Can I Use Dish Soap to Clean My Sneakers?

By Catherine Spiteri in Jul 8, 2026

It is the most reached-for bottle under the sink, and the question is fair: if dish soap cuts grease off a frying pan, surely it can lift dirt off a shoe. Mostly, yes. But the same strength that scours a pan can strip the finish off a sneaker and leave a pale, patchy mark where the colour used to be. The answer is not no. It is yes, diluted, and with a few honest limits.

In short. Yes, you can use dish soap to clean sneakers, but only well diluted and with care. Mix a small amount of mild dish soap into cool water, work it in with a soft brush, then blot it off. A high concentration of dish soap can discolour the upper or strip the materials, so the rule is mild and diluted. For white rubber, a baking soda paste does more, and leather and suede want their own gentler methods.

Dish soap sits in the same family as the mild detergents the shoe makers actually recommend, which is why it works at all. The catch is concentration. Neat dish soap is built to cut through baked-on grease, and that same power, undiluted, can lift the colour and the finish off a sneaker along with the dirt. Nike's own care guidance is clear on both halves of this: mix warm water with a small amount of mild detergent or dish soap, and take care, because a high concentration of dish soap can cause discolouration or strip the natural oils from the material (Source: Nike, how to clean your shoes). So the honest answer is a qualified yes. Dilute it hard, test it first, and know what it can and cannot do.

The principle is mild and diluted

Everything good about dish soap on shoes comes from using less of it. A small squeeze in a bowl of cool water gives you a mild solution that lifts everyday dirt without the strength to damage the upper. The mistake is going neat, or close to it, on the theory that stronger cleans better. It does not. It cleans the same dirt and takes some of the shoe with it. CHOICE makes the underlying point about laundry generally: the detergent does most of the cleaning, so you rarely need much of it, and more is not better (Source: CHOICE, laundry tips to save your clothes). On a shoe, that translates to a well-diluted bowl, a soft brush, and a light touch. ASICS lands in the same place for running shoes: a soft-bristled brush with a mild soap or a dedicated footwear cleaner, and rinse until the water runs clear so no residue is left behind to attract dirt (Source: ASICS, how to clean your running shoes).

What dish soap can do well

Diluted, dish soap is genuinely useful on the parts of a sneaker that take water. It handles general grime on canvas, mesh, knit and synthetic uppers, the everyday scuffs and street dirt that a soft brush can work loose. It is fine on laces, which you can pull out and clean separately in the same solution. And it is a sensible all-purpose cleaner for an occasional clean when you do not own a dedicated footwear product. Nike lists it alongside mild detergent as the basic solution for cleaning shoes, so it is not a hack, it is one of the two standard options (Source: Nike, how to clean your shoes). For most washable everyday sneakers, a diluted dish soap solution and a soft brush is most of the job. It is worth doing regularly, too: a University of Arizona study led by microbiologist Charles Gerba found an average of 421,000 units of bacteria on the outside of a shoe, with coliform bacteria on 96% of the pairs tested, so the grime a soapy clean lifts is more than cosmetic (Source: CIRI, study reveals high bacteria levels on footwear).

What dish soap cannot do, and what to use instead

Dish soap is a degreaser, not a brightener, and it does not suit every material or every job. Three honest limits, with the better tool for each.

White rubber and stubborn grey: use a baking soda paste

Dish soap will clean a white midsole, but it will not whiten it. For grey that has set into rubber, a paste of equal parts baking soda and water lifts more without the yellowing risk of bleach. Nike recommends exactly this baking soda paste for white and light-coloured shoes, brushed in and then wiped off (Source: Nike, how to clean your shoes).

Leather: a damp cloth and a leather cleaner, not a soak

Leather does not want a soapy soak, which can dry it out. Wipe it with a damp cloth and a leather-specific cleaner instead, and skip the dish soap and the baking soda, both of which are too harsh for the surface.

Suede: keep it dry, no soap at all

Suede should not meet a soapy solution. Clean it dry with a suede brush and an eraser, and use only a barely-damp white vinegar cloth for stubborn marks (Source: Nike, how to clean suede shoes). Dish soap and water flatten and stain the nap.

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Test first, and rinse it out

Two habits keep dish soap safe. First, test the solution on a hidden patch, the inside of the heel or under the tongue, before you take it to the whole shoe, so any discolouration shows somewhere it will not matter. Second, rinse properly. Soap left in the fabric dries to a stiff, dull residue that actually attracts dirt, which is why ASICS says to rinse running shoes until the water runs clear (Source: ASICS, how to clean your running shoes). And keep the whole job cool and air dried. Heat softens the adhesive that holds the sole on, since most athletic-footwear adhesives soften above 40°C (Source: Nike, how to clean your shoes), so cool water and air drying are the safe defaults whatever cleaner you reach for. Cool is the cheaper habit as well, since about 90% of a washing machine's energy goes to heating the water (Source: CHOICE, how green is your laundry routine).

