Cleaning FAQ
Can you wash trainers in the washing machine?
You can machine wash some hard-wearing fabric and synthetic trainers on a cold, gentle cycle in a wash bag, but it's risky: it can unglue soles, crack leather, ruin suede, and warp foam. Never tumble dry. For leather, suede, designer, or valuable pairs, a professional clean is far safer.
When a machine wash is (sometimes) okay
Robust canvas or synthetic trainers can survive an occasional cold (30°C), gentle, low-spin cycle if you remove the laces and insoles and use a wash bag or pillowcase to protect them and the drum. Use a small amount of mild detergent, not Cif or other abrasive cleaners, which are too harsh for footwear.
A pillowcase or wash bag is recommended because it stops the shoes battering the drum and helps protect the uppers, but it doesn't remove the underlying risks below.
The real risks
Washing machines can dissolve the adhesives holding soles on, crack and dry out leather, matt and water-stain suede, warp foam midsoles, and fade prints. Hotter washes (40°C and above) and high spin speeds make all of this worse, and tumble drying is the fastest way to wreck a pair, the heat shrinks and deforms them.
Anything with leather, suede, nubuck, or glued construction, and any designer or valuable pair, should never go in the machine.
The safer alternative
Professional cleaning gets better results without the gamble. We clean the upper, midsole, and outsole separately by hand with material-safe products, treat odour and stains directly, and air dry properly. Our Clean 'Em deep clean is a flat £60 with a free authentication check and tracked shipping both ways, far cheaper than replacing a pair the machine ruined.
Book the Clean 'Em deep clean
Flat £60, free tracked shipping both ways, and a free authentication check, anywhere in the UK.