How to Dry Soccer Cleats Fast in 6 Steps

If you’re wondering how to dry soccer cleats, you’ve come to the right place. So, what’s the best way to do it promptly and safely?

To dry soccer cleats, remove the laces and insoles from each shoe, place newspaper loosely inside them, place them in a dry room and elevate them, aim a fan directly at them, and wait roughly 1-2 hours for them to dry.

This article covers common questions regarding drying your soccer cleats and the safest ways to do it.

Related: Does Water Ruin Soccer Cleats? (Keep them Dry!)

Can you dry soccer cleats?

Soccer cleats are liable to get a little wet, either from playing soccer in the rain or from sweat. Is it okay to dry them when this happens?

You can dry soccer cleats naturally by placing them in a dry environment. Wet cleats dry faster if exposed to moving air, so placing them near a fan can speed up the process. Don’t put the shoes in a damp or humid area; otherwise, they won’t dry regardless of how long they sit. Don’t expose your cleats to direct heat or sunlight.

Exposing your cleats to direct heat or sunlight is a huge no-no because either can damage your cleats and cause them to crack, especially leather ones.

Related: Synthetic vs. Leather Soccer Cleats – The Key Differences

While drying soccer cleats over time in a dry room is safe, you can expedite the process with a few DIY tips.

Placing newspaper inside wet cleats dries them fast and helps them keep their shape. The extra weight from the water can bog down the cleat’s silhouette causing it to lose shape.

Avoid this and dry them faster by putting newspaper inside.

While there are a few ways to dry soccer cleats, you should avoid some things, too.

Never put your soccer cleats in the dryer. The heat can damage the cleats on the inside and outside and can cause them to shrink depending on their material.

Sometimes, the dryer will dry them without causing damage, but the risk of ruining your cleats is too high, in my opinion.

It’s always safer to dry them in a dry room with some newspaper stuffed inside.

Is it safe to dry soccer cleats?

There are a few different ways to dry soccer cleats, but some are harmful to the material and can ruin your boots. Stick to the safe way to avoid any mishaps while drying them.

It’s safe to dry soccer cleats by placing them in a dry room away from moisture. However, it’s unsafe to dry soccer cleats with direct heat or sunlight because it can crack, shrink, or melt the cleat’s materials. For example, putting cleats in the dryer is unsafe because the heat can shrink them, and using a blow dryer can crack the outer fabric.

The safest way to dry cleats is by setting them inside a dry room, stuffing them with newspaper, and pointing an electric fan at them.

The newspaper absorbs moisture to dry them quicker, and the moving air from the fan helps the moisture wick faster.

You can also place them outside on a dry day with low humidity, but keep them out of direct sunlight.

Does drying cleats damage them?

Cleats are susceptible to natural wear and tear after using them for some time. Taking proper care of them can make them last longer. Drying them incorrectly is one way to damage or ruin them.

Drying cleats with direct heat and sunlight damages them permanently. Do not leave cleats in the sun or use a dryer or blow dryer to dry them, as this can crack, shrink, or melt the material. Dry your cleats by filling them with newspaper and putting them in a dry room away from heat and moisture.

The worst thing you can do to dry your cleats is exposing them direct heat or sunlight because you risk cracking or melting the material. Although it might seem like a good idea, doing either can cause more harm than good.

Leather soccer cleats contain a small amount of natural moisture or oil in the material, and leaving them in the sun or drying them with direct heat will dry them out, causing them to stiffen and eventually crack.

Proper care is essential to get the most out of your boots. For more information on how to make your cleats last longer, click here.

How to dry soccer cleats fast

If you’re looking for a quick way to dry cleats without damaging them, you’ve come to the right place.

To dry soccer cleats quickly and safely, follow these steps.

Remove the laces

The first step in drying your cleats is removing the laces to help air circulate inside the shoes and across the tongue or surface.

If your laces are wet, you can dry them quickly by hanging them in a dry room or outside. These will dry quicker than your cleats, so don’t worry if you’re short on time.

