing.

Why do my shoes still smell after washing?

Almost always because the insole was not washed separately, or because the shoe went back on before the midsole had dried. Odour comes from bacteria in the damp, not from dirt on the upper.

Does washing shoes damage them?

A cold, gentle cycle does very little. Hot water, high spin and tumble drying do real damage, and repeated hot washes can open a gap at the toe or outer heel where the outsole is glued on.