How to Clean Hey Dude Shoes

Do you want to know how to clean Hey Dude Shoes? Hey Dude footwear is having a moment. This incredibly popular shoe brand is known for its uber comfortable slip-on-shoes. These shoes are sustainable, lightweight, stylish and most of all incredibly wearable. However many of the shoes are made from canvas chambray uppers or other similar fabric making many people question how they should be cleaned.

We have created a guide that can help you to clean Hey Dude Shoes and keep them looking good. The aim of our guide is to help you look after your shoes without ruining them and forcing you to buy a new pair.

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Can Hey Dude Shoes Be Washed?

So what do you do when your Hey Dude shoes are looking dirty and are looking past your best? Well, the good news is that Canvas, Sox and Stretch Hey Dudes can be washed not just by hand but in the washing machine.

Being able to machine wash your canvas shoes is unusual but a great way of removing unwanted dirt and stains that might be difficult to do by hand.

Hey Dude shoes do however come in a number of other materials such as wool, suede and leather. These shoes should never be placed into a washing machine and have their own specialist cleaning instructions.

How to Clean Your Shoes in The Washing Machine

If you have a pair of canvas Hey Dudes the first thing you need to do before placing them in the washing machine is to try and remove any excess dirt or grime from the shoes. You can use a shoe brush to remove dirt and debris on the canvas and a damp cloth to clean the soles.

If your shoes do have laces make sure you remove them before placing them into the washing machine. Also, take out the removable insoles before placing your shoes into the washing machine.

The washing instructions are relatively simple. We recommend that you don’t wash anything else in the machine whilst you are cleaning your shoes.

To make sure your shoes aren’t hitting the washing machine sides as they are being cleaned it really makes sense to buy a Sneaker Washing Machine Bag that fits onto the door. This allows your shoes to be cleaned without being damaged.

You should run the machine on a cool or cold water wash to prevent shrinking. We prefer a delicate cycle and a mild detergent. The manufacturers also believe that you should avoid a spin cycle when using your washer as this can impact their shape.

Use a color catcher if you can when you are using a machine wash especially if your shoes have more than one color in them.

When the machine washing is finished stuff your shoes with plain paper towels and allow them to air-dry overnight. Do not try and speed up the process by putting them in front of a heat source as this can ruin the canvas. When the process is finished put the insoles and the laces back into the shoes.

For any stretch type Hey Dudes follow the same instructions but because they are less likely to go back into perfect shape after washing place them in a pillow case before your cold water machine wash.

How to Clean Hey Dudes by Hand

If you are worried about using a machine wash even on a delicate wash then we can also show you how to clean Hey Dude Shoes then you could try hand washing as an alternative. This can sometimes be the safer alternative because even though the manufacturers talk about different cleaning methods on their website they don’t take responsibility under their warranty policy if anything goes wrong.

Hand washing as a way of keeping your shoes clean is a little bit more labor-intensive but it is probably a better way to prevent shrinking or the color running which can happen in a washer. Use the following washing instructions to help you keep your slip-ons looking great.

You can wash your Hey Dude’s by hand in either a bucket or a sink. Before beginning any washing use a soft bristle brush to remove any dirt or debris from your shoes. Then use a damp cloth to clean the shoe soles.

Remove the memory foam insoles from inside the shoe and also the laces. Then fill your sink or bucket with some cold or luck warm water and add a mild liquid detergent. For wool-type materials, you can use a specialist liquid detergent. Remember you only need a tiny amount of detergent to help get your shoes clean.

Then with a clean brush or soft cloth gently scrub any stains or marks on the toe area and outsoles with the liquid detergent and water mixture. When you have safely cleaned all the parts of your Hey Dudes rinse off the detergent with cold clean water.

Whatever you do avoid bleaching any parts of the shoe as you will cause discoloration to the fabric.

Do not wring out or manhandle your shoes otherwise, they will go out of shape. Simply fill them with paper towels and allow them to air dry until they are ready to wear. Try and avoid direct sunlight as that may dry them too quickly, especially in the very hot sun which can cause problems to the fabric.

How to Wash Hey Dude Insoles

Hey Dude shoes recommend that their insoles are removed before you attempt to machine wash their brand. With that in mind, we would never recommend that try and attempt placing them in the washer unless you are prepared to ruin your shoes.

Instead, it makes sense to gently hand wash them in cold water to see if that can help.

Don’t dowse the insoles in a bucket or a sink. Instead, get some water and mild detergent and use a soft-bristled brush to gently scrub the insoles to remove any dirt or stubborn stains. Don’t over-saturate them with the product.

Then when you have finished cleaning them try and remove the detergent by gently scrubbing the insole with clean water. When you have got them as clean as you can let them air dry until they are ready to wear.

If your insoles are looking shabby or you can’t get rid of the smell remember that you can purchase new Hey Dude insoles relatively cheaply as replacements. This might be a better option in some cases if you want to make sure your feet are totally comfortable and smell fresh.

How To Stop Hey Dudes From Smelling

Instead of just learning how to clean Hey Dude shoes think about how you can protect them in the future and deodorize your shoes so that the memory foam insoles last longer.

Hey Dude shoes can be worn with socks or without. Clearly going barefoot is more likely to cause smells in the fabric and make them dirtier (no matter how clean your feet are). Therefore if possible try and wear them with regular socks or trainer socks to protect your shoes from smells.

Where possible don’t wear the same pair every day as they won’t get a chance to dry out properly. Try and alternate your shoes if you can.

Natural Foot and Shoe Odor Eliminator is also something that you can buy to get rid of the smell. Just sprinkle it in your shoes to get rid of any nasty lingering pongs.

Then when you have finished with your shoes for the evening place some Odor Drops into your shoes to remove any residual smells from wearing your Hey Dude shoes all day.

Can You Put Hey Dude Shoes in the Dryer?

Whilst it may be tempting to think about putting your Hey Dude shoes into the tumble dryer to speed up the drying process this is a bad idea and not recommended at all by the manufacturer.

A dryer can remove moisture from the shoes too quickly and damage the shoes beyond repair. They shouldn’t even be placed in direct sunlight or in front of a fire.

Always air dry your shoes and allow them to dry naturally.

How Long Do Hey Dudes Shoes Last?

When you know how to clean Hey Dude shoes and take care of them you should find that your footwear should last for one or two years. As the brand is at a very reasonable price point that seems to equate to a decent cost-per-wear ratio and a worthwhile investment.