Tennis shoes are hard-working footwear, designed to cope with the challenges of court sports. Yet the demands of sports use can affect the look, and smell, of your tennis shoes, especially if they’re used regularly.

To keep your sports shoes looking good and odour-free, it’s important to wash them periodically, or more regularly if you’re playing daily.

Luckily, it can be quick and easy to wash tennis shoes, and in this guide, we’ll share the simple process that will get your shoes back to their best. We’ll also introduce you to Boot Buddy, the handy shoe-cleaning tool that makes washing any type of athletic shoes so much easier.

Read on for our step-by-step guide to washing your tennis shoes, or any other type of racquet sports shoes, such as pickleball, badminton, racquetball, etc. We’ll also answer some frequently asked questions about keeping sports footwear in tip-top condition.

Before you get to work with the main process of cleaning your tennis shoes, it’s worth taking a little time for some prep steps.

Firstly, remove the laces from the shoes. These can be washed separately, either with soapy water and a toothbrush or in the washing machine. Always place shoe laces inside a pillowcase or a mesh laundry bag to avoid them getting tangled, or damaging your machine or washer drum.

Next, remove the insoles from the shoes. Again, these can be washed separately, if required, either by hand or in a mesh bag in a wash cycle. This is also a good opportunity to treat the inner soles with deodorizing ingredients, such as a sprinkle of baking soda.

Finally, use a bristle brush or shoe-cleaning tool to remove any loose bits of dried mud, dirt, or debris from the shoes. This will make it quicker and easier to clean any stains and marks. It will also help to prevent loose dirt and mud from getting into your home or cleaning area.

If your tennis shoes are particularly dirty or smelly, or they have some ingrained marks and tough stains, it can be a good idea to pre-treat them before you begin to wash and scrub. This can save both time and elbow grease.

You can either spot treat the shoe, using a soft cloth or old toothbrush and a strong mix of laundry detergent solution, or you can soak the shoes in a tub of cleaning liquid and let them sit overnight. If you’re spot cleaning, it’s a good idea to wash the shoes straightaway, to avoid unsightly water marks or discolored patches.

When you’re ready to begin hand washing your shoes, prepare a detergent solution. A mild dish soap mixed with warm water is a gentle but effective way to clean tennis shoes and sneakers. You could also add a few drops of white vinegar to help reduce odors and restore brightness to white shoes.

Using a soft brush or shoe-cleaning tool, and working in a circular motion, apply the cleaning solution to the shoes. Pay attention to any ingrained mud stains, working the lather into the fabric.

When the shoes are clean, rinse them with clean water and wipe them down with a dry towel or damp cloth.

It’s important that your clean shoes are completely dry before wearing them or putting them away. To help your shoes fully dry more quickly, use a clean cloth to blot them and soak up any excess moisture.

When possible, let the shoes air dry in a well-ventilated space, using a drying rack if you have one. Avoid using high heat, such as a hair dryer or fan heater, as this can melt the glue holding the shoe together.

Inserting clean cloths or plain paper towels into the shoes can also help to speed up drying time, as well as maintain the shape of the shoe. For plain white shoes, always make sure the cloths or paper towels you use are color-safe and won’t transfer dye to the fabric.

If you regularly play on grass courts or you wear your tennis shoes off the court, you may find that they pick up some grass stains. With white shoes especially, grass stains are unsightly and spoil the fresh and bright look of smart, clean shoes.

The good news is that it’s easy to remove grass stains. Using a clean, damp cloth, apply a mix of equal parts water and white vinegar to the stain, gently working the solution into the fabric. Leave it to soak in for about half an hour, then wash as normal.

It’s always best to treat any stains as quickly as possible, but if you have some older grass stains on your tennis shoes, treating them before you wash them still gives you a good chance of restoring your fresh white shoes to their former glory.

Tennis shoes are in regular contact with hot, sweaty feet, so it’s natural that they may develop unpleasant odors over time. To prevent the build-up of the bacteria that causes these odors, get into the habit of regularly washing the shoes, or at least taking out the inner soles to wash or air.

Treating the inner soles and the insides of the shoes with baking soda can also help to reduce bad smells.

Some, not all, tennis shoes can be cleaned in the washing machine. To find out whether your shoes will be ok with a machine wash, check the label inside the shoe. Many manufacturers will specify whether or not the shoes can be machine-washed.

If you can’t find a washing information label, or if you’re in any doubt about putting your shoes through a machine cycle, the safest bet is always to wash by hand. The temperatures used when machine washing shoes can sometimes damage them, especially leather shoes and performance footwear, even on a gentle cycle or cold water wash. It’s also possible that your shoes could damage your machine.

So, unless you know for sure that your tennis shoes will survive a machine wash, following the hand-wash guide is the best way to get your sports shoes clean with no risk of damage.

The best way to dry your tennis shoes after you’ve washed them is to leave them to air dry. Ideally, you’d leave them outside on a bright sunny day, as the fresh air will help to reduce odors and the sunshine will help to whiten white fabrics. (If you have brightly colored tennis shoes, however, sunshine may fade the colors, so these would be best dried indoors.)

It may be tempting to put your freshly washed tennis shoes in the dryer, especially if you’re in a rush, but you should always check the care label to see whether the manufacturer recommends dryer use. This is important because the heat of a tumble dryer can affect the fabric of the shoe, as well as the glue that holds it together. Leather and canvas shoes, in particular, are usually best air-dried, rather than in a dryer.

If you’re in any doubt, avoid using heat sources on your tennis shoes, or if you do opt for using a dryer, always use the lowest possible temperature setting.

Whatever method you use to clean your tennis shoes, there’s a tool that can make the whole process quicker and easier. Meet Boot Buddy - the handy 3-in-1 shoe-cleaning tool that's ideal for taking care of sports footwear.

This compact and portable tool makes the perfect addition to your racquet sports kitbag, meaning you can do some basic cleaning and maintenance quickly and easily after every match or practice session.

When you get into the habit of brushing off dirt and mud regularly, your tennis shoes will stay cleaner for longer, meaning less time at the sink or in the laundry room. You can also fill the body of the tool with your preferred cleaning solution, so that you can treat or remove stains rapidly.

Performing a degree of light shoe maintenance after each use also means less mud and dirt in your sports bag, your car, or your home. This is why Boot Buddy is becoming an essential piece of sports kit for players who care about keeping their shoes looking fresh and smart.

Maintaining clean shoes is an essential part of any sport. So, if you or your family are keen tennis or court sports players, knowing how to keep your footwear clean is key to both looking your best and helping your shoes last as long as possible.

Following these tips and guidelines will ensure you take good care of any type of sports footwear and running shoes, with the minimum of mess and fuss. And if you really want to make light work of tennis shoe maintenance, take a look at the range of Boot Buddy products here.