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How to dry wet shoes in the clothes dryer…with no thumping

in: Featured, Getting Dressed

Dirty sneakers

Finuala has earned the Forehead Smack of Brilliance with her shoe-drying hack.

My son came home with wet school shoes. When I complained to a friend I was going to have to listen to shoes THUMP THUMP THUMPING in the dryer for the next hour, she said “Do the door trick!” What’s the door trick??

THIS: Hang the shoes inside the dryer by pulling the shoe strings up over the outside of the dryer door with the shoes on the inside.

Close the door and the strings will hold the shoes in place. This keeps the shoes suspended in the center of the dryer away from the tumbler but allows them to get the heat and airflow to dry them out.

If the shoelaces slip through the door seal and fall back into the dryer, try again but this time tie the shoelaces in a bow on the outside of the dryer. 

We had dry shoes in an hour and didn’t have to listen to the annoying noise!

Can I get a HALLELEUYAH? (I live in a permenantly damp town. This hack is deliverance.)

A few tips come to mind:

  • Set the dryer heat on medium to low to protect vinyl soles. Leather and suede might not hold up to this treatment, but if the shoes are crappy it’s worth a shot.
  • The dryer should be mostly empty (maybe a few dishrags or knockaround clothes, but nothing that will tangle with the shoes).

PARENT HACKS by Asha DornfestThis is one of the most popular parent hacks on the site, and so useful I featured it in the book. Check out PARENT HACKS — it’s the perfect gift for a new or expectant parent. Find out more, or order now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite independent bookstore.

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About Asha Dornfest

Asha Dornfest is a writer, parent, and insistent optimist living in Portland, Oregon. She is the author of PARENT HACKS, co-author of MINIMALIST PARENTING, and co-host of the Edit Your Life podcast.

Comments

  1. Jennifer K. Hale says

    March 20, 2012 at 11:05 am

    Ummmm….genius. Why didn’t I think of this??? Thanks!

  2. aprilshowers says

    March 20, 2012 at 11:18 am

    My dryer (bought about 4 years ago) has a rack I can put in to accomplish the same thing. Not as clever but still useful!

  3. Kim N. says

    March 20, 2012 at 11:29 am

    And cheap flipflops can be put in the dishwasher to clean them. ^_^

  4. Fawn says

    March 20, 2012 at 12:04 pm

    You can clean ball caps by putting them in the cishwasher as well.

  5. meg says

    March 20, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    That is such a good idea! I never thought of that but have been annoyed SO many times by the clunking. Thanks for sharing!!!!

  6. Laura says

    April 2, 2012 at 3:49 am

    What do I do for a front loader dryer?

  7. Roxanne says

    May 29, 2012 at 8:52 am

    At our house, wet shoes are carefully positioned upside down on the floor register to dry–usually they dry overnight. My husband came up with this beautifully simple idea, which is much easier on the shoes than the dryer.

  8. Katie says

    July 1, 2012 at 9:19 am

    Fantastic idea and so quick! I usually stuff my kids shoes with newspaper then put them in the oven with the light on then leave them overnight.

  9. Jan says

    July 1, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    We place our wet sneakers stuffed with newspaper on the floor in front of the refridgerator or freezer. The heat coming out the bottom usually dries them out overnight.

  10. Kirby says

    October 1, 2012 at 5:59 pm

    AMAZING!

    Thank you so much for this.

    Just about to go on a jog and my shoes were SOPPING!

    30mins in the dryer…BOOM!

    Cheers

  11. becca says

    November 15, 2012 at 1:51 pm

    Thank you so much, wow who knew!

  12. Theresa Lee says

    May 25, 2015 at 10:33 am

    Genius! Took it a step further and stuffed a scented dryer sheet in each shoe. Hopefully this will help get rid of any mustiness or foot odor.

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About the Author

Asha Dornfest is the author of Parent Hacks and other books, and former co-host of the Edit Your Life podcast. More about Asha »

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