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Have you ever wondered how to clean your fuzzy slippers with rubber soles without ruining them? It’s actually really easy and doesn’t take too long! This is the answer for how to clean slippers without using the washing machine.
I love slippers. I wear them just about every day, until the weather gets too warm and I switch to flip-flops. But when you think about it, the idea of slippers is a little gross. It’s like wearing the same pair of socks over and over but never washing them. YUCK!
So what’s a fuzzy-slipper-wearing girl to do? You can’t toss them in the washing machine or the soft fuzzy insides will be ruined and the rubber soles will come apart. So, of course, I went to Pinterest to see if I could find anything about how to wash slippers.
Most of the pins were specific to cleaning Uggs, and all I found was how to clean the outside. The only suggestion for the inside was to use baking soda to deodorize them. Then I found this post on 104 Homestead and it sounded like a feasible idea.
Yep. I’m airing my dirty laundry right here for the whole world to see. Actually, it’s a little hard to see in photos, but trust me, there are some dark stains in that cream-colored fuzz. Whose idea was it to make the interior of a slipper a light color anyway?!?
Here’s an even grosser closeup for your viewing pleasure. So you get it. The toes are dirty and a nasty dark color and the rest of the inside is hard and flattened. The soft, fuzzy slippers are a thing of the past. (I bought these for myself Thanksgiving weekend, so they look like this after three months.)
Gross. I can’t believe I’ve been wearing dirty slippers for three months. Anyway, here’s what to do about it!
How to Clean Slippers
What you’ll need:
- 2 cups warm water in a mixing bowl
- squirt (yes, that’s the official measurement) Dawn dish soap (I use the blue kind for all sorts of cleaning projects)
- hand mixer
- spray bottle with water
- hair dryer
- baking soda
- comb
What to do:
Pour 2 cups warm water into a medium mixing bowl. Add a squirt of dish soap and mix with a hand mixer to create a foam.
I found that if I put the mixer all the way down into the bowl, it created bubbles, but if I put the mixer in the bubbles, it then whipped them into a more stable foam.
Using a brush or just your fingers (that’s what I did) work the foam into the slippers to get them clean. Spray lightly with a little water to rinse the foam off. Be sure not to soak the inside.
Using a hand dryer on low or the cool setting, dry the insides and work with your fingers. Once dry, sprinkle inside with baking soda to further deodorize. Use a comb to work the soda through inside. Let them sit for a while and then shake out the excess.
As you can see, they aren’t pristine and pure white, but they are clean, soft and fluffy again, and I promise, they smell WAY better. No more stink. I wouldn’t suggest this if it didn’t work. Cross my heart. 🙂
Here are some other great uses for Dawn dish soap that don’t include washing dishes!
- Chocolate Orange Cookies - November 2, 2024
- Nutella Banana Bread - October 14, 2024
- Bacon Onion Dip - September 13, 2024
Karen Hart says
Thanks for the slipper cleaning lesson ! I used a foam hand soap bottle for the dawn. It worked out perfect. A tiny drop of dawn, fill the bottle and I had the perfect foam. I also used an old toothbrush, I save them just for cleaning. Thanks again !
Nicole Burkholder says
The foaming hand soap bottle is a great idea for making the foam-much easier! I’m stealing that for the future 🙂
Sophia says
Thank you for this!! I only have a cheap pair of slippers but really didn’t want to chuck them unnecessarily…. this worked incredibly well! I also added a little Vanish stain remover stick to the microfibre cleaning cloth I was using to rub the foam into the material. A very satisfying result all round!
Nicole Burkholder says
Thanks for reporting back! That’s a great idea to use a stain remover stick. I practically live in my slippers all winter long, so it’s nice to have a way to get them clean without wearing them out too quickly in the wash.
Nicole says
Can you use Ivory soap or say Palmolive soap instead of Dawn? I’m highly allergic to Dawn soap finding out the hard way.
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m sure that would be fine. I prefer Dawn because it’s such a great de-greaser and gets the job done better than any other brand. However, in a pinch, another brand will be fine. You just may not get all the darker stains out that may be greased-stained.
