Rain, mud, wet grass and a full match of running: football boots come off soaked at almost every session from autumn to spring. And there's rarely much time before the next one. Here's how to dry football boots quickly, how to have them dry overnight, and which shortcuts do more harm than good.
The short answer: knock off the mud, take out the insoles, loosen the laces all the way, press out the water with a towel and dry the boots from the inside with gentle warm air. Air-dried, soaked boots can easily take a full day or longer. With an electric boot dryer at 40–45 °C, they're dry in 1–4 hours, depending on how wet they are, so they're ready for the next training.
Why football boots need extra care
Football boots are lighter and thinner than most shoes, and they're held together in places that don't like heat. The soleplate with the studs is glued to the upper, and many uppers are thin synthetic or knitted material, or soft leather. Boots are also made to fit tightly, so if they dry out in the wrong shape, you'll feel it at the next match.
On top of that, many players train two or three times a week and play at the weekend. Boots that never fully dry between sessions start to feel heavy and smell, and they're unpleasant to put on.
Step by step: drying football boots after a wet match
- Get the mud off outside. Clap the boots together and brush off the rest with a soft brush. Dried mud traps moisture and is harder to remove later.
- Take out the insoles. They hold a lot of water and dry much faster on their own.
- Loosen the laces completely and pull the tongue forward, so the boot is as open as possible.
- Press out the water with a dry towel. Push a towel into the toe and heel, squeeze, and repeat with a dry part of the towel. Don't twist or wring the boot.
- Wipe the uppers with a damp cloth.
- Dry the boots from the inside with gentle, steady warmth: in a warm, ventilated room with a fan, or on an electric boot dryer.
- Leather boots: once they're dry, treat them with a leather care product, following the boot maker's advice.
How to dry football boots overnight
Training in the evening and school or work in the morning? Start as soon as you get home:
- Mud off, insoles out, laces loose, water pressed out.
- Put the boots on an electric shoe dryer with a timer. The ShoeDry Airo has a 1, 2 or 4-hour timer and switches itself off.
- No shoe dryer? Put the boots in a warm, ventilated room (not on the radiator), point a fan at them and stuff them loosely with fresh newspaper. Thoroughly wet boots may still be damp in the morning.
How to dry football boots without newspaper
Newspaper works, but slowly, and old ink can stain light-coloured linings. Alternatives:
- A dry tea towel or kitchen roll, pushed loosely into the toe and replaced when it gets damp. Same principle, no ink.
- Airflow. A fan pointed into the open boots keeps air moving through them, and moving air is half of what drying needs.
- An electric boot dryer. It brings warm air right into the toe, where boots stay wet the longest.
- Skip the rice. Rice absorbs very little moisture from a boot.
Drying methods compared
| Method | Speed for soaked boots | Effect on the boots | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electric boot dryer (40–45 °C) | 1–4 hours | Gentle, steady warmth from the inside | Players who train several times a week |
| Warm, ventilated room + fan | A day or longer | Gentle | When there's no game or training tomorrow |
| Newspaper or kitchen roll | A day or longer, replace it regularly | Gentle; ink can stain light linings | Better than nothing |
| Radiator or heater | Varies | Glue, soleplate and leather can be damaged | Avoid |
| Tumble dryer | Varies | Glue, studs and shape at risk, and it's hard on your dryer | Avoid |
| Hair dryer | Varies | Concentrated heat in one spot; never leave it unattended | Cool setting at most |
Mistakes to avoid
- The radiator. Direct heat softens the glue around the soleplate and can make leather crack.
- The tumble dryer. Heat and tumbling are bad for glue, studs and shape, and a pair of studded boots doesn't do your dryer any favours either.
- Leaving boots in the kit bag. In a closed bag or a car boot, wet boots stay wet for days, and the smell builds up.
- The washing machine. Only if the manufacturer says it's fine. Most football boots are better cleaned by hand.
- Drying with the laces tied. The boot stays closed, and air can't reach the inside.
Keeping football boots fresh between matches
The smell in football boots builds up when they go back into the bag damp, session after session. The simplest fix is to dry them fully after every use, even when they only feel a little damp. Take them out of the kit bag as soon as you get home, and if you have a second pair, rotate them. An electric shoe dryer like the ShoeDry Airo also removes odours with ION technology while the boots dry.
Football families: more than one pair
With two or three players in the house, the hallway fills up fast. The Airo 2 pair double shoe dryer dries two pairs at the same time, or one pair of boots plus shin pads or goalkeeper gloves. It fits shoes from EU size 26, so it works for most children's boots as well as adults'. For one player, the Airo 1 pair electric shoe dryer is enough.
For wet trainers, school shoes and everyday shoes, see our main guide on how to dry wet shoes fast. Want to see all models? Compare our shoe dryers.
Dry boots by the next training with ShoeDry
Warm air of 40–45 °C from the inside, dry in 1–4 hours, and it removes odours with ION technology. 1, 2 or 4-hour timer. 100 W, about €16 a year with daily use.
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Frequently asked questions
How long do football boots take to dry?
Soaked football boots can easily take a full day or longer to air-dry. With an electric boot dryer at 40–45 °C, they're dry in 1–4 hours, depending on how wet they are.
Can you put football boots on the radiator?
It's better not to. Direct heat can soften the glue around the soleplate and make leather crack. Dry them near a heater rather than on it, or use a boot dryer with gentle, steady warmth.
Can you put football boots in the tumble dryer?
No. The heat and tumbling are bad for the glue, the studs and the shape of the boots, and studded boots can also damage the dryer.
How do you dry football boots overnight?
Remove the mud and insoles, loosen the laces, press out the water with a towel and put the boots on an electric shoe dryer with a timer. Without a dryer: a warm, ventilated room, a fan and fresh newspaper.
Should you take the insoles out of football boots to dry them?
Yes. Insoles hold a lot of water and dry much faster on their own, and the boot dries faster without them.
Written by the ShoeDry team.