Video guide: How to wash your running shoes correctly

Running shoes and training shoes that smell. It’s probably more or less a phenomenon that everyone who runs or trains knows about. Your shoe is banished to the shed outside, or you’re about to fall over when you open your training bag. We’ve chosen to make a guide for you on how to maintain and wash your running shoes in the most correct way. In the guide’s 2 short video posts, you can see how we recommend in practice that you clean and get rid of the smell in your running shoes.

Maintain and wash your running shoes correctly

It’s important to know the basic rules when we talk about directly washing running shoes. If you know them, you’re well-equipped. It’s neither difficult nor time-consuming. But we promise you that if you choose the easy way out, you can end up with a really bad experience. A running shoe naturally gets dirty when you use it. It goes without saying when it’s so close to dust, dirt and mud.
When a running shoe gets dirty, and it happens, as I said, there are many who think: “I’ll just throw it in the washing machine.” Don’t do it, that’s all. It can go horribly wrong, and in the worst case, you can end up in the nearest running store or on your favorite running webshop looking for new running shoes. Yes, in the worst case, your running shoes will be ruined by a trip in the washing machine. We have tested this issue for you, you can see the result below.

Guide to properly washing running shoes

It certainly doesn’t take much to wash your running shoes correctly. And if you’re thinking that the easiest way is to throw them in the washing machine, I must refer to the picture above and strongly recommend that you don’t do that.
What you need to clean your running shoes is:

• Tub with hot water
• Soap and or antibacterial agent
• A soft brush or sponge
• Optionally, a bucket of clean water
• Old dry newspapers

There’s actually nothing more needed.

Step by step guide: Wash your running shoes correctly

You can choose to watch our video guide below on how to clean and wash your running shoes correctly, or we have set it up step by step right here:

• Remove the insoles in your running shoes (they can be washed separately)
• Remove the laces from your running shoes
• Prepare the tub of water with your **desired soap choice**
• Shake the worst mud off your shoes before putting them in the tub.
• Wash the running shoes in the tub with the brush or sponge
• Stuff newspaper into shoes
• Leave the shoes to dry naturally (See the section on properly drying running shoes)

**There are several options when it comes to the composition of water/soap for cleaning running shoes. You can actually do it in plain warm water without adding anything else. What we refer to in our video guide below is to kill two birds with one stone. Namely to kill some of the bacteria in the shoe while cleaning it of dirt and mud.
In our video we have recommended using general purpose liquid (fine) machine wash, Rodalon and or Basewash from Nikwax.

This is how you can also wash your running shoes

There are several options when it comes to washing your running shoes – you can probably nod in recognition. We still avoid washing our running shoes in the washing machine. The risk is simply too great that you will ruin your shoes. These are fragile materials that the shoe may be made of.

But that’s why you can easily look at other aids. And that’s what we’ve done. In the video guide below you’ll see before and after pictures of a pair of running shoes, plus a short intro to how the method is used. The shoes haven’t actually been on a run, but on a hike with a slightly challenging surface, considering the materials of the shoes.
The shoes were washed the day after the trip with the Crep Protect washing kit. A tool that consists of a small, fine, short-bristled brush, a shampoo that is optimized for cleaning shoes, and finally a customized microfiber cloth. (See picture of it below)

So this is also an obvious way to give your running shoes the best conditions and a longer lifespan. And if you run trails, it may be even more relevant. But make sure to wash your shoes as soon as possible. If you let soil and debris penetrate too far and dry too much, you can reduce the effect of using Crep Protect Kit.
Crep Protect is basically developed to clean sneakers, where big brands such as Nike and Adidas have promoted them. But we have done our own little test of the product against running shoes. And here too it works as it should.