AD says
Thank you!! I tried this with dawn, vinegar (instead of using baking soda later) and water in a spray bottle. It works so well!! Usually the fluff stay matted from where my foot pressed it down, even after coming out of the washing machine and dryer, but this worked so well! The vinegar deodorizes (like baking soda) so they’re smell free and fluffy like before!
Nicole Burkholder says
Thanks for the tip! I’m glad it worked well for you. It’s nice to have clean (and not smelly) slippers again 🙂
Heather Terrell says
This worked great on my Vionics. They look so clean and fluffy! And it was easy and I wasn’t worried about ruining them. Thanks so much!
Nicole Burkholder says
That’s great to hear! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Kira says
I was searching online on how to clean my walmart slippers that are fuzzy inside. Now, my walmart slippers are by no means anything special or fancy…but I go through 4 pairs of slippers a year, easily. I wear slippers from the time I wake up til the time I go to bed, every day (unless I’m going somewhere). I usually just throw them away and get new ones when they get flat and stinky. But, with the pandemic, we are tight on money. So I figured I’d try to make these last a few more months by cleaning them.
Now, my slippers were gross. I wore them all through the summer…so they were really stinky. I tried this…and it worked wonders. It by no means got all the smell out…but they smell a thousand times better. I’m gonna wait a few weeks and try scrubbing on them again. Thank you so much!!!
Nicole Burkholder says
I wear them all day during the winter and I know what you mean! Washing them this way will definitely help them last longer. I’m glad you had success! 🙂
Barbie says
Oh, thank you! I will try on my MukLuks!
Melanie says
Thanks for this post! I got the cutest slippers after Christmas on sale and I am not ever going to give them up if I can help it! I’m just curious; I use natural products in my home & I’d like to know if there’s anything besides Dawn that can work for this issue? I know Dawn is oil-based, which makes their efforts to clean ducks & sea animals up after oil spills so effective. I’d appreciate any info or response you may have, but until then I think I’m going to try my Caldrea dish soap-it cleans EVERYTHING so well!! I’ll get back to you with the results. Thanks again!
Nicole Burkholder says
If you have a soap product that works well, you can certainly try that first. I do like Dawn because of the way it cleans oil (like body oil) but it can’t hurt to try another soap first. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear back from you!
Kayla says
Will this work for slippers that light up when you walk?
Nicole Burkholder says
I would think so, as long as you don’t saturate the bottoms where the lights are.
Ananya says
Can this be used to clean the outside of a unicorn slipper?( for reference please look up unicorn slippers by thinkgeek)
Nicole Burkholder says
I believe so. It’s just a gentle foamy soap. You would have to brush it into the “fur” to get it clean.
athey says
i was wondering if people even washed them i thought they just tossed them after they got dirty but thats not the thing with me lol i want them to get fluffy again so i’ll try this and see if it works haha thank u btw
Nicole Burkholder says
I know, I feel bad because I’ve tossed out old slippers before and they probably could have lasted longer with a good washing! 🙂
Christine Turner says
I’m going to try this on my Victoria’s Secret Slippers, they need a little cleaning and I was searching on How To Clean Slippers and found this post, thank you so much!
Nicole Burkholder says
You’re so welcome!
Gloria Tulip says
My husband gave me two pairs of house slippers for Christmas, but I am so attached to my old LL Bean ones. My husband glued them, and I am still wearing them. I looked inside mine and your description fits mine. Now I am going to clean them as you did yours.
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m glad I could help!
Jessica | The 104 Homestead says
I am so glad my recipe worked for you. Every lady needs a good pair of slippers. Especially if she’s a blogger. Why where anything other than slippers when you get to work at home? Happy slippering!
Jamie says
I was just looking at my oh so dirty fuzzy slippers yesterday and contemplating how to help them. I’m so trying this today. Thank you!! You’ve saved my moccasins!!
Nicole Burkholder says
It really is gross if you think about it 🙂 Glad I could help!