We’re both really big fans of Rothy’s shoes. More often than not you’ll find one of us wearing the loafers, and Laura recently ordered her first sneakers and is loving them. We’ve been lucky to use the referral program a fair amount to get some nice discounts, and our closets are definitely a reflection of that!
If you’re as big a fan as we are, you know that while the shoes are excellent, they definitely pick up dirt a bit faster than your average shoe. Luckily, they are machine washable and come out looking as good as new after a good soak. Here are our tips for getting your Rothy’s back to their sparkling clean newness.
Remove Insoles (and Midsoles!)
All Rothy’s shoes have a removable insole (usually in a fun contrasty pattern or color!). To get the most out of your cleaning cycle, remove those bad boys so that the water and soap can penetrate in, around, and underneath where dirt (and smells) might be trapped.
The sneaker and the Chelsea styles both have a midsole (see illustration below) that is not machine washable. REPEAT: do not wash your midsole. You’ll be sad. It’s very easy to remove the insole and midsole, just make sure to double check before your toss your shoes on into the washing machine.
Go Cold
Because Rothy’s are made from repurposed water bottles, heat and warmth are not your friend when cleaning. Plastic shrinks if it’s in contact with heat too long, and is aggravated by warm water even more so. (Pro tip: also don’t leave your Rothy’s in a hot car in Southern California for too long… you’ll come back to the shoes a size or two smaller!) For that reason, select a cool or cold wash setting. Don’t worry, the sloshing and detergent are going to make up for there not being any warmth and your shoes will still come out sparkly clean. After they’ve gone through the wash, avoid the dryer 100%. Let them air dry on a towel or rug, and then you’re good to go!
Add Some Padding
We love washing our Rothy’s about once a month, depending on how often they’ve been worn. And we try to line up their wash with the needs of our bath towels, picnic blankets, or duvet covers. This is less wasteful than a load dedicated solely to shoes, it cuts down on noise (even though they’re soft, they’re chunky and can clang around in the washing machine quite a bit), and means you’re getting some other things in your house clean at the same time! All around win.
Don’t Forget the Soap
Rothy’s site says to use a “gentle detergent” to keep the colors of your shoes vibrant. We haven’t been super clear on what constitutes a “gentle” detergent (Laura uses this one, Stella this one), but neither of us have seen too big of a difference in color stay or fading. With the amount we were our Rothy’s, we’ve expected some color shifts, but it doesn’t seem to be the result of washing.
Anyone else big Rothy’s fans? Have you read our post on their referral program? What’s your favorite style and what color do you wish they’d bring back?? Let us know in the comments.