You can extend the life of your sneakers with careful care. Proper washing of sneakers, and equally important competent drying, help preserve the appearance, shape, and color of sports shoes for as long as possible.
Is it possible to place wet sneakers on a radiator? How to dry leather shoes correctly? What to do if your white sneakers get wet?
The answers to these and many other questions will be useful for those who do not know how to quickly and correctly dry sneakers after washing.
What do you need to know before you start drying?
Before sending wet sneakers to dry, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory measures:
pull out the insoles and laces, unfasten the Velcro;- Wipe leather sneakers with a mesh upper first with a soft foam sponge soaked in soapy water, and then simply with a clean rag;
- slightly dry sneakers made of suede or nubuck and then clean them from dirt with a special brush;
- Wrap already clean sneakers in a soft cloth and, pressing lightly, collect moisture from the surface of the sneakers.
General drying rules:
- Dry sports shoes away from heating appliances. High temperatures can cause uneven drying, whitish spots, crumbling of adhesive joints and deformation.
- Drying sneakers in special drying machines is strictly prohibited.
- You should start drying your sports shoes immediately upon arriving home. Delay may cause a persistent unpleasant odor to appear.
- Before drying, the sneakers must be unlaced and, if possible, all metal parts and other fittings must be removed.
It is strictly forbidden to dry dirty shoes. Ignoring this rule leads to the fact that the sneakers completely lose their shape, become covered with whitish salt stains, and acquire an unpleasant musty smell.
How to dry it properly at home?
Handy methods
There are a sufficient number of ways to quickly dry wet sneakers using available, affordable products.
Paper
A quick and inexpensive way to dry shoes is paper, or rather old newspapers . Paper sheets crumple and fill wet sneakers with them.
Newspapers absorb moisture very quickly, so they need to be changed at least once every two hours.
To speed up the drying process, wet shoes can be additionally wrapped in sheets of old newspapers or toilet paper.
Rice
There are several ways to dry your shoes using rice:
- Place the wet sneakers in the box (sole up) and cover with rice. The box is closed with a lid and left for at least five hours. Then they open it and take out the already dry shoes.
- Rice is poured into clean socks (it is better to take regular, non-steamed cereal). Socks are placed in wet shoes. As they get wet, change the socks (about every forty minutes) and after three to four hours the sneakers will dry.
Silica gel
Moisture-absorbing white silica gel balls will help quickly dry your shoes.
It is enough to pour them in the required quantity into a bag made of natural, loose fabric (gauze is ideal), which is placed inside damp sneakers.
You can purchase silica gel in online stores . Balls can be white or blue. The blue color of silica gel is an indicator of moisture. When filled with moisture, the blue color of the ball changes to pink. As soon as the silica gel is filled with moisture, it must be changed (the wet one is left to dry in the sun).
Soda
A product that any housewife has in her kitchen—soda—will help dry your shoes.
It's very simple: fabric bags are filled with soda and placed inside wet shoes . As soon as the bags are saturated with moisture, they are changed.
Before the sneakers are completely dry, you will need to replace the bags at least three times. After complete drying, sports shoes are exposed to air for ventilation.
Cat litter
Cat litter will help quickly dry shoes, regardless of the materials they are made of. Among all types of fillers for trays, it is best to choose corn granules (they absorb liquid as quickly as possible) or silicone balls.
The fillers are poured inside the shoes and left for five to six hours. After this, the granules that have absorbed moisture are simply shaken out.
Towel
A small towel made of natural fabric will help quickly dry wet sneakers. The algorithm of actions is simple: a towel is placed inside the wet shoes .
After some time, when the fabric is saturated with moisture, the towel is changed. The process is repeated until the shoes are dry. Small terry or cotton kitchen towels absorb moisture best.
Salt
Regular table salt will help dry your shoes quickly.
Algorithm of actions:
- Heat a little salt in a frying pan or in the microwave.
- Warm salt is poured into a bag made of natural, not very dense fabric.
- A bag of salt is placed inside wet sneakers.
- As the salt becomes moistened, the bags are changed until the shoes are completely dry.
With the help of technology
An unconventional use of ordinary household appliances - drying shoes will help quickly get rid of moisture, restore the shape and appearance of sneakers.
Vacuum cleaner
A vacuum cleaner with a reverse air outlet function will help speed up the drying process . A strong air flow will quickly dry wet sneakers in just an hour.
It is enough to remove the brush attachment from the vacuum cleaner, switch the hose to the reverse air supply position, insert the hose inside the wet shoes and turn on the household appliance.
Hairdryer
A hairdryer will help dry wet shoes. It is enough to direct and hold a stream of warm air on the wet surface of sports shoes for some time.
It is important to ensure that the temperature of the air flow is not very high (excessively hot air can melt the adhesive layer).
It is also necessary to remember that suede can be dried with a hairdryer only on cold air and low power.
Fan
To use a fan for drying shoes, you need to slightly improve the device . To do this, small hooks (can be made of wire) are attached to the fan mesh, onto which wet sneakers will later cling. A few hours of blowing with a fan and wet shoes become dry.
Warm floor - dry shoes overnight!
Owners of heated floors can use them not only to heat the room, but also to dry wet shoes.
