What Size Laundry Bag Should I Use for Washing Shoes?

By Catherine Spiteri in Jul 11, 2026

You are standing in the laundry aisle, or scrolling a product page, trying to work out whether the one-size mesh bag in your hand will actually fit your shoes, or your machine, or your size 13 feet. The category never tells you, because almost every shoe wash bag is sold as one-size-fits-all, and one size does not fit all. The right bag fits the shoe with room to move, suits your machine type, and matches your shoe size, including large and small feet. Get the size right and the wash works. Get it wrong and the bag does nothing.

In short. The right laundry bag for washing shoes fits each shoe with a little room to move, ideally one compartment per shoe so the pair cannot collide, and suits both your shoe size and your machine. A structured bag beats a loose sack because it holds the shape and cushions the impact. Use a front-loader or an impeller top-loader, never an agitator, on a cold delicate cycle at 600 to 800rpm, then air dry.

This is a question the category answers badly. Most brands default to one-size-fits-all, which in practice fits some feet poorly and excludes large feet, men's AU 12 and up, and small feet, around a US 5.5, at both ends. They sell a trainer-shaped sack as general-purpose, then it fails with boots, heels and dress shoes. And almost none of them tell you which washer type the bag is compatible with, which is the single most important sizing question of all. Here is how to size a shoe wash bag properly, for your shoes and your machine.

The first sizing rule: room to move, not crammed in

A shoe wash bag has one job, to hold the shoe still and cushion it against the drum while the machine does the cleaning. There is good reason to want that wash to be thorough: 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 (Source: CIRI, study reveals high bacteria levels on footwear), so a bag that lets the water reach the whole upper actually matters. To do that it needs to fit the shoe closely but not tightly. Too small and you cannot zip it without forcing the shoe, which stresses both the bag and the shoe and stops the water moving through. Too large and the shoe slides and tumbles inside, which is the exact motion the bag is meant to stop.

The right size holds each shoe with a little room around it, enough that water and detergent can pass through the mesh and reach the whole upper, but not so much that the shoe knocks about. A shoe tree inside takes up the slack and holds the shape, so the fit is firm without being forced. This is why a bag sized loosely as a general sack rarely protects well: a single dimension cannot fit a kid's runner and a men's size 13 with the same result.

The rule that matters more than size: one compartment per shoe

Size on its own is not enough. A single big bag that takes both shoes lets the pair slide together and bang into each other through the whole cycle, which is what loosens soles and knocks shoes out of shape. The structure is what does the protecting, not just the dimensions.

This is why a structured bag beats a loose mesh sack at any size. Appliance guidance is consistent that shoes should be washed in a bag, on a cold gentle cycle, with a couple of towels added to soften the load (Source: Whirlpool, how to wash shoes in the washing machine). A bag with one compartment per shoe takes that further: the pair never touches, each shoe is held off the drum wall, and the load stays balanced. A loose sack with both shoes rolling around inside gives you the worst of both, an off-balance load and a colliding pair, and that uneven spin is exactly what appliance technicians warn chips the drum and wears the bearings over time (Source: Armadillo, how to safely wash shoes without wrecking your washer).

[ IMAGE TO INSERT ] Upload 20260604_founder_three_compartments_pointing_inside_bag.jpg here. Alt text: "The three compartments of the Mudroom Co Shoe Wash Kit shown open, one outer compartment for each shoe."

Why an off-balance load is the real risk of the wrong size

The reason fit matters so much comes down to the spin. When a bag is too big or holds both shoes loosely, the shoes shift to one side during the spin and throw the load off balance. Appliance technicians are blunt about what that does over time: a hard sole creating an uneven, off-balance load during the spin can chip the drum, damage the door seal, and accelerate wear on the drum bearings (Source: Armadillo, how to safely wash shoes without wrecking your washer). A correctly sized, structured bag keeps each shoe in its place so the load stays even, which protects the machine as much as the shoe.

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Match the bag to your machine, not just your shoe

The sizing question people forget is the machine. The bag has to suit the washer type, and the category almost never says which one it is built for. There are three kinds, and they are not equal.

A front-loader is ideal. The drum tumbles, there is no central post, and there is room for a structured bag to sit and move gently. An impeller top-loader, which uses a low cone or disc rather than a tall spindle, is fine too. An agitator top-loader, with a tall twisting post in the middle, is the one to avoid: the post grabs and wrenches the load, and even a well-sized bag cannot fully protect a shoe from that motion. If you only have an agitator machine, hand-wash the shoes instead. Whichever machine you have, the same appliance advice applies, wash the shoes inside a bag with a couple of towels on a cold gentle cycle rather than loose (Source: Armadillo, how to safely wash shoes without wrecking your washer).

Compact apartment machines

Size matters at the small end too. A compact front-loader in an apartment has a smaller drum and less room than a full-size machine, so a single well-structured bag with the pair inside, plus a towel, is usually all it will take comfortably. Trying to force a large load into a compact drum pushes the shoes hard against the wall and undoes the protection. Whirlpool's guidance to add a few towels alongside the bag holds here too, and in a small drum that balancing load matters even more (Source: Whirlpool, how to wash shoes in the washing machine). Wash one pair at a time and keep the drum from being over-packed.

