Crocs are an amazingly comfortable and long-lasting pair of shoes to own and wear. It doesn’t matter if you have a pair of LiteRide Crocs or classic Croc shoes. You want to know the best way to clean Crocs so you can enjoy your comfortable shoes for years to come.
Key Takeaways
- Rinse Crocs under cool or lukewarm water, then soak and scrub in soapy water.
- Washing Crocs in a washing machine is possible but may cause damage over time.
- Remove bad smells from Crocs using baking soda in a sealed bag for 24 hours.
- Never put Crocs in the dryer, as excessive heat may cause them to shrink.
Can You Wash Crocs In the Washing Machine?
Yes, Crocs can be washed in the washing machine. However, washing Crocs in the washing machine may cause bending and stress damage to the footwear over time. Plus, excessive heat may cause your Crocs to shrink.
Here’s how to wash crocs in the washing machine. First, make sure you use the gentlest wash setting. Fill the top load washing machine with water and add laundry detergent. Then, add the crocs to the washing machine and let them soak for 5 minutes before you run the wash cycle.
Do not put the Crocs in the dryer. Instead, allow them to dry in a warm and dry spot.
How to Clean Crocs
The easiest and best way to clean classic rubber Crocs at home is by using dish soap and water.
- Time: 30 minutes
- Difficulty: Beginner
What You’ll Need
- Mild dish soap
- Bucket or sink
- Bleach (optional)
- Rubber gloves (if using bleach)
- Scrub brush or microfiber cloth
- Toothbrush
- Magic Eraser
1. Rinse Crocs
Rinse your Crocs under running tap water to remove the surface layer of dirt. This will help you know what parts of your Crocs truly need scrubbing.
2. Mix Soapy Water
Fill your bucket with warm water and add a squirt of dish soap to the bucket. If you prefer, you can stop the drain of your sink and fill it with warm water to clean your Crocs. Again, add a squirt of dish soap to the sink.
Mix the soap and water well. The warm water will help to break down the dirt on your shoes while the mild soap prevents the Crocs from being damaged by harsh chemicals.
If your Crocs are filthy, consider adding bleach to the water. Just fill the bleach container’s cap with bleach and pour it into the water. Make sure to wear rubber gloves if you’ve added bleach to the wash water.
3. Scrub and Soak Crocs
Put your shoes in the bucket to soak while you’re scrubbing them. Be sure to keep them in the water the entire time you’re working as this will help to clean your shoes.
Put some dish soap on a microfiber cloth or scrub brush to scrub your shoes. Use a toothbrush to get inside any small spaces of your shoes. Clean both shoes and leave them in the water.
4. Remove Tough Stains
Get a Magic Eraser wet and rub it over the stain until the stain has been removed.
5. Rinse and Dry Shoes
Rinse your shoes and let them dry completely. Make sure you don’t leave your shoes in the sun for more than a few hours as the heat may damage the Crocs.
How to Remove Bad Smells From Crocs
If your Crocs have turned smelly, you can deodorize them with baking soda.
- Time: 24 hours
- Difficulty: Beginner
What You’ll Need
- Baking soda
- Gallon Ziplock bag
1. Put Baking Soda in Bag
Pour enough baking soda into the Ziplock bag to form a base for the Crocs to lay on.
2. Insert Crocs
Put the Crocs into the Ziplock bag. Seal the bag.
3. Wait
Leave your stinky Crocs in the bag for 24 hours hours. This will give the baking soda time to deodorize your Crocs so they don’t smell anymore.
4. Remove Shoes
Leave your Crocs in the baking soda for 24hours before removing the shoes from the Ziplock bag. Shake the excess baking soda into the trash. If needed, you can vacuum the baking soda out of your shoes. Throw the bag and used baking soda away.
How to Clean Crocs With Fur
Fur-lined Crocs will need special care to clean the fur without damaging it.
- Time: 3.5 hours + time to dry
- Difficulty: Beginner
What You’ll Need
- Absorbent powder
- Wire wool brush
1. Choose Absorbent Powder
Choose an absorbent powder that is a similar color as your fur lining. You can use cornmeal, dry oatmeal, or wheat germ. These neutral colors will match most furs even if the fur is off-white.
However, you can also use salt or baking soda, especially for dyed linings.
2. Cover Crocs
Sprinkle your chosen powder onto the winter lining. You need to evenly cover all of the linings. To do this make sure that you turn the crocs so that all of the angles are covered. If you are using salt, sprinkle extra salt as it doesn’t stick to the lining as easily as the other powders do.
3. Wait
Allow your Crocs to sit covered by the absorbent powder for 3 hours. Then shake them out over a trash can or sink. You can also shake them out outside. If there’s any powder left on your crocs that won’t shake off, use the vacuum to remove it.
