Put Them in the Dishwasher

We just recently replaced Josh’s original Merrell Barefoot, he had worn down the soles from so much use. So we figured this would be a great time to experiment a little with cleaning by using the old pair. I’ve been wanting to try for some time cleaning them using the dishwasher, but didn’t want to wreck the lining. As you know by now the only negative thing about the Barefoot shoes is how smelly they get. They are designed to be worn without socks and a funky buildup can form in the shoes, before now the only solution we’ve found is to soak, then scrub them out. This works fine but takes time and drying is a pain. My thoughts on using the dishwasher was to achieve a through scrubbing and rinse without the work. Drying them out is still an issue, especially if you wear them daily like we do.

The settings I used were a light rinse without heat dry. Initially we had thought it better to put the shoes on a top rack but the dishwasher we were using was a small capacity and the shoes would have lied flat. So in the end we put them on the bottom rack with toes facing up. We also chose to remove the laces. After putting them “through the ringer” in a clean wash cycle, they came out super clean and not nearly as damp as I had figured.

So what did we find out from this experiment?  You get a very thorough  cleaning but it is hard on the lining.  My advise this is a good option for cleaning a very funky pair of Merrell Barefoot shoes but will not work for regular maintenance.

Conclusion, we are still living the amazing Barefoot lifestyle and loving it.

***This blog is not sponsored by or connected to Merrell/Wolverine Shoe company. I simply believe in the product and wish to share my experiences.***