Sizing for large and small feet, the bit the category skips

The one-size-fits-all default fails most at the extremes. A general-purpose bag is usually cut for a mid-range trainer, so a men's AU 12 or larger is a tight squeeze that will not zip without forcing, and a small US 5.5 slides around with too much space. Neither is protected properly.

The honest answer is that a bag should genuinely fit the foot it is sold for, with the shoe held closely and a little room to move, across a real size range rather than a single trainer shape. Shape matters as much as length: a trainer-shaped bag sold as general-purpose then fails with heels, dress shoes and boots, which are a different shape entirely. For everyday canvas, mesh and synthetic runners, which is what most people are washing, a structured bag fitted to the shoe and held in shape by a shoe tree handles the full size range far better than a loose sack. The shoe makers themselves prefer a hand clean and do not officially recommend the machine at all (Source: Nike, how to clean your shoes), so for the people who machine-wash everyday runners anyway, a properly sized bag is what does the least damage.

Keep the wash cold and the spin moderate, whatever the size

Once the bag fits, the settings finish the job. Keep the water cold. 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), and cold is far cheaper because about 90% of a washing machine's energy goes to heating the water (Source: CHOICE, how green is your laundry routine). Set the spin to 600 to 800rpm. Machines run anywhere from roughly 400 to 1600rpm, and a high spin throws a shoe hard against the drum, so a moderate spin is the kinder setting for a bagged pair (Source: Miele Australia, laundry care guide).

How to choose the right size shoe wash bag, step by step

Measure against your largest pair. A bag has to fit your biggest regular shoe with a little room to move, not just an average trainer. If the largest pair forces the zip, the bag is too small.
Choose one compartment per shoe. A bag that separates the pair stops the shoes colliding and keeps the load balanced, which a single loose sack cannot do at any size.
Check your machine type. Confirm the bag suits a front-loader or an impeller top-loader. If you only have an agitator machine, hand-wash instead, and for a compact apartment machine wash one pair at a time.
Use a shoe tree to take up the slack. A shoe tree holds the shape and firms the fit, so a slightly roomier bag still holds the shoe steady through the wash and the dry.
Set it up right. Take out the laces and insoles, load one shoe per compartment, run a cold delicate cycle at 600 to 800rpm with a couple of towels, then air dry. Canvas, mesh and synthetic only, never leather or suede.

The full method, including drying and storage, is on our Care Guide.

Where the Shoe Wash Kit fits

The right size is one that holds the shoe with room to move, separates the pair, and suits your machine. That is what the Kit is built to do.

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.

Structured kit vs one-size mesh sack, at a glance

Feature	The Shoe Wash Kit	One-size mesh sack
Fit to the shoe	Holds with room to move, shoe tree firms it	One size, loose on small, tight on large
Separates the pair	One shoe per outer compartment	Both shoes collide inside
Large feet (AU 12+)	Fits with the shoe held in shape	Tight squeeze, forces the zip
Small feet (US 5.5)	Held steady by the shoe tree	Slides around with too much space
Load balance on spin	Each shoe stays in place, load even	Shoes shift, load goes off-balance
Machine guidance	Front-loader or impeller, not agitator	Rarely stated at all

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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

What size laundry bag should I use for washing shoes?

One that fits each shoe with a little room to move, ideally with one compartment per shoe so the pair cannot collide. It has to fit your largest regular pair without forcing the zip, and suit your machine type. A shoe tree firms the fit so a slightly roomier bag still holds the shoe steady.

Should both shoes go in the same bag?

It is better if they do not. A single bag with both shoes lets the pair slide together and bang through the cycle, which loosens soles and knocks shoes out of shape. One compartment per shoe keeps the pair apart, holds each off the drum wall, and keeps the load balanced.

What size bag do I need for large feet, men's AU 12 or bigger?

A bag that genuinely fits the larger foot, not a general-purpose sack cut for a mid-range trainer. If a men's 12 or 13 forces the zip, the bag is too small and will not protect the shoe. Look for a real size range and a structure that holds the shoe with room to move.

Does the bag size depend on my washing machine?

Yes. The bag has to suit the washer type and the drum size. A front-loader or impeller top-loader takes a structured bag well, an agitator top-loader does not. In a compact apartment machine, wash one pair at a time so the drum is not over-packed.

Will a structured bag really protect better than a loose mesh sack?

Yes. A loose sack lets the shoes tumble and collide and does little to cushion the drum. A structured bag holds each shoe in place, separates the pair, and keeps the load balanced through the spin, which protects both the shoe and the machine.

What cycle and spin should I use once the bag fits?

Cold water, a delicate or gentle cycle, and a spin of 600 to 800rpm. Cold protects the sole adhesive and is far cheaper to run, and a moderate spin is kinder to a bagged shoe than a high one. Add a couple of towels to keep the load balanced.

Can I wash boots or dress shoes in a shoe wash bag?

A trainer-shaped bag is built for runners, not boots, heels or dress shoes, which are a different shape and often a different material. Use the bag for canvas, mesh and synthetic runners, and clean boots, heels and leather or suede shoes by hand.

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.