How to wash Skechers shoes depends on one small icon. If your pair carries Skechers' Machine Washable icon, take out the laces and insoles, put the shoes in a mesh laundry bag or a pillowcase and run a gentle, cold cycle with mild detergent. If it doesn't, wash it by hand with a few drops of mild detergent in warm water, without soaking it. Either way, Skechers says no dryer, and light-up pairs never go in the machine at all.
SneakerSalt is not affiliated with Skechers.
Are Skechers washable? Check for the icon
Skechers' own cleaning guide, updated in November 2025, starts with the same question you're asking: does your pair have the Machine Washable icon? Skechers sells a line built for the washer, and its feature page for those shoes says you can "just throw them in the washer." The icon is how you tell them apart from everything else Skechers makes.
Not all Skechers are washable in a machine, and the model name alone won't tell you. Whether a particular pair of Slip-ins, Go Walks, Arch Fits, tennis or running shoes can go in is a question for the icon, not for the name on the box. No icon, no machine.
There is an older Skechers page that is stricter still. Its Shoe Sizing & Care page, carrying a 2021 copyright, says "DO NOT put nylon/mesh shoes in the washing machine or dryer" and "DO NOT put athletic sneakers in the washing machine or dryer." The newer guide is built around the icon. For mesh trainers and athletic shoes without one, the old warning is still the safer reading.
Which method for which upper
Skechers uppers vary by style: engineered mesh or knit, canvas, leather, suede or nubuck. The icon decides whether the machine is allowed; the material decides everything else.
| Upper | Machine | By hand |
|---|---|---|
| Engineered mesh or knit | Only with the icon | Few drops of mild detergent in warm water, or foam |
| Canvas | Only with the icon | Same as mesh |
| Leather | No icon, no machine | Leather cleaner, or foam (test an inside panel on coloured leather) |
| Suede or nubuck | No icon, no machine | Suede product, or a light foam pass and a blot |
| Light-up | Never | Damp cloth on the upper, lights kept dry |
How to wash Skechers in the washing machine
For pairs with the Machine Washable icon, this is Skechers' method, step by step.
- Laces and insoles out. Clean the laces separately. Take out insoles only if they are designed to come out; read the insole section below before you pull anything.
- Knock off the dry dirt. Clap the soles together and brush off loose mud so it isn't churned through the mesh.
- Bag them. In Skechers' words, "Place your Skechers in a mesh laundry bag or a pillowcase."
- Cold and gentle. "Use the gentle cycle with cold water and a mild detergent." No bleach and no hot water; both are on Skechers' list of things to avoid.
- Air dry. Out of the bag, laces and insoles separate, and nowhere near the dryer.
That's all the machine needs. Our washing machine guide explains what a cycle does to shoes that weren't built for it, which is the reason the icon matters.
How to wash Skechers shoes by hand
For every pair without the icon, and for anyone who would rather not use the machine:
- Laces out, dry dirt off. Brush the upper and the sole while they are dry.
- Mix. Skechers' own recipe: "Mix a few drops of mild laundry detergent with warm water." A few drops, not a capful.
- Wipe, don't soak. Dip a soft brush or cloth, squeeze it out, and work over the upper a section at a time. Skechers asks you to be "careful not to oversaturate" the shoe.
- Take the soap back off. Go over the upper again with a cloth dampened in clean water.
- Air dry. Stuff the shoes with paper and leave them at room temperature.
Leather and suede Skechers are the exception to the detergent mix. The usual advice is a leather cleaner on leather and a suede or nubuck product on suede, used sparingly.
A no-rinse foam does the same job with even less water. SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam is rated excellent on engineered mesh, knit, canvas and white leather, and good, blot only, on suede and nubuck: two pumps, ten seconds, wipe with the dry cloth from the box. On coloured leather, test an inside panel first. We haven't tested it on memory foam insoles or on light-up parts, so keep it off both. There is more on engineered mesh in our mesh and knit guide.
Memory foam, Arch Fit and the insole question
Skechers asks you to take the insoles out before washing, but not every Skechers insole is meant to come out.
- Air-Cooled Memory Foam. These insoles are glued in. Don't try to pull them out to wash them; clean them in place with the hand-wash mix on a cloth that is barely damp.
- Arch Fit. The insoles are removable. Lift them out from the heel, wipe them with the same mix and dry them flat on their own.
Memory foam pairs need patience: Skechers asks you to "allow them to air dry for at least 10 to 12 hours" after washing. Put them on early and you are back to damp feet and the smell that follows. For smell between washes, see our insoles and odour guide.
Light-up Skechers
Skechers is unambiguous here: light-up shoes should "never machine wash or submerge." Clean the upper with a cloth and the hand-wash mix, squeezed out well, keep water away from the light-up parts, and dry them at room temperature.
Drying Skechers without damaging them
"Do not put your Skechers in the dryer." That line from Skechers covers every pair, washable or not. The full instruction is to "Let them air dry completely, away from direct sunlight or heat," and Skechers rules out radiators and hair dryers too.
- Stuff the shoes with plain paper to hold the shape and soak up moisture; change it when it's damp.
- Dry laces and removable insoles separately.
- Give memory foam pairs the full 10 to 12 hours, more if the room is cold.
What not to use on Skechers
| Product or method | Use it? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bleach | No | On Skechers' avoid list. |
| Hot water | No | Also on the avoid list. Cold for the machine, warm for the hand mix. |
| Tumble dryer | No | Skechers says never, for any pair. |
| Radiator, hair dryer, direct sun | No | Skechers asks for air drying away from heat. |
| Soaking the shoe | No | Skechers warns against oversaturating; light-ups must never be submerged. |
| Detergent on suede | No | Use a suede product instead. |
White Skechers follow the same rules, bleach included. White leather is the material our foam is rated best on, and the white leather guide covers the details.
Questions people actually ask
What temperature should I wash Skechers at?
Cold in the machine, per Skechers. The hand-wash mix uses warm water. Hot water is on Skechers' list of things to avoid either way.
Can all Skechers sneakers be machine washed?
No. Only pairs with the Machine Washable icon. Everything else, and every light-up pair, gets washed by hand.
What is the best cleaner for Skechers shoes?
For mesh, knit and canvas, Skechers' answer is mild detergent. For leather, a leather cleaner; for suede, a suede product. A no-rinse foam suits any of the first three when you want them clean today rather than tomorrow.
How do I know if my Skechers slip-ins are washable?
The same way as any Skechers: look for the Machine Washable icon. If it isn't there, wash them by hand.
Clean them today instead of drying them until tomorrow: SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam, $24, brush and cloth in the box, free shipping, and a full refund if it doesn't clean your Skechers.