Remove the insoles

After removing the laces, remove the insole from the bottom of each shoe.

Place each insole in the same room you put the cleats. Like the laces, these will dry faster than your cleats.

If your insoles aren’t removable, don’t worry; the cleats will still dry properly.

Place clumps of newspaper inside each shoe

Use newspaper to absorb moisture and speed up the process.

Crumple one piece of newspaper at a time and slide them into your shoe all the way to the toe. Repeat this until you fill the shoe.

Let’s be clear; we aren’t stuffing the shoes with newspaper until they bulge at the seams. Instead, fill the shoes so that there is still room for air to circulate between the paper and the shoe.

The newspaper also retains the shoe’s shape, ensuring it still fits correctly the next time you put it on.

Put the cleats in a dry room

This step is vital to drying your cleats faster.

Put your cleats in a dry, non-humid area. The moisture will not wick in a humid environment, so it’s imperative you find a dry space in your home.

Elevating your cleats with a shoe rack would be best to ensure air circulates properly.

Aim a fan at the cleats

Use an electric fan or a light breeze to help dry the cleats faster. If it’s breezy outside, you can set the shoes there but keep them away from direct sunlight.

If you’re using a fan, try to aim it at the hole of the shoe where your foot would go. This is the optimal position to circulate air throughout the cleat and the newspaper inside.

Wait for the cleats to dry

If you followed the previous steps, this should only take about 1-2 hours.

Swap the newspaper with new, dry newspaper after one hour if the cleats still aren’t dry, and continue waiting.

Once the cleats are dry, you can put the dry insoles back inside and re-lace them.

Congratulations, you’ve safely and quickly dried your soccer cleats!

Can you dry soccer cleats in the dryer?

Drying your cleats in the dryer is a no-no. At the end of the day, the risk of damaging them is not worth it.

It’s generally not advisable to dry soccer cleats in the dryer. Although it’s possible to do it without damaging them, do not put them in the dryer because the heat can cause permanent damage to the shoes.

Instead, you should let your cleats sit in a dry room until they’re no longer wet.

If you need to dry them faster, you can do a few things, including stuffing them with newspaper.

Does putting soccer cleats in the dryer help them shrink?

Putting your cleats in the dryer might help them shrink to a more form-fitting size. But at what cost?

Putting soccer cleats in the dryer helps them shrink, but it also damages them. The heat causes the shoe’s materials to tighten together and shrink, placing stress on the shoe and causing it to rip the next time it’s used.

This is, however, one of the only ways you can get your shoes to shrink, so it might be worth it.

If you want to dry your shoes without them shrinking, it’s best to take another route.

Can you blow dry soccer cleats?

Soccer cleats are not manufactured to take on direct heat. It’s generally unsafe to blow dry them. However, there’s one exception to using a hair dryer.

You can safely blow dry soccer cleats with the cool setting on a hair dryer. Avoid using any form of direct heat to dry cleats, including the low setting on a hair dryer.

Wet cleats that dry too quickly can crack, so you should never use the heat from a blow dryer to dry them.

Instead, you can blow cool air at them with a blow dryer or electronic fan to dry them faster than usual.

Can you put soccer cleats in the washing machine?

Washing machines are notorious for ruining shoes. Can you put your soccer cleats in there?

You should not put soccer cleats in the washing machine because the water and detergent can damage them. Instead, clean them with a splash of warm water, a small amount of non-harsh cleaning product, and a soft-bristle toothbrush.

You can also use a wet microfiber towel to wipe away dirt or mud. Furthermore, a popsicle stick can scrape mud off the bottom of your cleats.

Avoid sharp objects when cleaning soccer cleats, and use nonabrasive cleaning products and towels on the surface.

Summary of How to dry soccer cleats

It’s safe to dry soccer cleats if done correctly.

As a general rule, you should dry your soccer cleats by placing them in a dry room next to a fan. Placing pieces of newspaper inside each shoe will dry them faster.

Avoid drying your cleats with direct heat from dryers and hair dryers, and don’t leave them out in the sun. Either of these will permanently damage your cleats.