I don’t know about you, but I wear my Allbirds sneakers every day, which means they can get pretty dirty with general wear and stains.
Luckily for us, Allbirds are machine washable and super easy to clean. So follow me as I take you through an easy 7-step guide to washing your Allbirds sneakers!
Let’s jump in.
How To Clean Allbirds Shoes
What You’ll Need To Wash Allbirds
- Mild Detergent
- Small Bowl
- Large Bowl
- Soft brush - or toothbrush
- Cloth
- Linen Bag, Mesh Wash Bag, or Pillowcase
- Washing Machine
- Allbirds
- Drying Rack
How To Wash Allbirds -Do’s and Dont’s
Do’s
- Remove insoles and laces.
- Clean off any visible dirt.
- Place shoes inside a linen / mesh bag (or pillowcase).
- Use a cold and delicate wash.
- Air Dry.
Dont’s
- Don’t use bleach.
- Don’t Use fabric softener.
- Don’t wash at a high heat.
- Don’t tumble dry.
- Don’t wash with insoles and laces in shoes!
Step 1: Remove Insoles and laces
Firstly you want to remove your insoles and laces from your shoes; this will stop the insoles from getting damaged and the laces from becoming tangled in the washing machine.
How to Remove Allbirds Insoles and Laces
- Simply grab the bottom of the insoles while they’re in the shoe, and pull them out of the shoe (as shown).
- Remove the laces by pulling the laces through the eyelets - if you have any knots in the laces, undo the knots so the laces pull through easily.
Step 2: Cleaning laces and insoles
It’s recommended that you hand wash your insoles and laces. To do this, pop them into a bowl of mild detergent and water, and hand wash them by hand.
Place your Allbirds laces in a small bowl of mild and warm soapy water - squeeze the laces to extract any dirt.
Leave for 10-15 mins and see the dirt! Who knew laces could get this dirty?
Place your insoles into a large bowl of mild warm soapy water and squeeze gently with your hands.
Leave your insoles to soak for 15 mins, then rinse with water and air dry.
I always like to rinse my insoles and laces after the soapy water to ensure all detergent is removed.
Once rinsed, leave both to air dry.
Step 3: Brush off any excess dirt from your Allbirds
If your Allbirds are heavily soiled with dirt or mud, the brand recommends that you brush this off before washing. I used a clean wooden dish brush (which I composted afterwards), but an old toothbrush or any soft bristled cleaning brush will do the trick.
If there are visible stains on the fabric, spot clean with a towel dipped into soapy water made with a mild detergent.
Tip / Dip your brush into warm soapy water to remove the stains quicker. Make sure you don’t scrub too hard and risk damaging the sneakers.
Step 4: Place your shoes into a linen bag
Before you put your Allbirds into the washing machine, the brand recommends using a linen bag to protect your shoes while in the machine.
Your washing machine can spin up to a whopping 1000rpm – 1600rpm, so the bag will help to protect your shoes from getting thrown around too much.
Don’t have a linen bag or mesh bag? No problem. Place your shoes inside an old pillowcase and tie the top; this will work just as well.
Place the shoes into a suitable wash bag or pillowcase.
Make sure the top of the bag is secured before placing in the washing machine.
Step 5: Use a gentle detergent.
Throw in a washing tablet or add your detergent, but make sure you don’t use a strong detergent like bleach - because this will stain your shoes!
Use an eco-friendly washing detergent that works at lower temperatures, such as Eco Roots, Dropps, or Tru Earth.
Step 6: Chose a cold wash wool/delicates cycle.
Now, this is also an important step - make sure that your machine setting is on a cold wash (I washed mine at 30degC) and set to a delicates cycle.
The delicate cycle won’t spin the drum as vigorously, so it will protect your sneakers.
Tip / Make sure you DO NOT wash your shoes on high heat - as this can distort the sole and damage the shoes.
Once you’ve selected your cycle and added your detergent, it’s time to start the machine.
Step 7: Air Dry
Once the cycle is complete, take your Allbirds and place them outside (If it’s sunny) or place on a drying rack. Whatever you do, DO NOT tumble dry, as the heat can distort and destroy your sneakers.
Leaving them to air dry should take around 24-48 hours.
Look how clean the soles are after washing!
Once your Allbirds are dry, place your dry insoles and laces back into the shoes, and voila - clean Allbirds!
Tip / If you can’t get the smell out of your insoles (don’t worry, it happens to us all), you can They have specific insoles for each shoe, so select the correct model.
How to Clean Allbirds FAQs
Why should I wash my Allbirds? Keeping your Allbirds clean will help your shoes last longer. If you look after your shoes, they’ll look after you by lasting you years.
Can I machine wash Allbirds? Yes you can machine wash Allbirds on a cold and delicate wash. But, before you head straight to the washing machine, ask yourself whether a light touch up with a cloth, a brush, and mild detergent may be enough to clean your shoes. Cleaning with a cloth or brush will help to save water and electricity.
Wrapping Up: How to Wash Allbirds
We hope you’ve found our guide on How to wash Allbirds simple and easy to follow. You should now have clean Allbirds!
Looking for a new pair of Allbirds? Check out our reviews of the Tree Dasher 1, Tree Dasher 2, and Tree Pipers!
If you want to discover other sustainable Allbirds alternatives, we’ve got a post for that too!
