You bought the bag, and now the muddy runners are sitting on the laundry floor while you wonder if you are about to do it wrong. Most of the damage people blame on a bag is really a step missed: the wrong cycle, the wrong load, the dryer at the end. Do these few things in order and the shoes come out clean and whole.
In short. To use a shoe washing bag properly, knock off the loose dirt, take out the laces and insoles, insert a shoe tree and load one shoe per compartment, then zip it fully closed. Wash cold on a delicate cycle with the spin at 600 to 800rpm, a little mild detergent and a couple of towels, on a front-loader or impeller top-loader. Air dry only, with the shoe trees in. Never the dryer.
A shoe wash bag is protective hardware, but only if you use it the way it was designed to work. The bag holds the shoe, cushions the drum and keeps small parts contained. Your job is the pre-clean, the right settings and the drying, because those are the parts that decide whether the shoes survive. Here is the full method, and the reasons behind each step.
Before the bag: get the shoe ready
Half of a good wash happens before the shoe goes in the bag. Skip this and you push mud into the machine and the bag.
Knock the loose dirt off first. Wipe the soles over a bin, and brush off mud, leaves and stones with a dry brush. Every shoe maker starts here for a reason. Nike's care guidance is to remove loose dirt with a dry, soft-bristled brush before any water touches the shoe (Source: Nike, how to clean your shoes). Doing it now protects the machine filter, keeps the bag cleaner, and stops grit grinding into the fabric during the wash.
Then take out the laces and insoles. They wash better separately, and removing them lets the shoe move and drain freely in the bag. The insoles hold most of the odour, so give them their own attention.
Loading the bag the right way
This is the step most people rush, and it is the one that protects the shape.
Insert a shoe tree into each shoe before it goes in. The shoe tree holds the form through the wash and, just as importantly, through the dry that follows, when a wet shoe is at its most vulnerable to collapsing or curling. Then load one shoe into each outer compartment so the pair cannot collide, and put the laces and insoles in the centre compartment.
Do not over-pack. A bag crammed too full cannot cushion properly, and the shoes cannot move enough to actually get clean. One pair per bag. Finally, zip the bag fully closed and tuck the pull away so it cannot work open mid-cycle. A bag left half-zipped is the single most common way a wash goes wrong.
The settings that protect the shoe
The cycle matters more than the detergent. Set the machine to cold water, a delicate or gentle cycle, and a spin of 600 to 800rpm. Use only a little mild detergent, no bleach and no fabric softener, and add a couple of towels to balance the load so the spin runs smoother.
Cold water is not a soft preference, it is protecting the glue. Most athletic-footwear adhesives soften above 40°C, which is why a hot wash and a hot dryer are the fastest way to separate a sole. A lower spin is gentler on the structure than a hard, fast one. ASICS gives the same picture for running shoes: a mild detergent, cool water and no harsh chemicals (Source: ASICS, how to clean your running shoes). Get the cycle right and the bag can do its job.
Which machine you are using
The bag works with the machine, not against it. A front-loader is ideal: the drum tumbles, there is no central post, and a cold delicate cycle is gentle on a bagged shoe. An impeller top-loader, with a low cone or disc, is fine too. An agitator top-loader, with a tall twisting post in the middle, is the one to avoid, because the post grabs and wrenches the load and even a good bag cannot fully protect against that motion. If your only machine is an agitator, clean the shoes by hand instead of forcing the wash.
Whirlpool's own shoe-washing guidance lines up with this: a gentle cycle, cold water, a mesh bag and a few towels to soften the load (Source: Whirlpool, how to wash shoes in the washing machine).
Join the Waitlist. getmudroom.com.au
Drying is where shoes are saved or ruined
The wash is only half the job. More shoes are ruined in the drying than in the washing, because the dryer is right there and it is quick. Do not use it. The heat melts the same adhesives the cold wash just protected, and it warps the structure.
Instead, take the shoes out still in their trees, stuff a little paper at the toe if you like, and air dry them on a rack out of direct heat. Direct sun and radiators are heat too, so keep them in the shade or indoors. Dry the insoles and laces separately, and the insoles can go in the sun, where the UV helps freshen them. A shoe can take most of a day to dry through, so start the wash with time to spare rather than the night before you need them.
How to use a shoe washing bag, step by step
-
Knock the loose dirt off first. Wipe the soles over a bin and brush off mud, leaves and stones with a dry brush. This protects the machine filter and the bag.
-
Take out the laces and insoles. Put them in the centre compartment. They wash better separately and the shoes get room to move.
-
Insert a shoe tree, then load one shoe per outer compartment. The tree holds the shape through the wash and the dry. Do not over-pack. Zip the bag fully closed and tuck the pull away.
-
Cold water, delicate cycle, spin 600 to 800rpm. A little mild detergent, no bleach, no fabric softener, and a couple of towels to balance the load. Cold protects the glue.
-
Air dry only, with the shoe trees in. Dry on a rack out of direct heat, never the dryer. Dry the insoles and laces separately, insoles in the sun.
The full method, including storage and how often to wash, is on our Care Guide.
Where the Shoe Wash Kit fits
The steps above are the whole method, and the Kit is built to make each one easy. 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.
Doing it right vs the common shortcuts
| Step | Done properly | The shortcut that ruins shoes |
| Pre-clean | Dry-brush the loose dirt first | Straight into the machine, grit and all |
| Laces and insoles | Out, in the centre pocket | Left in, washed unevenly |
| Loading | Shoe tree in, one per compartment, zip shut | Both shoes loose, bag half-zipped |
| Cycle | Cold, delicate, 600 to 800rpm | Warm or hot, fast spin |
| Drying | Air dry in the shade, trees in | Straight in the dryer |
Join the Waitlist. getmudroom.com.au
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
How do you use a shoe washing bag properly?
Pre-clean the shoes, remove the laces and insoles, insert a shoe tree and load one shoe per compartment, then zip fully closed. Wash cold on a delicate cycle at 600 to 800rpm with mild detergent and a couple of towels, on a front-loader or impeller top-loader, and air dry only.
Do I put one shoe or both in each compartment?
One shoe per outer compartment so the pair cannot collide, and the laces and insoles in the centre compartment. Crowding a compartment reduces both the protection and the wash quality.
What cycle and temperature should I use?
Cold water, a delicate or gentle cycle, and a spin of 600 to 800rpm. Cold protects the adhesives that hold the sole on, since most athletic-footwear adhesives soften above 40°C, and a lower spin is gentler on the shoe.
Should I take the laces out before washing?
Yes. Remove the laces and insoles and wash them in the centre compartment. They come out cleaner, and the shoes get room to move and drain, which improves the whole wash.
Can I put the shoes in the dryer afterwards?
No. The dryer's heat melts the sole adhesive and can warp the shoe. Air dry only, on a rack out of direct heat, with the shoe trees in to hold the shape. Dry the insoles and laces separately.
How many towels should I add?
A couple is enough to balance the load and cushion the spin. Old towels are ideal. They keep the drum steadier and the wash gentler without crowding the machine.
Related reading
Going deeper on the topics above. Each of these is on the Mudroom Co hub.
In short. Using a shoe bag well is about order, not effort: brush first, unlace, tree and load one shoe per compartment, wash cold and gentle, and air dry with the trees in. The bag protects the shoe, and these five steps let it.
Join the Waitlist. getmudroom.com.au
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.
References
External sources cited in this article.
ASICS, how to clean your running shoes
Whirlpool, how to wash shoes in the washing machine