4. Fluff Fur
Fluff the fur using a wire wool brush. Make sure you brush the fur in one direction to keep the sheepskin from curling. This will help you create a fluffy lining inside your shoe and keep that warm fuzzy feeling for your feet.
Quick Tip
Tip: You can have the fur dry cleaned professionally to retain its original texture. Make sure you don’t wash the fur with water as water may damage the look of the sheepskin.
How to Clean Different Types of Crocs
Crocs are made of different materials. Each material will require a different type of cleaning to make sure that you don’t damage the fabric when you clean your dirty Crocs.
Leather Crocs
Wipe your leather Crocs with a damp cloth to remove the dirt. Then use a leather cream such as Skidmore’s Original Leather Cream to restore the shine of the leather. Use a soft rag to apply the leather cream and use a circular motion. When finished, spray a protective spray on your Crocs to help them repel water.
Suede or Wool
Allow any mud or dirt on your crocs to dry before you begin cleaning them. Once they’re dry, use a soft wire or plastic brush to brush dirt and dust out of your suede or wool crocs. Make sure you brush the material with the grain.
Once the dirt and dust has been removed, apply a waterproofing spray such as Silver Canyon Boot and Hat Water and Stain Repellent.
Elastic or Canvas Style
Remove the shoelaces from your canvas or elastic shoes to clean the laces. Soak the laces in a sink of lukewarm soapy water to wash them.
You can use any mild soap you choose such as a mild detergent, dish soap, or hand soap. A specialized shoe cleaner is not needed.
Make sure that the water isn’t super hot as it will damage the canvas.
After the laces are washed, rinse them with clean water. Then hang the laces up to dry.
Dip a toothbrush into soapy water to scrub the canvas of your shoes. First, test an inconspicuous area of your shoes to make sure that you won’t damage the fabric by cleaning it.
Scrub the canvas until your shoes are clean making sure that you don’t scrub over any labels or print on the shoes. This will prevent the labels or print from coming off.
If you have a tough stain, use a laundry stain remover on it. Spray the stain remover on the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then rinse the stain remover out using freshwater.
After cleaning your canvas shoes, sponge them with clean water to remove the soap. Dip the cloth or sponge in the clean water and wring it out so it’s not dripping wet. Then remove all the suds from your shoes.
Don’t let your shoes become soaking wet and use the cloth or sponge to wipe the dirt off the rubber shoes if you’d like.
When you’ve finished washing your shoes, use a towel to remove the excess moisture. Then let the shoes air dry, but don’t leave the shoes in the sun as the dyed fabric may lose its color especially if it’s a dark color such as black.
Cleaning Tough Stains Out of Crocs
Here are some tips to help you clean your stained Crocs.
- Use a Magic Eraser to remove tough stains. First, get the Magic Eraser wet, and then scrub at the stains on your shoes. Rinse when the stains are removed.
- Laundry stain remover can also be used to remove tough stains. Apply the stain remover and then let it soak on the shoes for 10 minutes before rinsing the stain remover away from the shoes.
- Add bleach to your wash water to help remove any tough stains.
Can You Put Crocs in the Dryer?
No, it’s best not to put your Crocs in the dryer. The excessive heat may cause your Crocs to shrink. Instead, you should towel off your Crocs to remove excess moisture before allowing them to air dry in a cool space out of the sun.
FAQs
Can You Use Bleach On Crocs?
Yes, you can add bleach to the wash water when cleaning crocs, especially if they are filthy. The bleach will help to remove tough stains.
Can I Put My Crocs In the Dishwasher?
If you’re looking for how to clean white crocs or any other color of crocs, you can put your Crocs in the dishwasher to deep clean and disinfect them. This is effective for removing dirt and grass stains from your shoes. However, the Crocs may warp if you’re not careful.
Put the Crocs on the bottom rack and make sure they’re secure. Clothespins are useful for securing the Crocs. Then add some detergent to your washing machine.
Set your washing machine to the normal setting but make sure to avoid hot water. Hot water will damage your shoes. When the shoes are clean, air dry the Crocs and clean your dishwasher by adding vinegar to the machine and running a regular cycle.
Can You Take the Fuzz Out of Crocs?
No, you can’t remove the fuzz lining from Crocs as the inner fleece lining is not removable.
How Long Do Crocs Last?
Crocs can last several years of hard-wearing. If you care for your Crocs properly they can last for 5 years.
Do Crocs Stretch After Wearing?
Yes, Crocs will stretch after you’ve worn them for a time.
Should You Wear Socks With Crocs?
You can wear socks with crocs but there is no rule that says you have to.
Why Do Crocs Have 13 Holes?
Crocs have 13 holes for ventilation. They let air circulate inside the shoe to keep your feet smelling fresh.
