[momofmine]

I am not incompetent, really! I just don't know what to do with the pairs of muddy shoes that end up by my door every night. I mean, really muddy, caked on dirt, is what my kids bring home. Cleats, tennis shoes, everything. Crocs are easy to rinse and go, but what do you DO with the muddy shoes?

My husband thinks I am crazy and that you just wait until they dry and knock off the dirt by banging them together, but it's not that easy. Sometimes they are still muddy and wet by the next day when they need to wear them again. And banging the caked on dirt off just does not get them clean. I wish I could just throw them in the machine the way I do the muddy jeans. But I can't be washing shoes every night in the washing machine.

So, how do YOU clean muddy shoes?

 

[OhMel]

I end up doing a muddy wash once a week or more so I just save them for then. They have enough shoes that they can wear a different pair if the others are soaked.

 

[tinyblackdot]

I fill the sink up about 2 inches deep with warm water and set them in it and let the mud disolve.

But i only have a 2 year old dd, now if i had a home full of older children....i coulnt tell you what i would do for sure, but your strategie seems to be a great idea.

 

[doctormom]

DS has 2 pairs of sneakers, 2 pairs of Crocs - so there's always a spare pair while the others are being washed/drying out. And yeah, sometimes the only thing to do is toss his entire outfit into the washing machine, shoes and all. I've been known to hose him down on the front porch...

 

[UberMama]

I've taken a brush and water to them before, banged them against the curb and when desperate - tossed them in the washing machine (even rubber boots!).

 

[onlyzombiecat]

Have you considered those boot scraper type things?
http://www.outdoordecor.com/parentca...1:Boot-Brushes

I would use a stick and pry mud out of grooves then I would use the hose.
I would teach my child to clean their shoes.

 

[annekevdbroek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinyblackdot I fill the sink up about 2 inches deep with warm water and set them in it and let the mud disolve. But i only have a 2 year old dd, now if i had a home full of older children....i coulnt tell you what i would do for sure, but your strategie seems to be a great idea.

I do this too. I also buy a spare pair of shoes and keep the slightly too small ones that we have extras should we need them. I will toss them in the washer when we have a really dirty load as that does the best job of cleaning, but takes longer than overnight to dry usually.

 

[CarrieMF]

The muddy shoes stay in the porch & dry off. Sometimes I"ll keep them outside if they're really bad.

If they're going outside in the mud they wear rubber boots.

 

[mamadelbosque]

We go barefoot in the house. Outside we go barefoot when its nice (spray off feet before coming in

, and wear mud boots when its not. If his shoes do become muddy I wipe/spray bang as appropriate and let dry...

 

[4evermom]

I just run the bottoms under the sink faucet (unless they are croc like in which case the whole thing gets washed) and soap them up. But I never have to deal with more than 2 pairs (mine and ds's).

 

[Ygle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by onlyzombiecat Have you considered those boot scraper type things? http://www.outdoordecor.com/parentca...1:Boot-Brushesoes.

We have something like this... love it! I make them scrape off most the gunk on the scraper critter and then remove shoes... if the rest of the stuff left over ever dries off completely before the next wear it gets knocked off on their way to more mud. We don't do shoes in the house (not 'cause of the mud... just for allergies, pesticides and bacterial growth, nothing compares to the bottom of a shoe for that!) I know what you mean about all that caked off mud just not coming off easy... I've also long ago finally resorted to only allowing certain shoes to be worn in mud and wetness (before way too many hair wringing muddy shoe experiences the thought of ever allowing what I or the kids were wearing to be an obstacle to fun was just absolutely unfathomable to me), so I try to make certain we have 'mud shoes' always available for the irresistable moments... the boot scraper is awesome though.

 

[Alyantavid]

We have shoes just for playing outside and getting dirty in. I just let them dry and bang all the dried mud off. If they're really bad, they go in the washer.

 

[Llyra]

Honestly? I make DH deal with them. Not my department.

If they're something easy to clean, he just turns the hose on them or rinses them in the kitchen sink. If they're something that won't take rinsing well, he scrapes off the worst of it outside with a plastic spatula, and then finishes the job with a clean wet rag. Then I prop them up in front of a fan turned on high, to get them to dry by the morning. Sneakers go in the dryer, though.

 

[rebeccalynn]

Don't know what ages your kids are but my question is where are they getting their shoes muddy? If they are sport shoes, they probably should not be washed anyway. Just stuff newspaper into their shoes and it will help them to dry and knock/wipe off whatever dirt you can and use a soft brush when dry. I have a 2 & 4 yr old so I can make them change their shoes to grubby shoes/rain boots every time we go into the backyard and it is muddy. If your kids are getting their shoes dirty at school, then they are old enough to know better or learn by suffering the consequences. Again stuffing newspaper into them will help dry them out and I would not be washing shoes every week b/c it wears them out.

Oh, we also go shoeless in the house.

 

[Ruthla]

If my kids were getting their shoes seriously muddy every single day, I think I'd set aside a special pair of "mud shoes" for each child. This way the sneakers, etc, stay clean for school, and they can come in after school, change into the muddy shoes, and go back out to play in the mud.

I also give them the option of going barefoot outside whenever it's warm enough (even if it's much colder than I'd personally be comfortable barefoot. It's their feet, not mine!) Then they'd need to wipe their feet with a damp washcloth before wandering around the house.

 

[JamesMama]

I attempt to buy 2 pair of shoes tennis shoes each spring (play shoes, I buy them on super super clearance or used) and then when one gets disgusting I put them out to dry in the sun and then go out into the yard and slam them together a few dozen times until most of the mud is knocked off...if they are still really bad after that I might dunk them in the sink or clean them with a knuckle brush or something.

We have 1 pair of shoes that he wears out and about that I don't let him play in the mud with.

 

[Lisoula]

Quote:

Originally Posted by momofmine My husband thinks I am crazy and that you just wait until they dry and knock off the dirt by banging them together, but it's not that easy. Sometimes they are still muddy and wet by the next day when they need to wear them again. And banging the caked on dirt off just does not get them clean.

Sorry, but I agree with him.

For cleats, etc... I just let them dry, bang the mud off the next day, then have them throw them on again.

And I guess other than sports shoes, which I don't care if they're dirty when they put them back on because they're going to get dirty again at the next game, we just wear crocs, and like you said, hose them off.

 

[LilyGrace]

Flylady sells this thing called a Rubba Scrubba..I bet it would be perfect for getting the mud off. It works on everything else!

We don't get muddy shoes too much here, just wet. Those sit on an old bag to dry in the entry way or just outside the back door.

 

[Mrs-Mama]

My mom used to machine wash and machine dry shoes. I specifically remember throwing my running shoes into the washer after a particularly muddy track practice. Then, we would put the open part of the shoe in front of the refrigerator where warm air blows out to make sure the inside got nice and dry.