Washing my tennis shoes

I was a skeptic, but I've washed mine 5 times and each time they have turned out great - almost like new. Just toss them in the machine with a couple of heavy towels for a balanced load. I use a good dose of detergent and OxiClean with warm water. Oh, remove the laces and hand wash them because they might get tangled on the spinner. Oh, don't put your shoes in the dryer. Let them air dry. Actually, the washing machine spin dry function takes most of the water out. You can scrub the rubber sole siding of your shoes with whitening toothpaste to get them really sparkly. Well that's it - it can be done!

I've washed countless Nike, Reebok, and New Balance shoes in the washer. Never had a pair that didn't come out looking much better - and no problems. Even leather comes out nice.

For decades runners have been told NEVER to wash your running shoes in the washer. I abided by this "rule" until recently. I saw an interview with Frank Shorter (Olympic gold medalist in the marathon), and he said to place your shoes in a pillow case when you wash them. This cleans the shoes but protects them as well. It works!

This thread is sheer poetry. And good advice about sneakers. Cheetos. Thanks. I'm gona go put my shoes in a pillow case now and will report back my results.

Yeah, I was told the same thing about not washing them, but the pillow idea makes sense.

I have one extremely stinky pair. I'll see what happens.