How do I dry wet shoes quickly?

Shoes dry from the inside out, and the inside is where the water and the smell both sit. Absorbent stuffing plus airflow beats heat every time, and heat is what damages the shoe.

What you'll need

• Newspaper or kitchen paper
• Fan (optional)
• Silica or rice (optional)

Step by step

1. Remove the insoles and laces and dry them separately.Insoles hold most of the water and are the main source of smell. They dry in a fraction of the time once out.
2. Wipe off surface water and mud.Dried-on mud is much harder to remove and, on leather, draws moisture and oils out as it dries.
3. Stuff loosely with newspaper or kitchen paper.Loosely, so air can still move. Packed tight, it holds moisture in the middle and dries slowly.
4. Change the paper after about an hour, then again later.This is the step that makes it fast. Saturated paper is doing nothing; fresh paper draws out much more.
5. Put them somewhere warm with moving air.An airing cupboard, or in front of a fan. Airflow matters more than temperature and does no damage.
6. Keep them away from direct heat.Radiators, hairdryers and open fires crack leather, shrink it, and melt the adhesive holding soles on.
7. Use a fan for a fast result.A fan pointed into the shoes dries them in a few hours with no risk. It is the fastest safe method there is.
8. Condition leather once dry.Water strips the oils out of leather. A leather conditioner or dubbin afterwards prevents cracking and prolongs the shoe considerably.

Tips

• A cheap boot dryer or even a fan is genuinely worth it if you regularly get wet shoes — it removes the temptation to use a radiator.
• Silica gel sachets or a bag of rice inside dry shoes overnight pulls out the last of the damp and reduces smell.
• Never tumble dry shoes. The heat and tumbling destroys adhesives and structure, and it is loud enough that the temptation is short-lived anyway.

Common mistakes

• Putting shoes on a radiator — Direct heat cracks leather, shrinks it, and softens the adhesive holding the sole on. It is the most common way shoes are ruined.
• Leaving the same wet newspaper in all night — Once saturated it stops absorbing. Changing it after an hour roughly halves the drying time.
• Leaving insoles in — They hold most of the water and most of the smell, and shoes cannot dry properly around them.

Questions people ask