Prices for Crep Protect Kit

Reseller	Leveringstid	Country	Total price	Read more
	1-2 dage		159 DKK	Til butik

Running shoes must dry properly after washing

Washing is one thing, drying is another. You do the first good thing by washing and maintaining your running shoes. The next good thing you can do is dry them properly. As you can see in the step-by-step guide or in the video guide, newspaper comes in the shoes – and it is recommended that they be left to dry naturally. But what does that mean?
Well, natural drying is without direct heat sources. Which means that we strongly advise against drying your running shoes on a radiator, next to the stove or perhaps under the fire. With natural drying, it should be completely out in the open (then you also gain a lot in terms of smell in running shoes) or it can be in a dry brew.

My running shoes smell, what can I do?

We started by writing about the incredibly bad smell that can occur inside your running shoes. But it’s actually not that strange that it comes. Because if you think about it, a running shoe when it’s in use is filled with sour toes, sweat and lots of moisture. And it’s precisely the moisture that makes your running shoes smell. It’s not moisture that’s the source of the smell, but it’s moisture that creates the conditions for the bacteria that create the smell to live. It’s exactly like when you sweat under your arms.
You can go a long way by letting your running shoes dry after each run. This way you quickly kill the foundation that bacteria need to live in. So here are some recommendations for getting rid of the smell in your everyday life:

– Remove the insole after each walk.
– Leave the shoes to dry (preferably outdoors)

The above are the things you can do in your daily life. If you want to go a little deeper, you should wash your running shoes. And here you can mix a little bactericidal agent in (Rodalon or Basewash)

It is the bacteria that create the bad smell.

If we were to briefly describe (again) what it is that creates the bad smell in textiles AND running shoes. It is basically not the moisture you give off (sweat) but the bacteria you leave behind in your clothes or in your shoes.
These bacteria are activated time and again when you sweat or otherwise add moisture to them. Below in our video guide number 3 in connection with proper washing and maintenance of running shoes, you will see how to get rid of these smelly bacteria in your running shoes.

If we briefly ignore running shoes and then take the running clothes as a starting point instead. Then it is prescribed that you actually have to wash your running clothes at 60 degrees before it is bacteria-killing. The challenge with this is that none of these delicate and soft textiles that running clothes are made of are durable in the long run.
But what do you do then, you’re probably thinking. In video 2 we’ll look at various household remedies that are prescribed and work against sweat and general bad odor. But you can also get various aids, and although I’ve previously been the biggest supporter of natural drying and maybe a little vinegar or Rodalon in a bucket of water, I have to admit that this aid has taken me by surprise. It works.

C30 is a small laundry tab. A so-called hygiene tab that is bacteria-killing.. C30can be used both in the machine and as a soaking detergent.
As the name suggests, you can wash your running and training clothes at 30 degrees (hence the name C30) and still achieve the desired effect in terms of killing bacteria. This little tab called C30 then helps you with the rest. It breaks down the bacteria in your running and other training clothes, which then results in the bad smell lasting longer after washing.

What happens when I wash my running clothes?

It happens that you wash most of the clothes. Sweat, moisture and the superficial bacteria. but you will never be able to kill all the bacteria in a regular 30 degree wash. When you have washed your running clothes and they are dry, you may not be able to smell the bad smell.
But if the bacteria are inside the clothes, they will be activated when you add sweat and even more bacteria the next time. Therefore, it is a really good idea to kill as many bacteria as possible each time.

Eliminate bad odors in your running shoes

We have learned that although C30 was originally developed to remove bad odors in running and workout clothes, it can also help with your running shoes.
The video below shows how you can simply soak your running shoes with a C30 tab or two, and in this way remove bacteria inside the shoe. This will result in less odor..
It is of course very important that you do not wash your running shoes in the washing machine – we always advise against that. So that way you don’t have to worry so much about the degrees (60 degrees removes bacteria) (C30 means that you can wash at 30 degrees). You just have to find a tub and fill it with medium-warm water, and then soak your running shoes in water where you have dissolved C30 tabs. Alternatively, just take a soft sponge and wash inside the shoe to scrub away some of the bacteria. And then leave to dry naturally. Viola, then there are fresh running shoes.

Video guide: Remove bacteria and odor with C30