36

after running under the rain for 30 minutes my white sneakers had a foul stench. I tried disinfectant and washing them with soap and water and lots of rubbing and sunlight to dry.

While that got rid of most of the smell, my white sneakers are now brownish, specially around the shoelaces.

I've never washed sneakers in the washing machine. Am I going to ruin them?

top 20 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] JohnnyWishbone@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago

Remove insoles, place in old pillow case, zip tie the pillow case shut, put on a daily short wash probably about an hour at 30 degrees, small amount of detergent and white vinegar in the fabric softener tray, dry in sun or on radiator. Never fails.

[-] pelletbucket@lemm.ee 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

definitely don't use heat if there are any leather components

use mesh laundry bags, otherwise the laces are going to get all tied up with each other. it would honestly probably be best to take the laces out and put them in their own laundry bag. put the insoles in separate mesh laundry bags as well, the shoe is going to change shape during this process and you're going to fuck up any foam insole.

wash on cold, with a little soap. you can put a quarter cup of white vinegar in the fabric softener tray, that should help with odor. if your machine has a hand wash setting or a delicates setting, go ahead and use it.

there's really no need to dry them in the dryer, you definitely do not want to put the insoles in the dryer. you can put the shoes in there with no or low heat if you want, and add like a cloth bag of baking soda to the dryer with it. you could just dump a little baking soda in the shoes before putting them in the dryer, but putting them in a cloth bag give some more even, controlled application. if you're using any heat, I wouldn't give it more than 20 minutes. you'll also have to prop something up against the dryer door because they will smack into it and force it open. definitely don't use heat if there are any leather components

[-] JimmyBigSausage@lemm.ee 6 points 4 months ago

Ok here you go. Take out the inserts and use a spray and wash product on the inside. Tie the shoes and put in washer along with inserts that are loose. Add 2 or 3 towels into the wash also. This reduces noise, washer negative impact, and helps clean the shoes. Once finished, put shoes in the sun along with inserts to the side, to dry. I have done this many, many times. Do not put in dryer. Voilá!

[-] Mothra@mander.xyz 4 points 4 months ago

No, your sneakers are most likely to be okay but I wouldn't be so sure about the washing machine. I'm also unsure it would be effective in removing the brown stains.

My recommendation would be let them soak for a day in water with a bit of laundy powder + laundry enzime solution ( Vanish, Sard or whatever brand is sold in your corner of the world). Remove the laces and the inside of the soles if they're a separate part. Then the next day gently brush the stained areas.

[-] Veedem@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago

I bought a mesh sneaker bag from Amazon that is designed to keep them safe in the wash and it seems to do the trick each time. Just be sure to take out in the insole before washing.

[-] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 2 points 4 months ago

Have you checked the maker's site?

[-] Nomad@infosec.pub 2 points 4 months ago

Don't use much heat, that will destroy them. Just throw them in at 30C and add a cup of white vinegar. It keeps the smell away even if they get wet again. Dry them quickly when finished.

Have been doing this for years, no problems so far.

[-] hendrik@palaver.p3x.de 1 points 4 months ago

I damaged a few insoles, so maybe take care of them separatly.

I think general advice is to remove insoles and shoelaces. Choose a program that keeps spinning to a minimum. And put something else in so they don't spin around like crazy. And dry them slowly, stuffed with old newspapers.

I occasionally wash them. I also put in a few dirty rags or something. Seems fine, but I haven't done it frequently.

[-] eezeebee@lemmy.ca -4 points 4 months ago

As a stinky feet-haver, I opt to buy a couple pairs of the same cheap shoes and toss them once the smell starts. There's just no going back, in my experience.

[-] philycheeze@sh.itjust.works 5 points 4 months ago

That seems incredibly wasteful, have you tried like baking soda or something?

[-] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 months ago

I should have clarified that the ones I get are about $15 a pair and last me 6 months. But yes, I've tried everything, baking soda, vinegar, freezing them, washing and drying - even if it works initially the smell comes back within days.

[-] gigachad@sh.itjust.works 8 points 4 months ago

I think they meant wasteful for the environment, not your budget

[-] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

If I could go barefoot 100% of the time I would. I really don't know what else I can do.

[-] Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 4 months ago

Do you wear cotton (or another natural fiber) socks? Polyester tends to make smells linger a lot more because it doesn’t wick moisture properly.

[-] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 2 points 4 months ago

I'm really not sure what material they are (dozens of randoms pairs), but I'll keep this in mind next time I need socks. Thank you

[-] Zwiebel@feddit.org 1 points 4 months ago

Have you tried leather shoes?

[-] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

The ones I've had in the past were even worse, made my feet sweat a lot. These days I usually wear slip on shoes, they're more breathable and seem to dry out better overnight. That or just sandals.

[-] scytale@lemm.ee 2 points 4 months ago

How about foot powder? Ever since I first tried it, I've never worn socks and shoes without putting on foot powder first ever again. It really helps with sweat and odor.

[-] eezeebee@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago

I don't think I've tried that. Any recommendations? Needs to be safe for cats

[-] scytale@lemm.ee 2 points 4 months ago

Maybe you can try the ones that don’t have aluminum in them and just use corn starch. It’s similar to deodorant vs antiperspirant, with the latter being the most effective, because it has aluminum in it.

this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2024
36 points (90.9% liked)

No Stupid Questions

35822 readers
204 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS