How to dry wet shoes in the clothes dryer...with no thumping

Finuala has earned the Forehead Smack of Brilliance with her shoe-drying hack.

My son came home with wet school shoes. When I complained to a friend I was going to have to listen to shoes THUMP THUMP THUMPING in the dryer for the next hour, she said “Do the door trick!” What’s the door trick??

THIS: Hang the shoes inside the dryer by pulling the shoe strings up over the outside of the dryer door with the shoes on the inside. Close the door and the strings will hold the shoes in place. This keeps the shoes suspended in the center of the dryer away from the tumbler but allows them to get the heat and airflow to dry them out.

If the shoelaces slip through the door seal and fall back into the dryer, try again but this time tie the shoelaces in a bow on the outside of the dryer. 

We had dry shoes in an hour and didn’t have to listen to the annoying noise!

Can I get a HALLELEUYAH? (I live in a permenantly damp town. This hack is deliverance.)

A few tips come to mind:

• Set the dryer heat on medium to low to protect vinyl soles. Leather and suede might not hold up to this treatment, but if the shoes are crappy it's worth a shot.
• The dryer should be mostly empty (maybe a few dishrags or knockaround clothes, but nothing that will tangle with the shoes).

More: Hacks involving shoes

Comments

[Jennifer K. Hale]

Ummmm....genius. Why didn't I think of this??? Thanks!

[aprilshowers]

My dryer (bought about 4 years ago) has a rack I can put in to accomplish the same thing. Not as clever but still useful!

[Kim N.]

And cheap flipflops can be put in the dishwasher to clean them. ^_^

[Fawn]

You can clean ball caps by putting them in the cishwasher as well.

[meg]

That is such a good idea! I never thought of that but have been annoyed SO many times by the clunking. Thanks for sharing!!!!

[Laura]

What do I do for a front loader dryer?

[Roxanne]

At our house, wet shoes are carefully positioned upside down on the floor register to dry--usually they dry overnight. My husband came up with this beautifully simple idea, which is much easier on the shoes than the dryer.

[Katie]

Fantastic idea and so quick! I usually stuff my kids shoes with newspaper then put them in the oven with the light on then leave them overnight.

[Jan]

We place our wet sneakers stuffed with newspaper on the floor in front of the refridgerator or freezer. The heat coming out the bottom usually dries them out overnight.

[Kirby]

AMAZING!

Thank you so much for this.

Just about to go on a jog and my shoes were SOPPING!

30mins in the dryer...BOOM!

Cheers

[becca]

Thank you so much, wow who knew!