Wet shoes are
uncomfortable. No one can deny that. Just think about walking around with
soaking wet footwear, and each soggy step you take. Makes you cringe, doesn't
it? It can happen in heavy rain, at the beach, or from an unforeseen puddle on
the street. While you can't always avoid wet shoes, you can rest easy knowing
that the next time this happens to you, you know the secret trick to drying
your shoes faster without damaging them with excessive heat.
Beyond how they
feel, wet shoes also introduce other potential problems: mildew smell, unexpected cost (rain treats
$150 shoes the same as $20 ones), and blisters for you if you happen to not be
wearing socks at the time and need to walk around in the sogginess for a while.
The safe answer
is newspapers. Those things you throw in the recycling bin daily. The method has been around for awhile, and is easy:
1.
Get newspapers.
(Choose the newspaper
pages without a lot of dark ink.)
2.
Remove the
shoe's insole to dry separately.
3.
Loosen the laces
and open up the shoe.
4.
Ball/crinkle the
newspaper and stuff the shoes.
5.
Place shoes in a
dry spot indoors.
6.
If possible place
shoes close by an indoor space heater or fan (not directly).
7.
Remove/replace
newspaper every couple of hours when wet (or mushy). Old newspaper is great for
absorbing moisture as well as the odor from your wet shoes or boots.
8.
To
dry the outsides of the shoe, wrap a few newspaper sheets around them, and then
use a rubber band to secure them.
Don’t dry your footwear on heaters, campfires, stoves or
any other direct source of heat. This can melt the glue off your boots and
potentially render them useless. There
are other safer solutions suitable for boots, shoes, or other footwear you may have,
and here they are:
Clothes Dryer: Only as a
Last Resort- Fill up the dryer
with towels (or dishrags). Put the shoes in and then pair them in beside each
other, but keep the toes up. As for the soles, set them against the inside of
the dryer door. Open the dryer door. Pair your shoes side by side with the toes
up. Set the soles of the shoes against the inside of the dryer door. Loop the
laces around the top of the dryer door and then carefully shut the door.
All this is done because the shoes hanging on the door
will keep them from being knocked around in the basin. Proceed to set the dryer
to a low cycle or a medium one for not more than an hour. The boots will stay
in the middle won’t bang around or get scratched. After the cycle just untie
the knot and take the shoes out. (Make sure to check if the material of your
boots is dryer safe so you don’t ruin them or void your warranty.)
Refrigerate Your Shoes-Don’t worry. You don’t need to put the shoes inside
the refrigerator. You will use the vent of the refrigerator, which is usually
placed below or behind the refrigerator. Get your wet shoes and remove the
insoles. Lay them on their sides facing the vent or the fan of the
refrigerator. Leave them there until dry. It might take a while. (You can use
any other appliance that produces hot air. The freezer works too.)
Rice: Not Just for Wet
Phones-Rice is one of the best water
absorbers. You can save your boots or shoes too. Rice is a good desiccant. It can remove the odor too and prevents
bacterial growth. Make rice socks by filling spare socks with rice and tie them
with hair elastics. Do not fill them to the brim, just enough for the rice to
move inside the socks.
Clean your shoes to remove the excess mud or dirt. Remove
the insoles and put the rice sock inside the shoes. If your shoes are not
soaked, you can leave it alone for 2-3 hours while the rice removes the
moisture. If the shoes are completely soaked, leave them overnight with the
rice sock for the rice to absorb the moisture. (This is one of the safest
methods for sensitive footwear, but it’s not the fastest way to dry shoes.)
Shoe Dryer: A Truly Specialized Tool-Boots and shoe dryers are the
safest and fastest way to dry shoes since that’s their only job. Shoe dryers
come in many sizes, but they usually consist of one or two tubes that go inside
your shoes. Remove the insoles and laces from your boots. Put the shoes or
boots on the drying tubes, or place the dryers inside. (It depends on the model.)
Make sure that there are 6” free
between the shoes and the base. Turn on the shoe dryer and leave it on for a
recommended time. (Always make sure that the toe of the shoe is higher than the
heel so it will dry out faster and more even. You can also dry gloves, helmets, and cleats with it.)
Towels: Both for You and Your Shoes-Take that used (but a dry) towel
and quickly soak in the moisture out of your shoes. Loosen the laces and open
the shoes as wide as possible. Make a roll out of your towel. Cram it inside
your shoes and tighten the laces. (Choose softer and fluffier towels if
possible, as they will soak in much more moisture than the rough ones.)
Use the Cool Power of an Air Fan-They help us when it’s too hot,
but they can help when it’s raining too. An air fan can be a great improvised
shoe dryer. Find a sturdy fan that’s longer than your shoes. Remove the insoles
from the shoes. Cut two 6” pieces from an old wire hanger and make “S” shapes
out of them. Hook the smaller ends of the “S” hooks to the fan and keep them 9”
apart. Loosen the shoes and hook them up. Leave it on medium up to 1-2 hours.
(Set the fan up on top of a towel, it will collect any excess water as it drips
out of the shoes.)
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your
shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own,
and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.” (Dr. Seuss)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“Dry Your Soaking Wet Shoes Faster — Without
Shrinking Them in the Dryer” By Gabrielle
Taylor
·
“Fastest Way to Dry Shoes: 7
Methods to Dry Any Footwear Fast” by DryerBuyer.com
·
“How to dry shoes
overnight – 7 easy methods to dry footwear quickly” by BestOnTests.com
This post was inspired
by an early morning walk in which a horrendous rainstorm occurred unexpectedly
midway through. By the time I got home everything on me was soaking wet
including my only pair of shoes. I used newspaper and a ceiling fan in my room to
dry my shoes. It took several days, but
my shoes received no damage, and are working fine now.
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