To clean Vessi shoes, brush off any dried mud first, then check your style. Vessi lists seven styles that can go in the washing machine in a wash bag on a cold cycle with detergent. Everything else gets a rinse, a gentle wipe of the upper, another rinse and an air dry. Whichever method you use, keep them out of the dryer and away from heat.
SneakerSalt is not affiliated with Vessi.
Can your Vessis go in the washing machine?
Vessi's FAQ names these styles as machine washable:
- Alta High Tops
- Boardwalk Slip-ons
- Classic Chelsea
- Market Flats
- Pacific Sneaker
- Stormburst Low Tops
- Weekend Classic
If yours is not on the list (the Soho, for example), use the hand method below.
One conflict to know about: a Weekend product page recommends hand washing, while the FAQ lists the Weekend Classic as machine washable. If your Weekend's care card or product page says hand wash, follow that. The hand method is gentler, so it is the safe choice when Vessi's own pages disagree.
Machine washing the listed styles
- Brush off dry mud. Let wet mud dry first, then knock it off and brush the rest away.
- Laces out. Clean them separately.
- Into a wash bag. Vessi asks for one.
- Cold cycle with detergent. Vessi's words: "a cold cycle with detergent". Nothing warm.
- Air dry completely before you wear them, away from direct sun and radiators.
How to wash Vessi shoes by hand
For every style not on the list, Vessi's method is short:
- Rinse the shoe to take off loose dirt.
- "Gently wipe the upper" with a soft cloth.
- Rinse again to take off what you loosened.
- Air dry, away from sun and radiators.
The word Vessi uses is gently, and it matters. This is a wipe, not a scrub, and a stiff brush has no place on the knit. Wipe the midsole the same way.
How Vessi makes its shoes waterproof
Vessi calls its knit Dyma-tex and says "our technology is directly integrated into the knit", with "nano-sized pores". In other words, the waterproofing is part of the fabric rather than a separate layer you can see.
What we can't tell you is how any particular cleaner affects that. Vessi doesn't say, and we would rather admit that than guess. What Vessi does say is to keep heat away, because heat "may damage the materials".
Spot cleaning and stains
A splash or a grey toe needs a spot clean, not a full wash. On the knit upper, SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam is rated Excellent: two pumps on the mark, ten seconds, then wipe with a dry cloth, gently, in keeping with Vessi's own instruction. The bottle comes with a brush and a cloth. It needs no rinse, and laces are rated Good.
Two limits, stated plainly. Vessi doesn't name what its midsoles are made of, so we don't recommend our foam there; use Vessi's rinse-and-wipe instead. And for the reason above, we make no claim either way about the waterproofing.
For typical marks:
- Mud: dry it, brush it off, then wipe what is left.
- Grass: the dirt lifts; the green behaves like a dye and may leave a tint.
- Oil: dust it with cornstarch or talc to soak it up before any water.
Our mesh and knit guide covers knit technique in more detail.
Drying: no dryer, whatever the blog says
Vessi's FAQ is clear: "Avoid using heat or putting them in the dryer, as this may damage the materials." Some general Vessi blog posts mention a low-heat dryer setting. The FAQ is the more specific and more cautious source, so follow it. Stuff the shoes with paper and leave them at room temperature until they are completely dry inside.
The inside, and smell
Vessi's care pages don't cover the inside, so this is general advice. Let them dry fully between wears; the NHS advises not wearing the same pair two days in a row. A little baking soda inside overnight, shaken out in the morning, helps. Our insoles and odour guide has the rest.
Questions people actually ask
Can I wash Vessi shoes in the dishwasher?
No. We know of no shoe maker that recommends a dishwasher, and Vessi's warning about heat rules it out on its own.
Does hydrogen peroxide clean white Vessis?
The baking soda and peroxide paste you see online is a method for white canvas. Peroxide can bleach dyes, and nothing we found covers it on a waterproof knit, so we would leave it out.
Can you bleach Vessi shoes?
We wouldn't. Bleach is widely advised against on knit and mesh, Nike's guidance included, and nobody can tell you what it does to the waterproof knit.
For the everyday marks that don't need a full wash: SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam on the knit, $24, free shipping, brush and cloth included, and your money back if it doesn't clean your Vessis.
