How to Clean Running Shoes with Arch Support | Keep Support Intact

Cleaning running shoes with built-in or removable arch support requires a careful hand-wash approach — removing and separately cleaning the insoles, using mild soap and lukewarm water on the uppers, and air-drying flat — to avoid destroying the adhesives and structural materials that provide stability.

Arch support gives your running shoes their structure and your feet the stability needed for injury-free miles. One wrong wash — a spin in the machine or a blast of heat — and those supportive midsoles can delaminate, flatten, or curl. The correct method takes a little more time but keeps your shoes running like new. Whether you have custom orthotics, aftermarket insoles like PowerStep, or built-in arch support in shoes designed for high arches, the process below protects every layer.

The Two Mistakes That Destroy Arch Support

Most shoe damage happens in the laundry room. Two errors cause the vast majority of arch support failures:

Heat. Heat from a clothes dryer, radiator, hair dryer, or direct sunlight melts the glues that bond support layers. REI’s shoe care guide warns that heat distorts shoe shape and weakens adhesives. On’s cleaning protocol says to avoid radiators and direct heat to prevent warping. The only safe drying method is air flow at room temperature.

The washing machine. The tumbling action stresses stitched and glued support structures that weren’t designed for mechanical agitation. Adidas, REI, and On all explicitly prohibit machine washing. The exception: laces alone can go in a mesh bag on a gentle cycle.

What You Need: The Short Supply List

The cleaning kit is simple — no specialty products required. Gather a soft-bristle brush (an old toothbrush works), mild dish or hand soap, lukewarm water, a damp cloth, a sponge, and paper towels or newspaper for stuffing. For a deeper clean, have baking soda, white vinegar, and (if following Adidas’s protocol) hydrogen peroxide and washing soda on hand.

Step One: Remove and Wash the Insoles Separately

The arch support lives in the insole. Pull the insoles out immediately — never wash them inside the shoe. Achilles Foot & Ankle’s orthotic care guide recommends mixing mild dish or hand soap with lukewarm water, dampening a soft cloth (don’t drench it), and scrubbing the top cover in small circles, focusing on the heel and forefoot. Clean the underside gently, but avoid saturating any glued edges or lifted areas — that’s where delamination starts. PowerStep’s insole care guide says the same: wipe the top surface with a damp cloth and mild soap, rinse lightly, and air dry completely.

For odor, sprinkle baking soda over the insoles and let them sit overnight before wiping clean. For tougher grime, a paste of baking soda and water or a 1:1 vinegar-and-water solution works without damaging support materials.

The insole should be damp but not dripping, with no visible soap residue after a clean-water wipe. Lay it flat to dry, away from heat, and out of direct sunlight.

Step Two: Brush and Hand-Wash the Shoes

With the insoles out and laces removed (machine-wash the laces in a delicates bag if needed), brush loose dirt off the uppers with the soft brush. For the outsole and midsole, a firmer brush or an old toothbrush handles caked-on mud.

Mix a small amount of mild soap with lukewarm water. Dampen the sponge or cloth and scrub the upper in circular motions. Adidas’s protocol for a deeper clean uses a solution of ½ cup warm water, ½ cup hydrogen peroxide, ½ cup washing soda, and 2 tablespoons laundry detergent, but for routine cleaning, mild soap is all you need.

If your shoes have a Gore-Tex or waterproof membrane, avoid regular soap — it can gum up the membrane. Use a specialized footwear cleaner instead, per REI’s guidance.

Rinse thoroughly with a clean, damp cloth to remove all soap residue. Any leftover soap attracts dirt and can irritate skin.

Step Three: Air-Dry the Right Way

Stuff the shoes with crumpled newspaper or paper towels to absorb moisture and hold their shape. On’s protocol recommends scrunched paper; REI adds that a fan speeds drying but never a clothes dryer or heat source. Leave them in a room-temperature area with good airflow. Drying typically takes 12 to 24 hours — Adidas says up to 24 hours.

The shoes feel dry inside and out, with no stiffness or curling at the edges. The insoles are fully dry and ready to reinsert.

Runners who care about their arch support durability will also want to rotate their shoes to let each pair fully dry between runs. For a deeper look at shoes designed to protect high arches, check out our tested roundup of the best arch support running shoes available right now.

Cleaning Methods at a Glance

When Is a Deep Clean Worth the Extra Steps?

Weekly runners with moderate sweat and road dust usually need the routine clean above. Marathoners, trail runners, and anyone who runs in wet conditions should deep-clean monthly. Adidas’s soak method — submerging the laces and upper (outsole facing up) in the peroxide-washing soda solution for 1 to 8 hours — works for shoes that have built up serious grime. The same heat and dryness rules apply afterward.

For trail shoes caked in mud, let the mud dry completely first, then knock off the bulk with a stiff brush before any water touches the shoe. Wet mud grinds grit into the fabric and support layers.

Arch Support Care — What to Skip and What Works

Final Care Sequence: Keep Support Alive

Remove insoles and laces immediately after each run. Brush off loose dirt while it’s dry. Every few runs (or after a wet run), hand-wash the uppers with mild soap and a damp cloth, scrub the insoles gently without saturating edges, and dry everything flat with paper stuffing in the shoes. Rotate two pairs if you run daily so each pair has a full 24 hours to dry.