Can You Put Sneakers In The Dryer? (Everything You Need to Know!)

Playing around in the rain can be fun and games till it comes to washing the now dirty sneakers. And it gets worse if you need to wear them the next day. Because different sneakers have different materials, they take a different time to air-dry or dry ‘naturally’. If you need your sneakers to dry faster than usual, you can throw them into the dryer.

It will certainly speed up the drying process. However, it is important to note that not all sneakers are suitable for machine drying. Machine drying works for shoes made of canvas or cloth-like material. Materials such as leather will be completely ruined when machine-dried. The artificial heat will tumble and melt it.

Sneakers are known to have very thick plastic soles. These soles are prone to collecting dust. If not cleaned soon and properly, the soles might start to discolor, and you really don’t want this. This is why it is important to regularly clean your sneakers. They are also the cause of the very irritatingly loud clunking noises when tossed in the dryer.

Can you dry sneakers with a blow dryer?

Many people have asked this question, and the short answer is yes. But before doing this, there are some precautions to take. The blow dryer first has to be on cold heat. It also needs to be a safe distance away, about 10 inches away.

The main advantage of using a blow dryer rather than the regular dryer is that with a blow dryer, any shoe material goes. There’s no limitation to the type of shoe material that can be dried by a blow dryer. However, there are some precautions you should take depending on the material in question.

For leather shoes

With leather shoes, it is important to know that the tongue of the shoe will crease when dried using a blow dryer. This is because the leather on the tongue is very thin. There’s a way around this problem though. While drying, make sure the laces are still on so there is no direct contact between the heat and tongue. However, you should leave the last two bottom holes free.

Once you’ve finished drying them and left them to cool for a few minutes, apply leather conditioner or leather cream to nourish up the leather. Apply a little bit more than you normally would and leave to absorb for about 15 minutes. After that, use brush to polish away the excess cream.

 

For suede shoes

Suede shoes are the toughest shoes to clean, let alone dry. Fortunately, we do not have suede sneakers because if we did, it would be such a menace to clean. For suede shoes, avoid getting them wet. In case they do get wet, you can dry them using a blow dryer. The only problem is, there is no way to get them looking as fresh and new again. This applies even with natural drying.

Take the same precautions while using a blow dryer. It should be on cold heat and 15 inches away from the shoe. Also remember to protect the tongue the same way you did for your leather shoes.

Once they dry, use suede cream or shoe protector spray to hydrate the leather. Use a suede shoe brush to straighten the suede hairs. If you do not have a suede shoe brush, you can use a clean bathroom hand brush.

For canvas shoes

These are the best shoes to blow dry. However, not even they can withstand the large amounts of heat a blow dryer produces. Ensure the dryer is on cold heat and at least 10 inches away from the shoe. If you’re in a hurry, you can put the blow dryer on heat but increase the distance between them. When you do this, make sure there are no books or any other material that can ignite easily because blow dryers tend to overheat and will start heating everything around when left for long.

Where should I blow dry my shoes?

Wet shoes tend to smell awful and this is why you should consider putting them in a garage or outside. If you do not have either choice, use the bathroom although this still isn’t recommended. Bathrooms easily get humid (moisture in the air) especially after someone’s taken a shower.

Consider drying shoes somewhere open and well ventilated.

How to dry sneakers using a dryer

Shoes are thick and tend to retain wetness for a long time. As long as water gets into the shoe, you might have to wait hours for the shoe to dry. And this can be a long time if you need to wear them soon. This is where a dryer comes through. You can easily toss the sneakers in the dryer but remember this does not work for leather and suede shoes because they crack and dry out too much.

Using the following procedure, you can safely dry your sneakers in the dryer.

Check the shoe’s label to see whether or not you can machine dry them. This is usually written on the tongue or inner heal. The label will indicate whether to air dry them or machine dry them. If there is a square with an in it, this means they are not suitable for machine drying. However, many sneakers are suitable for this process.

Tie your sneakers together by their laces using a tight knot. Let the shoes hang side by side by the knot

Hang the sneakers in the machine dryer and close the laces in the door. Hold them by the laces and loosely hang them by the door. Keep holding the laces and close the door so that the laces are now held in place. This is done to ensure that the shoe do not fall into the dryer once you turn it on.

Adjust the dryer to air drying settings. If your dryer does not have this setting, adjust it to the lowest temperature to be safe. Too much heat will shrink and dry the fibers too much.

Let the shoes dry for about 20 minutes before removing them. Carefully open the door and try to catch the shoes before they fall. Feel the inside to ensure it is dry. If it has not dried yet, let them cool for 5 minutes and put them back in for the same amount of time.

Conclusion

So yes, you can put your sneakers in the dryer to dry. Just make sure to follow the necessary precautions and check first whether they are viable for machine drying or not.