There’s nothing worse than getting your shoes dirty. Well, maybe having to clean them. You have to look into whether your footwear is washer friendly, what material it’s made of, the types of cleaning agents you can use, etc. And then, there’s that eternal question: how long does it take for shoes to dry?
You’re probably familiar with this scenario. You woke up late for work and were ready to rush out the door, only to realize that your favorite pair of shoes isn’t dry yet. Then you’ve most likely turned to the internet to google ‘how long does it take for shoes to dry?’ Maybe you’ve even wondered how you can speed up that process?
Well, look no further. Below we provide you some essential shoe care tips to keep your footwear in top shape. Starting from washing to how to dry shoes quickly, we’ll show you the importance of maintaining your shoes. If you follow our guide, you can rest assured that you’ll never have to spend ages waiting for your favorite shoes to dry.
Why Washing and Drying Shoes Is Important
Given how hectic life can be, shoe care is probably the last thing on your mind. Since trends come and go, it might seem easier to just buy a new pair of shoes instead of investing time in caring for your old ones. This doesn’t have to be the case.
Shoes aren’t just simple fashion accessories. They play a vital role in maintaining your quality of life as well as your health. Not to mention that properly maintaining your shoes can help you save money as well. Here are a few reasons why you should start regularly washing and drying your shoes.
Clean Shoes Keep Your Feet Healthy
Quality shoes are essential when it comes to protecting your feet. They also help your feet stay healthy and fungus-free. While you may think armpits are the sweatiest part of your body, that title goes to your feet. Each foot has approximately 125,000 sweat glands, and produces over half a pint of sweat a day!
Since you spend the majority of your day wearing shoes, that sweat usually gets released there. Thanks to the elevated temperatures, the inside of your shoes is a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. This is why cleaning your shoes is important. Washing them kills off harmful organisms, while drying ensures that they don’t reproduce so quickly again.
Dry Shoes Can Preserve Your Floor
Apart from health, dry shoes help preserve the flooring in your house. While laminate flooring is durable, it’s still not completely waterproof. For this reason, walking around in wet shoes can do more than just dirty up your house. The moisture can easily compromise the outer layer of the laminate, especially if you don’t wipe the wet tracks immediately. Therefore keeping your shoes dry can go a long way in preserving your flooring.
Dry Shoes Help You Save Money
After a long day of being out in the rain, you might be tempted to just dump your soggy shoes on the side. This is a bad idea for a few reasons:
- Wet materials are easier to damage
- Water can make shoe glue loose
- As we mentioned, wet shoes are a breeding ground for bacteria
While it may be a hassle, if you want to preserve your shoes, then you should always try to keep them dry. This is especially true for cheaper shoes. Fast fashion is already made to fall apart as quickly as possible. There’s no reason to quicken this process by putting on wet shoes. So, if you want your shoes to last longer, make sure to keep them dry.
Clean Shoes Look and Feel the Best
Shoes may be useful for protecting your feet, but let’s face it — their primary purpose is to make you look good. And nothing puts a damper in your style more than some dirty shoes. Therefore keeping them clean and dry is always a must.
Furthermore, a good pair of shoes can make anything you do 10 times easier. Any experienced outdoorsman will tell you how important a solid pair of hiking boots is. Some nice, comfortable loafers might be exactly what you need on a long cross-country trip. No matter what activity you’re engaging in, clean and dry shoes make you look and feel your best.
How to Dry Your Shoes Fast: 4 Shoe-Drying Hacks
Keeping all this in mind, you’ve probably run off to give your shoes a good wash. After looking up ‘how long does it take for shoes to dry’, you’re probably disappointed with the long wait time. However, there are ways you can make your shoes dry more quickly:
1. Use a Newspaper
The first method may be old school, but it has only a few simple steps. Not to mention that it’s incredibly effective.
- Stuff your shoes with some crumpled pieces of newspaper
- Keep the paper in there for around an hour
- When the hour is up, take some fresh newspaper and stuff it into the shoes again
- Let the shoes rest for 7+ hours
- Then take the paper out and let the shoes dry overnight
While this method is useful for those who don’t have a dryer on hand, it’s worth noting that it’s very time-consuming. Therefore, if you’re strapped for time, something a bit faster might work better.
2. Put Them in the Dryer
This option seems like the most logical one. However, before you close that door, make sure to check the shoe label. Some shoes are made of animal-based materials which are generally not dryer friendly. So if the label reads x, you might want to keep your shoes out of the dryer. But if your shoes are dryer friendly, here’s how to machine dry them:
- Place the shoes side by side, and tie the laces with a tight knot
- Make sure to close the laces in the dryer door
- Set the dryer to either air dry or set it at the lowest temperature
- Dry them for no more than 25 minutes
3. Bust Out the Hair-Dryer
While a clothes dryer may be the fastest way to dry your shoes, not everyone has access to one. In this case, a hair-dryer can work just as well. If you choose this method, make sure to:
- Keep the hair-dryer at a distance
- Keep the heat low or alternate between heat settings
- Don’t leave the room while the shoes are drying since that could lead to a fire
4. Use a Fan
This is yet another common house appliance you can use to dry your shoes quickly. However, just like with the dryer method, you should first check what your shoes are made of. For example, suede shoes are far too delicate to dry with a fan. But if you have leather or gel soled athletic shoes, feel free to:
- Place the fan on the floor or a sturdy table fan
- Make sure the fan is taller than the shoes
- Use an old wire hanger to create small hooks you can attach to the fan
- Unlace the shoes and hang them on these hooks
- Keep the fan running on medium
- Detach the shoes after 1‒2h
Final Thoughts
Shoes are without a doubt a very important part of your wardrobe. They don’t just make you look and feel good, but they also keep you healthy and safeguard your home. To get the most out of your shoes, it’s important to care for them. It might seem like a hassle to wash and dry your shoes. This is especially true when search results for ‘how long does it take for shoes to dry,’ show that the process can last for days. However, all the steps are well worth it. Especially if you use our hacks to help your shoes dry quickly.
