To wash Hey Dude shoes, start with the label, because the material decides the method. Canvas, stretch canvas, washed canvas and jersey Wallys and Wendys can be washed by hand in a sink with a soft brush and a little mild detergent, or spot cleaned with a foam; leather and suede pairs should only ever be cleaned by hand, with very little water. Either way, take the insole out first and let everything air dry, never in a dryer.
SneakerSalt is not affiliated with Hey Dude.
What Hey Dude says about washing
Less than you would expect. We found no care guide on Hey Dude's own site. What there is:
- Product pages describe the shoes as easy to wash, and the Wendy page says they can be washed and air dried.
- Hey Dude's own care kit is built around a foaming spot cleaner that needs no water, sold for canvas, mesh, leather and suede.
- For adult Wallys and Wendys, the site doesn't say whether the washing machine is fine. The only Hey Dude page we found that answers yes is for a kids' stretch-jersey LILDUDE shoe.
So are Hey Dude shoes washable? Yes, by the maker's own description. Are adult pairs machine washable? Hey Dude doesn't say, and nobody should tell you it does. Everything below fills that gap with what the materials themselves need.
Check the material before anything gets wet
The Wally and the Wendy are each made in canvas, stretch canvas, washed canvas, jersey or other textile, leather and suede. They look alike from a distance and clean very differently.
| Upper | By hand | Machine |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas, stretch canvas, washed canvas | Yes: sink method or foam | Common advice says most survive a cold, gentle cycle |
| Jersey or other textile | Yes: sink method or foam, light pressure | Same as canvas |
| Leather | Damp cloth, little water | No |
| Suede | Dry brush, blot only | No |
| Wool | Yes, by hand only | No |
| Fur or fleece lined, sparkly or glitter | Follow the label | Follow the label |
How to wash Hey Dudes by hand in the sink
This is the method for canvas and jersey pairs. It washes the upper without ever putting the shoe under water.
- Insole out. It is a removable foam insole. It gets cleaned and dried on its own.
- Dry dirt off. Bang the soles together outside, then go over the upper with a dry soft brush.
- Make a weak mix. A few drops of mild detergent in a sink of cool water. You are going to dip the brush, not the shoe.
- Brush the upper. Dip, tap off the excess, and work in short strokes along the weave, a section at a time, with lighter pressure on jersey.
- Rinse the brush and go again. Clean water on the brush this time, to lift the soap back out of the fabric.
- Soles last. Brush the bottoms separately. Hey Dude doesn't name the outsole material, so stick to brush and mild soapy water there, which is what several makers, Sperry and Golden Goose among them, use on their own soles.
- Towel, then air. Press a towel against the upper to pull out the water, stuff the shoe with paper and leave it at room temperature.
The two ways to ruin them are the same as for most shoes: soaking the whole thing, and drying it with heat. Brooks and Skechers, both of which publish hand-wash instructions, warn against soaking or oversaturating the shoe.
The foam alternative
For a pair that is grubby rather than filthy, you don't need the sink at all. Hey Dude's own kit takes this route, and so does our SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam: two pumps on the dirty area, ten seconds, wipe with a dry cloth. On canvas and stretch canvas it is rated excellent. Jersey is a knit, and knit is rated excellent too. On suede it is good, blot only: a light pump, a dry cloth pressed on and lifted off, and the nap brushed up once dry. On leather, test an inside panel first; the foam has no bleach or solvents and hasn't lifted dye on anything tested. On the removable insole, a light pass and a dry wipe will do; just don't soak it. We haven't tested it on wool, fur or glitter, so keep it off those.
Leather and suede Hey Dudes
These stay out of the sink as well as the machine. Wipe leather with a cloth that is barely damp and dry it off straight away. On suede, brush first in one direction to lift dust out of the nap, use as little water as possible, and blot rather than rub. If the nap flattens, brush it back up once the shoe is dry. The full suede technique is in our suede and nubuck guide.
Can Hey Dude shoes be machine washed?
Hey Dude hasn't said so for adult pairs. The common advice is that most canvas and textile pairs come through a cold, gentle cycle in a mesh bag with the insoles out, followed by air drying. Leather, suede and wool versions go by hand only. If you take the risk with a canvas pair, keep it cold, keep it gentle, keep the insole out and keep it away from the dryer. What the drum does to shoes in general is in our washing machine guide.
The insole, the smell and the drying
Most of the smell lives in the insole. Lift it out, wipe it over with a little soapy water without soaking it, press it in a towel and let it dry flat, away from the shoe. Shake some baking soda into the empty shoe overnight and tip it out in the morning. Rotating two pairs helps too, because neither goes back on damp.
Will Hey Dudes shrink if you wash them? Hey Dude doesn't say. What other makers of washable shoes say points at heat, not water: Rothy's, whose knit shoes are made to go in the machine, warns that heat makes them shrink and lose their shape. So dry every Hey Dude at room temperature, stuffed with paper, away from radiators, hair dryers and direct sun.
Questions people actually ask
How do I make Hey Dudes look new again?
Clean the upper, wash the insole and brush suede back up once dry; cleaning can't do more than that. Creases in the upper are folds, not dirt, and no cleaner removes them, ours included.
Is Dawn dish soap safe to clean shoes?
A drop in a sink of water, yes, on canvas. More is worse: Nike warns that a high concentration of dish soap can discolour shoes or strip their natural oils. Keep it off suede.
Can you bleach Hey Dude shoes?
Hey Dude doesn't say. Vans warns that chlorine bleach yellows white canvas, and our guide to why bleach yellows shoes explains why that is true of canvas generally. We wouldn't.
Is it better to wash Hey Dudes by hand or in the washer?
By hand, for most shoes. Most makers that publish care advice prefer it; the ones that endorse the machine, such as Rothy's and Allbirds, make shoes designed to go in it. Hey Dude hasn't said its adult pairs are one of those.
Clean them without the sink: SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam, $24 with a brush and a cloth included, free shipping, and your money back if it doesn't clean your Hey Dudes.
