6 replies to this topic

[chilliman]

How does everyone clean their shoes after trail running or hitting the mud without causing long term shoe damage ?

I am lucky to live in an area with lots of muddy (red) trails and this time of year the shoes get a thrashing from mud and rain.
Often I’ll return home with what seems like 1/2kg of mud on my shoes.

I have tried a few different methods but am currently washing and scrubbing in warm water, stuffing with news paper then letting them dry away from heat, but this can take a few days to dry. I am also worried about whether this will reduce shoe life, and the anti-bacterial properties of the shoe material.

Any CR’s have any tried and true methods for shoe cleaning and maintaining shoe life ?

[Fats]

Just let the mud dry on the shoes, and then beat them against a wall a few times to soften them up before hitting the trail again!

There's no glamour in the sport of trail running.

[Fats]

...the same technique also works with socks.

[Miss Gazelle]

I use nappy san - beeewwwwdiful! Need to soak them 24+ hours and give the a little scrub before you rinse them though.

Myrtle.

[Barefoot]

I agree with Fats, bang them on concrete. If the shoes get too dirty I wash them with cold power and dry them in the sun on weekends, but nevey when it is too hot, then I try them in the shade and let the heat do the work. In winter I dry them indoors next to a gas fire.

[chilliman]

Thanks guys, should have mentioned that the red ‘mud’ here is a very heavy clay and would be good enough to stick tiles on the space shuttle. :)

Takes ages to dry and crumble too, unless I leave them by the fire, hence I’ve resorted to washing the whole shoe to get it off. Not worried about what they look like, just trying to prolong their life and make them a bit lighter before a run.

So I suppose the question is will they last longer dirty or clean ?

Myrtle TT, will try out the Nappy San.

Barefoot, don’t you find the shoes shrink and crack next to the gas fire ?

Gave up on the socks long ago, even the black ones look browny red :rolleyes:

[RunDave]

I wouldn't soak them in anything while they are newish. Soaking can absorb into the foam and start to damage it. Just run them under the tap and scrub off the mud with a brush.

When my shoes get really old, I try to give them a new lease of life by washing them in the washing machine and then letting them dry over a week or two. After I do this, they seem to have a few extra km in them. If not, they are nice clean shoes for wearing around the house.