When drying your shoes, it is not unnatural to ask, Can I put my shoes in the dryer? Yes you can! You can put your shoes in the dryer. But it significantly depends upon the type of shoe that you own and the material that has been used in the making of the shoe.
Some fabrics and relevant fibers are not suitable enough to handle the extreme heating that goes on inside a dryer. And with the rough tumbling, you can expect the absolute worst when you take your favorite pair out!
To let you decide, here are the top questions about setting your shoes up for drying inside a dryer.
Can I Put Shoes in the Dryer?
Yes. But make sure that you have checked the care label on your pair of shoes.
Some materials are not as better suited to the dryer as others are. So if you want to put your shoes in the dryer, always remember to check the label, inspect the materials of the shoe, use only low heat settings, don’t overdry the shoes; or when required, try an alternative method.
What Happens if I Put Shoes in the Dryer?
There may be a lot of consequences of putting your shoes in the dryer if you don’t know the right way to do it. Not all shoes can tolerate the process. Some shoes may shrink and others can also melt.
So if your shoe is made of either or combinedly of the following materials, you shouldn’t put them in the dryer:
- Pure Nylon Shoes—although this material is durable, sheer or pure nylon can not withstand the high temperature that is set inside a dryer.
- Polyester Shoes—this fabric can melt and as a result, warp your shoes when they are exposed to heat.
- Rayon Shoes—this marks the middle ground. Rayon is a human-made fabric that is made from natural resources, such as agricultural products and wood. These are regenerated as cellulose fiber. So although this material does not melt quickly, if your shoe is made of this, it may get discolored or burnt if you put them under high heating conditions.
- Shoes with Nylon Stickers/Sequins/Other Embellishments—Never use the dryer with these as the additional stickers may fall off, loosen, or be damaged.
- Leather/Suede/Sheepskin/Fur Shoes—Never put them in the dryer. These shoes can be heavily damaged and may even shrink.
However, if your shoes are made of durable materials, you can occasionally put them in the dryer on low heat.
Is it Safe to Put Your Wet Sneakers in the Dryer?
Not really. For those who do exercise outdoors during the winter, your shoes can get soaked almost every day. Although you may try this once or twice, you cannot certainly throw the sneakers in the dryer every time.
And even when you do try this once or twice, the dryer has to be on low heat. And since sneakers can get extremely loud when in the dryer, you would do better to tie the laces of the pair together and put them in a pillowcase or add a few towels to the dryer to muffle the sound.
There’s something else you need to remember for the shoes: a high temperature can easily damage the glue holding the foams together, and it may cause some materials even to shrink. If you don’t want to permanently warp the shoes by using a dryer and not cause negative effects on their fit or performance, you should always hand-wash them.
What are some Tips on How to Put Shoes in the Dryer?
Here are 7 of the best shoe-drying tips that will come in handy when you attempt it:
Tip 1: Check Construction
You need to check for what material your shoe is made of in the first step of drying shoes in the dryer. If your shoe happens to be of any of the materials mentioned previously, there’s no way you will be putting them in the dryer.
But if your shoes are made of cotton or other synthetic fabric that does not have any gel soles, then you can easily dry them in the dryer. For gel-core performance/athletic shoes, or Gore-Tex constructions, do not wash them in a washing machine.
Remember: You should never dry your leather shoes in a dryer. The heat will be worse on your leather shoes to avoid all kinds of shrinking and damages to your soles.
Tip 2: Wash First
After you are sure of the material, you can wash your shoes (given that they need them). For this, use warm/lukewarm water depending on the stain and add a very mild surfactant or detergent to the water.
Now wash your dirty shoe with a garden hose or the washing machine (if it can sustain it). If your shoes are wet from the dirt already, even then it would be wiser to clean and wash them.
Tip 3: Remove Lint
Be sure that you have removed any lint from the lint filter present in your dryer. This will ease the air circulation and allow the machine to dry the shoes better.
Tip 4: All About Towels
You will need to add towels in a lot of places to dry and cleanse the shoes perfectly. Tip 4-a is to stuff small-sized towels inside each of your shoes and push them up to the toes.
This will absorb the moisture and prevent unnecessary stretching/shrinking/deforming and help maintain the shape during the drying process. And tip 4-b is to fill the dryer itself with towels. Here, you will use large towels to speed up the drying time and reduce the noise.
Tip 5: Shoes Go In
Now you can open the doors to the dryer and put your dirty shoes inside. The toes will be facing up and you have to set the soles against the inner side of the dryer door. You should always set the temperature of the dryer to low heat to avoid overheating the rubber and prevent damage to the shoes.
Tip 6: Loop The Laces
Now, you will have to place the laces of your shoes up and around the top of the dryer door. Then you can shut the door of your dryer firmly. Be sure to check that the laces have been extended out and you see them when you are closing the door.
This arrangement will prevent the thumping noise. Now you can tie the laces outward and then let the knot hang around the dryer door while keeping the rest of the shoes inside.
Tip 7: Set the dryer
It is finally time to set the dryer. You will do this by turning on the dryer. Set it to a low heat cycle of around 1 hour/60 minutes. At any point, do not over-dry the shoes. Let the shoes run through the complete cycle and then dry them out completely.
Is Putting Shoes in the Dryer/Washing Machine Going to Damage the Machine?
There is a high chance that your dryer may get damaged. Usually, dryers are durable. But the repeated tumbling and banging can cause damage like your shoes (like when you put untied lace/not stuffed in pillowcase shoes inside the machine) if you place not-meant-for and heavy items in them that are not supposed to go in there.
If you want to avoid this harm, you would do better to follow the steps mentioned above, especially about the suspension of shoes.
Is it Safe to Dry Shoes in the Dryer?
Yes, with the proper technique and settings, you can dry the shoes in a dryer. Most fabric-made shoes can go into your dryer. However, you may either damage your shoes or your machine if you are not doing it properly.
Throwing in a pair of heavily made shoes with a lot of layers and foam glued together can cause internal damage to the dryer that can eventually cost you a fortune to repair. And again, throwing in a pair of expensive dress shoes can ruin its fabric permanently. So be cautious of what goes in the dryer!
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How to Clean the Bottom of Shoes
How To Clean White Shoelaces Without Bleach
How To Clean Second-Hand Shoes