How to clean sneakers with dish soap, step by step

Dry-brush the loose dirt first. Lift dry dirt off the upper with a soft brush before any water touches the shoe, so you are not smearing mud into the fabric.
Mix a mild, diluted solution. A small squeeze of mild dish soap into a bowl of cool water. Aim for lightly soapy, not thick suds.
Test on a hidden patch. Dab the solution inside the heel and check for any colour lift before you clean the whole shoe.
Brush gently, then blot. Work the solution in with a soft brush, then lift the dirt and moisture with a microfibre cloth. Blot, do not scrub. Wipe with a clean damp cloth so no soap is left behind.
Shape and air dry. Insert shoe trees or stuff with plain paper, and air dry at room temperature out of direct heat. Never the dryer.

The full method, including the machine-wash reset, is on our Care Guide.

Where the Shoe Wash Kit fits

A diluted dish soap clean keeps a washable pair presentable between deeper washes. For the deeper reset, when the whole shoe has gone grey and a wipe will not bring it back, the machine does the work and a structured bag keeps it safe. The Shoe Wash Kit is a three-compartment bag plus a pair of adjustable shoe trees. One outer compartment takes each shoe so the pair never touches mid-cycle, and a centre compartment holds the laces and insoles. More than 3,000 soft chenille fingers line the inside and hold each shoe off the drum wall, and a 3D mesh panel at each end lets the water move through. On the Chalk Kit there is no dye anywhere in the bag, so there is nothing to transfer onto your white runners. It is tested to ISO 105-C06 grade 4 colour fastness and stress tested to 50 cycles at 60°C and 1400rpm, which is the durability test, not a usage instruction. Recommended use is a cold wash, on a delicate or gentle cycle, with the spin set to 600 to 800rpm, air dry only. Designed for canvas, mesh and synthetic shoes. Not designed for leather or suede.

Dish soap vs the alternatives, at a glance

Job	Use dish soap?	Better option
Everyday grime on canvas or mesh	Yes, well diluted	Dish soap or a mild detergent
White rubber gone grey	Cleans but will not whiten	Baking soda and water paste
Laces	Yes, in the same solution	Soak separately, then rinse
Leather	No, too drying	Damp cloth and leather cleaner
Suede	No, keep it dry	Suede brush, eraser, vinegar cloth
All-over grey, machine reset	A little, with the wash	Cold wash in a structured no-dye bag

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About Mudroom Co

Mudroom Co is a small Australian premium brand making home care tools for active families. We build for the way people actually use their homes, not the way the catalogue says they do. We launch in July 2026 with one product, the Shoe Wash Kit: a three-compartment bag plus a pair of adjustable shoe trees, built chalk cream inside and out, with a eucalyptus zip, piping and tag the only colour you see. It is tested to ISO 105-C06 grade 4 colour fastness and stress tested to 50 cycles at 60°C and 1400rpm. We are based in Melbourne and we sell direct. The machine washes the shoes. The bag protects them. That is the whole brand in one line.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use dish soap to clean my sneakers?

Yes, but only well diluted. Mix a small amount of mild dish soap into cool water, work it in with a soft brush, then blot and rinse. A high concentration can discolour the upper or strip the materials, so keep it mild. It suits canvas, mesh and synthetic shoes, not leather or suede.

Is dish soap safe for all shoe materials?

No. Diluted dish soap is fine on canvas, mesh and synthetic uppers, but it is too drying for leather and should never touch suede, which needs a dry method. Always test a hidden patch first, whatever the material.

Will dish soap ruin or discolour my shoes?

It can if you use it neat or too strong. A high concentration of dish soap can cause discolouration or strip the natural oils from the material. Diluted well in cool water and tested on a hidden patch first, it is safe for everyday washable shoes.

What is better than dish soap for cleaning sneakers?

For everyday grime, a mild detergent or a dedicated footwear cleaner does the same job. For white rubber gone grey, a baking soda and water paste lifts more without the yellowing risk of bleach. The best choice depends on the material and the mark.

How much dish soap should I use to clean shoes?

A small squeeze into a bowl of cool water, enough to make it lightly soapy rather than full of suds. The detergent does most of the cleaning, so more is not better, and a strong solution risks stripping the finish.

Do I need to rinse dish soap off my sneakers?

Yes. Soap left in the fabric dries to a stiff, dull residue that attracts more dirt. Wipe the shoe over with a clean damp cloth, or rinse until the water runs clear, then air dry out of direct heat.

Can I use dish soap with baking soda on shoes?

You can use them for different jobs in the same clean. Diluted dish soap handles general grime on the upper, and a separate baking soda and water paste lifts grey off the white rubber. Use each where it works best rather than mixing them into one solution.

About the author

Catherine Spiteri is the founder of Mudroom Co. With two teenage kids, an overflowing mudroom and a washing machine running twice a day, she noticed how few quality tools existed to make busy home life easier, and to protect the things we use every day so they last.

She started Mudroom Co because, while the tools existed, she could not find any made properly for the lives people actually lead. She has thirty years in development and construction, working with global corporates on projects of every scale and complexity, and now applies that skillset to household products with proper manufacturing and quality control behind them. Mudroom Co is based in Melbourne, Australia.