How to Clean Muddy Trail Shoes

Cleaning muddy trail shoes used to be the part of running I avoided the most. When you know they’ll be caked in mud again on your very next trail run, it’s tempting to leave them as they are and deal with it later. But a little post-run care makes a bigger difference than most runners realise. Properly cleaning your trail shoes helps extend their lifespan, reduces lingering odours, and stops your car boot or hallway from smelling like a swamp between runs. It’s also an important part of basic hygiene. So what’s the best way to clean muddy trail shoes, and what should you avoid? Let’s break it down.

Updated April 2026

Here’s what not to do! 

• DO NOT put muddy trail running shoes in the washing machine or tumble dryer – trail shoes are not designed for either. Washing your trail running shoes in this manner will alter the fit, cushioning etc, and mess with your feet.
• DO NOT dry them with a hairdryer (guilty as charged) – it burns holes in them as the material is not designed to cope with this intense kind of heat.
• DO NOT leave them in a carrier bag after your run or the boot of your car – they will stink after a couple of days
• DO NOT clean them over the kitchen sink right in the middle of Sunday dinner preparation
• DO NOT throw them in the bin! I once did this with a pair right after a race (they were cheap, painful, and I couldn’t bear the prospect of cleaning them!)

How you should clean muddy trail running shoes…

The quick method

After a particularly muddy run – think bogs, sheep dip, cow muck and everything in between – your trail shoes can end up holding more dirt than fabric. The first and most effective step is a thorough rinse with a hose to remove excess mud before it dries and hardens. This alone will take care of most of the mess.

If you want to go a step further, use a stiff scrubbing brush to work mud out from between the lugs on the outsole and around the upper. This is especially important when you’ve been running through farmland, where residues aren’t just mud but animal waste as well – definitely a job best done outdoors using an external tap.

Avoid leaving muddy shoes in a corner to “deal with later”. Once mud dries, it’s far harder to remove and can lead to lingering odours and faster material breakdown. Rinse them as soon as you can, then move on to drying. And if you’re planning another run the next day, make sure you’ve got a spare pair ready, trail shoes rarely dry properly overnight.

TOP TIP

Don’t use the kitchen sink – use an outside tap, use the utility sink, or, if you really have to, use an alternative sink. The kitchen sink is for washing up, preparing food etc!

For those who like to be very thorough

If the quick method isn’t for you and you want to be more detailed (trail shoes aren’t cheap) then here is a step by step guide to cleaning them properly:

Remove the insoles 

Starting from the heel, carefully lift out the insoles of your shoes. Give them a brush off and empty any debris or small stones, or loose mud from the shoe. 

Loosen the laces

Loosening the laces will open up the shoe, which means greater airflow, quicker drying, and it will also unclog the lace holes. You don’t need to remove the laces completely – just loosen them off. Remember to tighten them back again or adjust to how you like them before your next run.

Use a toothbrush or scrubbing brush

Hosing off the shoes will get rid of most of the mud, but a good scrub will get right into the lugs and remove the ground in bits. You can use a scrubbing brush, nail brush or toothbrush (make sure it’s not currently being used for its intended purpose).

Drying running shoes

I lay my wet trail shoes on a tray or a piece of cardboard. I have an entrance hall that would give the nearest sauna and steam room a run for its money if I have the heating on. I tend to turn the heating up and leave the shoes beneath the radiator until they are dry. This happens extremely fast. You can find a warm area like an airing cupboard and leave the shoes there – anywhere that will speed up the drying, not direct sunlight though. 

Alternatively, you can get a Shoe Dryer!

This shoe dryer is perfect for ensuring your shoes dry properly and avoiding the smell that comes with trail running shoes that have been wet for a few days. Simply pop them on the dryer and leave them for a few hours.

Voila – your shoes are ready for their next outing – run, rinse, repeat!

Disclaimer: This article includes Amazon affiliate links, which may provide a small commission to me at no cost to you. The products we recommend are either those that we’ve used or that our fellow runners have used.

And if it’s your road running shoes?

Many of us have done it. You pop on your road shoes expecting to be mainly on dry paths and roads only to come face to face with a muddy path/gate/stretch of path that is impassable without getting your shoes dirty. What do you do then? Many white trainers won’t ever be quite the same again, but don’t be tempted to wash them. We tend to let them dry and then brush the dirt off. If you try to clean them up while wet, you will ingrain the mud into the fabric of the shoe beneath the mesh.

Be patient and let them dry, then brush off as much of the dirt as possible. If it’s not coming off, try a toothbrush and something like The Pink Stuff, which is the most effective thing we have found for cleaning our road shoes. Remember that muddy trail shoes are a lot more robust and less pretty than your road shoes, so can take more of a thorough cleaning – be careful with your road shoes and do not wash or tumble dry them.

How to Keep Your Running Shoes Smelling Nice

Hands up if you have left your dirty, damp trail shoes in a bag and forgotten about them. After a while, they really do start to smell. I got in the car a few days after a run and tried to figure out where the smell was coming from, only to discover exactly where I put my shoes when I last ran. Here are a few tips on how to keep them smelling fresh for longer:

• White vinegar/water. Equal parts white vinegar to water. It is a great natural deodoriser. Simply spray inside your shoes and the insoles after each run then leave the shoes to dry.
• Baking Soda. Harness the power of baking soda to keep your shoes smelling fresh after a run. Simply sprinkle some baking soda into your shoes, ensuring it covers the entire interior, and leave it in for 24 hours. Afterwards, tap out any remaining powder. For an added touch, enhance the scent by combining the baking soda with 1-2 drops of your favourite essential oil. Enjoy a rejuvenated and pleasantly scented pair of shoes after this simple and effective deodorising trick.”
• Replace the insoles. It’s not always the shoes that smell – sometimes, especially in older shoes, it may just be that the insoles need replacing.