With autumn rain, puddles and mud, coming home with soaking wet shoes is the most normal thing in the world. If you're wondering how to dry wet shoes in time for the next day without ruining them, the golden rule is simple: patience and ventilation rather than strong heat. Here's the step-by-step method, plus what to do depending on the material: leather, suede and trainers.
What you should never do with wet shoes
- Don't put them on the radiator or right next to the fireplace or heater. The heat makes leather dry too quickly, so it goes stiff and can crack, and the glue on the sole can come loose.
- Don't dry them with a hairdryer on hot and up close: the effect is similar.
- Don't put them in the tumble dryer unless the manufacturer expressly allows it.
- Don't put them away wet in the shoe cupboard: trapped moisture ends up causing bad smells and mould.
How to dry wet shoes step by step
1. Clean them as soon as you get home
Wipe off the mud and water with a soft cloth. Dried mud is harder to remove and can leave stains on leather.
2. Take out the insoles and loosen the laces
Dry the insoles separately and loosen or remove the laces so that air can reach the inside. Pull the tongue forward to open the shoe right up.
3. Stuff them with paper
Stuff the shoes well with scrunched-up paper: newspaper, kitchen roll or ordinary printer paper. The paper absorbs moisture from the inside and helps them keep their shape. For light-coloured shoes or shoes with a light lining, use unprinted paper, as the ink can run.
4. Change the paper when it gets soaked
At first the paper gets wet very quickly. Change it after an hour or two and then every few hours. This is the step that speeds up drying the most.
5. Leave them somewhere well ventilated
Choose a spot at room temperature, away from direct heat sources; for example, a couple of metres from the radiator. Put them on a rack or lean them on their side so the soles dry too. A fan on a cool setting helps a lot.
6. Give them time
Slightly damp trainers can dry overnight. Soaking wet leather shoes usually need a whole day, sometimes two. If you can, keep a second pair for autumn and alternate them.
7. Look after them once they're dry
Once they're completely dry, apply leather cream or balm and then a waterproofing product. Care products should always go on leather that's already dry.
How to dry wet shoes by material
Leather. Dry them slowly with paper inside. If lighter tide marks appear as they dry, wipe a barely damp cloth over the whole shoe to even out the colour and leave it to dry again.
Suede and nubuck. Blot the water with a towel by pressing, without rubbing. Once they're dry, brush them with a suede brush to lift the nap.
Trainers and fabric shoes. If the manufacturer says they can be washed, you can put them in the washing machine inside a laundry bag, at a low temperature and on a gentle cycle. Afterwards, dry them like the others: with paper inside and away from the radiator.
Wellies. It's the inside that needs drying: stuff them with paper or turn them upside down so the water drains out.
If you're in a hurry
If you need them dry by the morning, change the paper more often and put them in front of a fan on a cool setting. You can also use a hairdryer on the cool setting. If you have children at home or you walk a lot, an electric shoe dryer that works at a low temperature may be worth it.
How to stop them getting wet and smelly
- Before the season starts, waterproof your footwear with a spray suited to its material and repeat every few weeks.
- Put a doormat by the front door and a tray for wet footwear: that way the water and mud don't get spread across the floor.
- If they still smell once dry, sprinkle a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda inside, leave it overnight and shake them out in the morning.
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