Algorithm of actions:
- wet sports shoes must be wiped off from dirt and the soles washed;
- set the temperature of the heated floor within 23-25C;
- wet shoes are left on a warm floor for at least six hours (preferably overnight).
Electric dryers
In the store you can see a variety of electric shoe dryers:
The standard model of an electric dryer has two tubular heating elements curved in the shape of a loop .
It is enough to insert the electric dryer into the shoes, connect the device to the network and leave it for five to six hours to dry. The standard model is the most affordable option for a shoe dryer (average cost is 300 rubles).- Electric dryer block . The special shape of the body (in which the heating elements are hidden) in the form of a shoe helps to quickly and evenly dry the shoes, keeping them from deformation. Drying time is no more than six hours. The average cost of the device is 600 rubles.
- Electric dryers with antibacterial function . The design feature is that in addition to heating elements, bacterial lamps or aromatic plates are built into the body, which, when heated, eliminate bacteria, fungus and unpleasant odors from the inner surface of the shoe. The average cost of the device is 1000 rubles.
- Electric dryers with active air circulation . The principle of operation of the device: a fan accelerates hot air from the heating element, which comes out through plastic tubes. Sneakers placed on tubes are blown with hot air, due to which the drying time is reduced several times (no more than one hour). The average price of the device is 1,500 rubles.
When choosing an electric dryer, it is necessary to take into account not only the functional features of the device, but also its size. The dryer should fit freely inside wet sports shoes.
Drying with household appliances
One of the easiest, affordable and effective ways to dry shoes is to use household appliances that are found in every home today.
Shoe dryer
The dryer is made in the form of metal rings that are inserted into shoes and connected to the electrical network.
The maximum heating temperature is 50-60 degrees. The drying speed depends on how wet the boots or shoes are. On average, two to three hours are enough.
There are several types of dryers:
- An electric dryer that acts as a heater;
- Dryer with wind blowing;
- Ultraviolet Dryer – It will not only dry your shoes but also rid them of all harmful germs, fungal spores and dirty particles.
- There is also a drying rack in the form of a small mat. Shoes are placed on it and the device is plugged into an outlet.
How to make a shoe dryer with your own hands
Electric dryer
How to choose a shoe dryer
Dryer
Sneakers can also be dried using a dryer, if available, or an automatic machine with a drying function.
To do this, clean shoes are tied to the inside of the door and the low heating mode is turned on. In just an hour they will be perfectly dry.
If we are talking about a semi-automatic machine, then the laundry is placed in the centrifuge, and shoes are placed between them.
This is done in order to soften the operation of the centrifuge, because without the required volume of things it will simply beat and knock. This method can be used to wring out very wet rag sneakers after washing.
Attention! Sneakers or moccasins dried in this way may shrink and decrease in size.
Therefore, immediately after spinning, you need to fill them with newspaper or place a special trample in them.
Warm floor
You can also dry wet shoes on the floor, but only if we are talking about a heated floor. You need to understand that you won’t be able to dry wet boots or shoes completely, but you can dry light sandals or ballet shoes.
Hairdryer
You can dry shoes, boots or sneakers with a hairdryer, provided that they are not very wet. To avoid damaging your boots due to exposure to high temperatures, you need to dry them by directing a stream of cold air.
Fan
The air flow that comes from a running fan can dry shoes in just a couple of hours.
To do this, you need to open your wet shoes or boots as much as possible and place them in front of the device.
Using a microwave
This method can ruin your shoes. After drying in the microwave or oven, the sole will completely begin to peel off, the surface will crack, and stains and streaks will remain.
Features for different materials
Depending on what material the sneakers are made of, choose the drying method:
Textile. Sneakers, light sports shoes, fabric sneakers will quickly dry with a hairdryer, vacuum cleaner, fan or crumpled newspaper paper. An electric dryer will help speed up the process.- Leather. Fillers made of salt or paper will help to dry quickly and at the same time maintain the appearance and shape of sports shoes made of genuine leather.
Do not dry leather sneakers with hot air (by placing them on a radiator or using a hair dryer). When using an electric dryer, leather shoes are first rubbed with cream, protecting the top of the sneakers from drying out or cracking. - Suede leather. For this material, only a delicate drying method is suitable - silica gel filler or newspaper. Suede sneakers are dried only at room temperature, away from heating devices. These simple rules will help maintain the shine and structure of suede.
Is it possible to dry shoes on a radiator?
Many people are accustomed to drying boots in winter on central heating radiators, considering this the correct and effective way. If you let it dry, your shoes will dry out, but they will get pretty damaged, which is why you can’t dry your shoes on a radiator.
The battery never has stable temperature conditions. Sometimes the metal is slightly warm, sometimes hot. Most often, in severe frosts, the batteries are so hot that it is impossible to touch them, but you can get burned.
The same applies to boots placed on the battery section. If shoes are often dried on a radiator, then in the near future small cracks will appear on their surface and on the sole, which will let water through. This means that now it will get wet all the time, and your feet will freeze in it.
As you can see, there are many effective ways to safely dry shoes. Although these methods do not always allow you to achieve the desired result immediately, the quality of your favorite boots or sneakers does not suffer.
