Allbirds are great-looking and comfortable shoes made from sustainable materials. They are also touted by the brand as ‘the world’s most enjoyable-to-wear shoe’.
As with all comfortable shoes, they will get dirty, and possibly pretty smelly too.
Your Allbirds are likely proudly worn every single day. The thing is, how do you wash them to keep them clean?
Let’s find out how best to wash your comfortable sneakers.
Table of Contents
How to Wash Allbirds?
Like with any cleaning task, you’ll need to prepare your shoes for washing. Here you should have a towel or a soft brush that is gentle on wool. Take the insoles and the laces out. This is the first step. The insoles should never be washed in the washing machine. Put both these aside. Now bush off the excess dirt from the shoes with the brush or towel.
What’s next – hand or machine wash?
The great news is that you can use both methods to wash your Allbirds. As long as you use cold water, a gentle detergent and natural drying methods, you can choose that suits you best.
To start with a machine wash, place your Allbirds – sans laces and insoles – into a mesh laundry bag. You can use a pillowcase or other small bag if you do not have a laundry bag.
Choose a mild detergent, one that you would wash your baby’s clothes with. It must be free from bleach, and it must be a mild detergent. The most suitable detergent to use is manufactured for use with woolen products.
Select the cold water wash on your washing machine and choose the gentlest cycle. This is would be either the wool or delicates cycle.
While there is no reason why you shouldn’t wash your Allbirds with your other clothes, it may be preferable to wash them on their own. If you are worried about them rattling around in your washing machine, you could add a couple of white towels to balance the load.
Allbirds can also be washed by hand. As it is a gentler method than using a washing machine, you’ll never damage them, so you may want to give it a try.
Washing your Allbirds will also help to keep their shape and, it will lessen the chance of any damage during the wash.
The procedure for washing your Allbirds is similar to washing by machine, except, of course, you don’t use the washing machine! Remember to remove both the laces and the insoles. They are best washed separately.
Use a bucket filled with cold water and detergent. Agitate the water a bit with your hand to make it foamy.
Place your Allbirds are placed in the bucket. The water in the bucket should totally cover them.
Then, this is the best part – the shoes will need to soak for around 20 minutes. After this time, make sure to rinse them well in cold water. You could use a running tap or refill the bucket with cold water and rinse them in it.
How to dry your Allbirds after washing
When the washing machine has completed its cycle, remove the laundry bag with your Allbirds. Put them in the open air to dry.
Air drying may take 48 hours. Don’t dry them in direct sunlight though, and never use the dryer. This will damage your Allbirds.
To dry your Allbirds after a hand wash, the method is exactly the same as it you had machined washed them: leave them to air dry in a well-ventilated area out of direct sunlight.
What about the laces and insoles?
The laces and insoles should be washed too. Your feet are in direct contact – whether you wear socks with your Allbirds or not – so it goes without saying that the insoles must also be washed.
The insoles of your Allbirds are made from plant oils based foam with the upper layer from Merino wool. Wash the insoles by hand. They will get damaged in a washing machine.
For washing your Airbird insoles, you’ll need a bucket of warm (not cold this time) water, a soft brush, a clean cloth or a sponge, and a soft toothbrush.
Brush the insoles with the soft brush to remove any debris or dirt. Half a bucket of warm water will be suitable.
The same detergent you used in the machine and hand wash will work. Make sure to mix it well.
This step uses the toothbrush with a little soapy water. Rub the soap gently into the top side of the insoles. You might find that the heel and toes need a little more attention.
When this is complete, switch over to the underside of the insoles and redo the process.Use your sponge or cloth to remove any soap residue.
Laying the insoles on a clean surface to air dry is the easiest way to get them dry.
Washing the laces
There are 2 ways in which to wash your Airbird’s laces. You can either wash them by hand, much as you did with washing the insoles, or you could place them in a mesh laundry bag and wash them in your washing machine. It is up to you.
If you wash them by hand, make sure they are completely rinsed before you hang them up to dry.
Conclusion
As you can see, washing your Allbirds is not at all difficult. Washing your Allbirds is an excellent idea, as it is one of the best ways to keep them looking – and smelling – like new.
Just a reminder that your insoles and laces must be completely dry before you put them back into the shoes. Just as the shoes themselves must be 100% dry before you wear them.