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Three Methods:Using a Clothes DryerUsing a FanUsing Newspaper

Walking around in wet shoes can lead to blisters on your feet and mold in your shoes. If you only have a few hours to spare, you can dry your shoes in a clothes dryer, with a fan or with newspaper. The method you choose should depend shoe construction and material to avoid irreparable damage.

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EditMethod 1 of 3: Using a Clothes Dryer

  1. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 1.jpg
    1
    Look at the construction of your shoes. If they are synthetic or cotton, without hard or gelled soles, they can go into the dryer. Leather, gel-core athletic shoes, clogs and Gore-Tex should not go into the washer or dryer.
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  2. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 2.jpg
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    Wash them first if they are caked with mud. Either rinse them with a garden hose or put them through an entire washer cycle. Pad the washer with plenty of old towels.
    • Use warm water and a mild detergent to get them clean. If they are already wet, it may be the perfect time to clean them.
  3. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 3.jpg
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    Untie the laces if you haven’t already.
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    Fill the dryer with a few dishrags or towels. It doesn’t need to be very full.
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    Open the dryer door. Pair your shoes side by side with the toes up. Set the soles of the shoes against the inside of the dryer door.
  6. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 6.jpg
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    Loop your shoelaces up around the top of the dryer door. Then, carefully and firmly shut the door. Your laces should extend out of the dryer when the door is closed.[1]
    • Hanging the shoes on the door will keep them from knocking around in the basin. If they are left to tumble, they may ruin the dryer or the shoe’s soles.
  7. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 7.jpg
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    Set the dryer to complete medium or low cycle of no more than 60 minutes.[2] Open the door and check that they are dry after the cycle is finished.

EditMethod 2 of 3: Using a Fan

  1. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 8.jpg
    1
    Check the construction of your shoes. If they are durable leather or gel-soled athletic shoes this method will work well. Suede shoes may need to be dried more slowly.
  2. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 9.jpg
    2
    Remove caked on dirt with a garden hose or a tap. Shoes may be wet, but shouldn’t be too dirty.
  3. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 10.jpg
    3
    Find a sturdy floor or table fan. It should be taller than the length of your shoes and sturdy enough to allow the shoes to hang from the fan.
  4. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 11.jpg
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    Set up the fan in a garage or utility room. Place a towel below the front of the fan to catch excess water as it dries.
  5. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 12.jpg
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    Remove thick insoles or orthotics. Set them on a radiator to dry or place them on a low cycle in the dryer for a few minutes if they aren’t leather.
  6. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 13.jpg
    6
    Take an old wire hanger and a wire cutter. Cut two six-inch (15.2 cm) lengths of wire using your wire cutter.
  7. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 14.jpg
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    Bend the wire so that it is in an “S” shape. It should have a smaller hook on one end to clip to the fan and a larger hook on the other end to hold the shoes. Use pliers if your hanger wire is hard to bend.
    • Repeat with the second hook.
  8. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 15.jpg
    8
    Hook the small ends on the fan. Keep them approximately nine inches (22.9 cm) apart so that the shoes are separated.
  9. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 16.jpg
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    Loosen the laces on the shoes. Open up the shoes so the inside of the shoes will get as much air as possible from the fan. Hand them from the inside heel on the larger hook.
    • The fan air should reach the inside of the shoes and move around the outside.
  10. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 17.jpg
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    Run the fan on medium to high for 1 to 2 hours to dry your shoes completely.[3]

EditMethod 3 of 3: Using Newspaper

  1. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 18.jpg
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    Figure out if your shoes are delicate. If they are leather or suede, this is the gentlest method for drying them quickly. Hard-soled clogs should be dried with this newspaper method.
  2. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 19.jpg
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    Find an edition of the newspaper. Discard any pages with dark ink or pictures. The ink can sometimes bleed onto the shoes.
    • The ink can easily be buffed off on dark leather shoes.
    • If you are worried about ink damage, place them upside down in a box filled with one inch (2.5 cm) of rice. Close the box tightly and check them in 2 hours.[4]
  3. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 20.jpg
    3
    Rinse your shoes if they are caked with dirt. You can also remove dirt with a damp dishcloth.
  4. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 21.jpg
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    Ball up newspaper and stuff it in the toes of the shoes. Continue with each shoe until the entire insole is filled with balls of newspaper.
  5. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 22.jpg
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    Wrap the exterior of the shoes in flat pieces of newspaper. String a rubber band around the midsection of the shoe so that the newspaper will stay.
  6. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 23.jpg
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    Set the shoes, soles down, in a well-ventilated area of the house.
  7. Dry Shoes Quickly Step 24.jpg
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    Discard the newspaper and repeat the process with dry paper in one hour. If your shoes were soaked, the newspaper will need to be changed several times.[5]
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EditTips

  • If you are drying suede shoes and there is dirt caked on them, use the newspaper drying method. Then, buff the dirt of with a shoe brush after they are dry.
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EditThings You'll Need

  • Clothes dryer
  • Fan
  • Wire hanger
  • Wire cutter
  • Pliers
  • Towel
  • Newspaper
  • Rubber band
  • Hose
  • Dishcloth
  • Rice
  • Box
  • Shoe brush

EditSources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://lifehacker.com/5890465/this-is-how-to-dry-shoes-in-a-dryer
  2. ↑ http://www.parenthacks.com/2012/03/how-to-dry-shoes.html
  3. ↑ http://www.todayshomeowner.com/video/how-to-dry-shoes-fast/
  4. ↑ http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/fastest-way-dry-wet-shoes-21111.html
  5. ↑ http://lifehacker.com/use-newspaper-to-dry-soaking-wet-shoes-inside-and-out-476415237

Article Info

Featured Article

Categories: Featured Articles | Care of Shoes

Recent edits by: Chaz Peloquin (at roblox: ChazpeloWikiHow), Maluniu, Sunshine88

In other languages:

Español: Cómo secar zapatos rápidamente, Italiano: Come Asciugare le Scarpe Velocemente, Português: Como Secar Sapatos de Forma Rápida, Русский: быстро высушить обувь, Deutsch: Schnell Schuhe trocknen, Français: Comment faire sécher des chaussures rapidement

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