Why washing your running shoes matters

Running shoes are the most important bit of kit for runners, and arguably the item with the worst environmental impact. A typical pair contains around 40 different materials, most derived from fossil fuels. They can't be recycled through normal waste streams. And once they're worn out, almost all of them go into landfill.

According to JogOn, a UK campaign working to keep running shoes out of landfill, 33 million pairs of running shoes are discarded into landfill in the UK every year. They take around 1,000 years to decompose.

A small but growing number of organisations are working on this — from repair kits to shoe recycling campaigns, most of them started by one person who decided to do something about it. This article is about the simplest thing any runner can do right now: wash their shoes. That is how we are making a difference and you can too.

We might not control how shoes are made. But we can all make our shoes last longer by washing them regularly. Here's why it matters.

Why running shoes fail before their time

There are three main causes of premature shoe failure, and all three are made significantly worse by not cleaning:

• Mud and grit acting as sandpaper.
  As REI notes in their expert shoe care guidance, "particles of dirt and grit can work their way into the mesh and fabric, grinding away like sandpaper." This really does feel like common sense — grit embedded in a fabric's fibres will wear it away. Left in the mesh, mud and grit grind away with every step taken. The damage is invisible until the mesh fails.
• Salt from sweat corroding the materials.
  SportsShoes.com notes that "salt from sweat and external sources can degrade the materials of the shoe, including the mesh, stitching, and cushioning." A rinse after every run removes it before it takes hold.
• Bacteria develop in damp, enclosed spaces.
  Shoes that are left damp give bacteria plenty of time to colonise. Once they have, the smell is very hard to shift — and the same damp conditions accelerate material breakdown.

None of these are inevitable. All three are significantly reduced by a simple post-run rinse with water and drip drying.

What difference does washing actually make?

These shoes have done 1,057km of fell running in the Peak District with no holes yet. The typical lifespan for trail shoes is 600–800km. That's 57% more mileage — just from a quick rinse after each run and drip drying.

I can't offer this as a universal guarantee — there are too many variables. But I am consistently getting around this distance before signs of holes appear in my fell shoes (four pairs and counting).

At £140 a pair, the difference between 600km and 1,000km is roughly £70–£90 of extra mileage. And it's one fewer pair of non-recyclable, fossil-fuel-derived footwear going into the ground.

How to dry running shoes? What are the options?

Washing is the easy part — but I know people who don't do it because wet shoes make a mess and drying is a hassle. Good habits only stick if every step is easy, or has a clear payback.

I read all the guides and advice when I started running, and it's the drying advice that I felt fell short on all the most respected sites such as Inov8, On, Runners Need and Alpine Trek. They are spot on for washing, but all say the same thing for drying:

Stuff with newspaper: This does absorb some moisture but blocks the airflow that really helps with drying. As someone who doesn't have newspapers lying about, this was never a good option.

Then things not to do — but what most people actually do, such as:

The radiator: Placing wet shoes directly on a radiator puts the sole and lower upper in contact with intense, localised heat. Radiators can reach surface temperatures of 70–80°C. Shoe materials start degrading above 50°C. As Running Warehouse explains, "cleaning and drying shoes improperly can be damaging" and "it's best to allow shoes to air dry completely to avoid exposure to excess heat." Direct contact heat degrades the midsole foam and the adhesives that hold the shoe together.

Leaving shoes flat on the floor: Water pools in the toe box, staying damp for days — which is when the smell, and the bacterial damage, sets in.

Electric shoe dryers: These are popular, but for most runners, using electricity is unnecessary — and those machines are most likely to end up unrecycled in landfill, just like your trainers.

What is the best way to dry trainers?

You need air circulation through the shoes, away from direct heat, and for water to naturally come out of the shoes. The Trainer Drainer does exactly this.

It holds the shoe elevated and open so air circulates inside, with a drip tray underneath to catch the run-off. You can put it wherever you like. No electricity, no chemicals — and made from a single material so it can be recycled (return to Trainer Drainer: it will be broken down, turned into new filament and re-used).

"It's so much better than just putting the shoes directly on the radiator. They dry so much quicker and with the drip tray — no more big puddles."

Sally, Sheffield · Trainer Drainer customer

For the full step-by-step cleaning and drying routine — including how to deal with smell and drying times in different conditions — see our How to Clean Trail Running Shoes guide.

The habit that makes the difference

None of this requires a major change in how you run. It's five minutes after you get home.

Rinse the mud off when you get home — rinse until the water runs clear — then leave the shoes to drip dry. Simple.

The shoes you already own are the most sustainable pair you'll ever have — because the environmental cost of making them is already spent. The only question is how long you keep them running.