How to Dry Sneakers

Shoes are made of different materials, such as leather or vegan leather among others, meaning that the divergent kinds of materials require different cleaning and drying methods. Have you stepped in a puddle, been caught in a rainstorm soaking your shoes over? Or simply, you cleaned them up and need to find out how to dry them off properly? Either way, this article covers everything you need to know regarding this topic...

In our previous blog on how to clean white sneakers of this same series of how to maintain your sneakers, we learned how to clean them... Today, pay attention as we'll show you different ways to dry your shoes correctly, for them to look like the very first day. But especially, to help you keep your footwear' features, so your shoes last much longer. Like our custom sneakers, so easy to clean and entirely customisable.

 

HOW TO DRY SNEAKERS FAST

If you're in a rush, needing to dry your shoes quickly, excercise extreme caution not to damage your shoes, should be our main concern. Bet you'd rather wait than destroy your shoes over. With this in mind, the best way to dry your shoes fast is as follows: wrap them around with a towel removing the excess water, then do the same with newspaper replacing it as many times as necessary. You may as well place them by a fan or vent with warm air to dry them quicker.

HOW TO DRY SHOES OVERNIGHT

Apart from drying our shoes we must avoid fire hazards, therefore, leaving your custom shoes unattended during the night, close to any source of heat is out of question. The same applies during daytime, so forget about drying out your shoes next to a fireplace, campfire, heater, oven or similar. Not only can you ruin your shoes but cause an immense disaster. Instead, you may leave your sneakers in a well-ventilated area. Although, prior to leaving them to air dry you should remove the excess water using either newspapers, paper sheets, or even rice or any absorbent material for a few minutes. Then remove both the insoles and laces leaving them to air dry overnight. Easy peasy!

Here a few useful tips to dry sneakers:

• Avoid direct sunlight: You can leave your shoes to air dry in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight.
• Remove the water excess: If your shoes are soaking wet, blotting them with a towel will help get rid of the wetness.
• If the shoes are made of leather: As this is a delicate material, use only newspapers.
• If recurrent issue: If you live in a rainy place, or do anything that makes your shoes go wet, consider getting a shoe dryer.
• Go for water repellent materials: Waterproof or water repellent materials are a good choice to prevent your shoes from getting soaked.
• Avoid bacteria: Keep your shoes in a well-ventilated area applying shoe deodorizing if necessary. Baking soda or a mixture of water and vinegar helps get rid of bacteria.

HOW TO DRY SHOES IN DRYER

If you're hesitating between air drying your shoes in the sun versus machine drying, we strongly advise you to disregard the former one, as the direct sunlight can damage the coloring. You may opt to machine dry your shoes, although reading the shoes' labels before using this method is paramount, as the heat (as well as the sunlight) depending on the materials, may deteriorate the glues and shrink your shoes. However, if you follow our recommendations, you can dry your shoes in the tumble dryer safely. Some modern dryers feature a drying rack (most convenient for canvas sneakers) check yours out! If yours doesn't have it, all you need to do is: remove the laces and insoles (you may dry them separately), place them in a mesh bag, and put them in the dryer to the lowest heat setting, checking them every five minutes until they are dry. Note: If it's too late and you've already shrunk your kicks, you should read our blog on how to stretch sneakers.

HOW TO DRY WET SHOES TO GET RID OF THE BAD SMELL

Last but not least, a wet shoe is a recipe for unpleasant odors. Furthermore, what you probably haven't realized is that this unpleasant smell is caused by mold and fungus. To prevent this from happening, an ingredient that can't be overlooked to ensure that your shoes, as well as being comfortable, don't catch odors is quality insoles, such as the double density anatomical and breathable insoles that our shoes come with. Besides, to combat the odor and bacteria, if your shoes are dripping, before drying you can immerse them in a mix of water and vinegar in equal parts. Then rinse well, remove the excess water with a towel regardless of the drying method you'll use. Once dried up try sprinkling some baking soda inside to absorb any moisture and bad smells and keep them in a dry well-ventilated area.

Contrary to what many people think, synthetic and leather shoes can catch odor equally, it all depends on our hygiene as well as the quality of the materials and the treatment and care that our shoes are given. Check our stunning sneakers made in Spain using top quality sustainable fabrics and materials.

At Bullfeet, all our vegan and sustainable footwear can be easily cleaned with a damp cloth. Some of our sneakers are featured with water-repellent materials, which contribute to keeping them look as good as new for long periods of time. Moreover, we are a modern and sustainable Spanish Shoes and Bags brand that truly cares about the future of our planet. If you want to know more about us, like our values and create your own custom shoes from scratch from our 3D shoe creator don't miss out!

To conclude with, at the beginning of this article we mentioned vegan leather, which by the way, do you know what it really is? If it rings a bell, but you have some misgivings, stay tuned for the blogpost: what is vegan leather? in which we explain it all in detail.

Hopefully you found us helpful.

Hasta pronto!

The Bullfeet Team ©