To get dog poop off shoes, deal with it outside: scrape off the bulk with a stick or a plastic scraper, pick the grooves of the tread clean, then scrub the sole with cool water, a little detergent and an old brush, and rinse. If any reached the upper, clean that afterwards according to the material. Then wash your hands with soap and running water.
That last step isn't fussiness. The CDC's wording is that "Dog poop can carry germs that make people and animals sick", and its advice is to wash with "soap and running water" after touching it, "even if you use a bag". The same goes if you wore gloves.
Before you start
- Stay outdoors. A garden tap, a hose or a bucket by the back door is better than the kitchen sink.
- Use throwaway tools. A stick, a plastic knife, a skewer and an old toothbrush. Not the brush you use on your other shoes.
- Use cool water, not hot. Texas A&M classes faeces as a protein stain and says to dissolve those with cool water. Heat sets stains, so hot water is the wrong first move.
How to get dog poop off the bottom of your shoe
- Scrape the bulk. Hold the shoe sole-up and push the scraper along the outsole, away from you, into a bag or onto newspaper you can bin.
- Pick the tread. This is the slow part. Run a stick or skewer along every groove. Deep lugs on trail and running shoes take the longest, and so does the seam where the sole meets the upper.
- Scrub with cool, soapy water. Dip the old brush in water with a little detergent and work it across the outsole and into the grooves.
- Rinse. Run the hose or tap over the sole only, keeping water off the upper where you can.
- Look again. Turn the shoe in good light. Anything left in a groove goes back to step 2.
- Air dry. Outside or somewhere airy, away from heaters.
If it has dried hard into the tread, wet the grooves with the cool soapy water first to soften it, then pick and brush again. Dried poop is the same job with an extra soak.
When it got on the upper
Tread is the easy case. A splash on the side of the shoe is where the material matters.
Canvas and mesh
Texas A&M's method for this kind of stain on fabric is cool water and detergent first, then an enzyme soak for what remains. That is laundry guidance, so on a shoe you apply it to the area rather than submerging the shoe. Sponge the spot with cool water and a little detergent, blot, and rinse with a damp cloth. If a brown mark is left, work in an enzyme stain remover and give it time before rinsing again. White canvas shows a shadow most clearly, and the enzyme step is the one aimed at it. Keep the shoe out of the dryer until the mark is gone.
Smooth leather
The common advice for smooth leather is short: wipe the residue off with a damp cloth, then clean the panel so it matches. Don't scrub. On coloured leather, test anything you use on an inside panel first.
Suede and nubuck
We found no reliable method for suede, and we would rather say so than invent one. Lift off what you can with a blunt edge without pressing it into the nap, then let it dry before deciding what to do next. For a pair you care about, a specialist cleaner is the safest call. Our suede and nubuck guide covers the general blot method.
If the shoes still smell
The likeliest reason is residue still hiding somewhere: deep in a lug, in the stitching, in the gap between outsole and midsole. Look again before reaching for anything else. If some went inside the shoe, take the insole out and clean or replace it, let everything dry completely, then leave baking soda in the shoe for several hours and shake it out. Our insoles and odour guide has more on that.
What not to do
- Don't start with hot water. It sets protein stains.
- Don't carry them to the kitchen sink. Everything that comes off ends up where you prepare food.
- Don't machine wash them. Most shoe makers advise against machine washing shoes at all. Our washing machine guide explains why.
- Don't use your good brush. Use something you are happy to throw away.
Cat, bird and cow poop
The same order applies: remove the bulk, clean the tread or surface with cool water and detergent, then use an enzyme step on any fabric mark. Bird droppings usually land on the upper rather than the sole, so go straight to the material section above. Cow manure on boots is a scrape, brush and rinse job, with the leather or rubber cleaned afterwards.
Where our foam fits
It is the last step, not the first. Once the bulk is off and the sole is rinsed, SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam lifts the leftover surface grime on the outsole, midsole and upper: two pumps, ten seconds, wipe with a dry cloth you can wash afterwards. We rate it partial here. It is a cleaner, not a germ treatment, and it doesn't remove smell. Wash your hands either way.
Questions people actually ask
How do you clean dried poop off fabric?
Brush off whatever flakes away, then sponge with cool water and detergent and follow with an enzyme stain remover. Hot water and dryer heat both make the mark harder to remove.
Can poop stains be removed from shoes?
On rubber and smooth leather, scraping, rinsing and a damp wipe deal with most of it. On canvas and mesh, the enzyme step gives you the best chance. On suede, a mark may stay.
Does hydrogen peroxide work on poop stains?
We found no source that tests it on this stain. Peroxide can strip colour from dyed fabric, so we would only try it on white canvas, on a hidden spot first.
Does vinegar remove dog poop?
We found nothing reliable showing it does. Cool water, detergent and an enzyme remover are what the extension guidance uses.
Tread done, hands washed? The upper takes a minute with SneakerSalt foam: $24, free shipping, a brush and cloth in the box, and a refund within 30 days if it doesn't clean your shoe.
