Washing Trainers

goldfinches

On the other hand there is the advice given in this article in today's Guardian

Save our soles! Cobblers on the 15 best ways to look after your shoes | Sustainable fashion | The Guardian

I've never come across a cobbler offering a steam cleaning service or one that has the wonderful cleaning machine that takes away all smells so if you find one come back and let us know.

JuzaMum

I put mine on the radiator to dry if it's winter. In sunny weather my enclosed porch is very warm, so that works too. In spring/autumn either above the boiler or in front of the solar invertor (I realise not everyone has one). I find drying them before they start to smell is crucial

BlueonBlue

I wash them in a bucket of warm (not to hot) soapy water using couple of brushes one long to get right up inside round the toe box with insoles out .

Then rinse really well with fresh water and stand until drip free at which point I stuff the trainers tight with pages of balled up newspaper to suck the excess moisture out ….do the paper stuffing TWICE as the first time sucks out alot of moisture.

Then leave to dry in the sun inside a window or otherwise

Using a washing machine isnt a good idea imo…… so this method works for me and gets very easy once your used to doing it this way .

Its hard to imagine dragging your underwear or running clothing through all that mud, dirty water and carp …then leave it on the porch for 3 days….. and then you…..actually think it isnt going to stink !

Shoes can be even worse as the feet can sweat up to a cup of sweat or is it half a cup (its about 250ml)…. whatever…. its alot more sweat in your shoes than most people would think .

Grumpy_chap

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I went with the pouch and a small amount of detergent and ran through in the delicates cycle at 30 degrees.

The trainers are drying out now but looking OK.

Grumpy_chap

WooHoo - I made it to a "highlight":

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/team-blog/2026/03/forum-highlights-13-03-2026/

GinTgirl

My husband does regular fell running in wet bogs and my son plays football. The best investment we ever made was a Shoe Fresh. It basically dries the shoes out so you dont need to keep putting them in the washing machine. If they are dried quickly rather than sitting in the hall or porch drying slowly they stink less.

Grumpy_chap

I went for my first run in the laundered and dried trainers this morning. The fabric had tightened ever so slightly but stretched back to normal instantly. They were just as comfortable as ever to wear and no smell when I took them off back home 15k later 😊