Athlete’s foot fungus can survive inside shoes for months, making your footwear one of the most common sources of reinfection. Cleaning your shoes properly means killing the fungus with heat, antifungal products, or both, then keeping them dry enough to prevent regrowth. Here’s how to do it for every type of shoe you own.
Why Shoes Harbor the Fungus So Well
The fungi behind athlete’s foot, primarily species called dermatophytes, thrive in warm, dark, moist environments. The inside of a worn shoe checks every box. Your feet produce sweat throughout the day, and shoes trap that moisture against fabric and foam that the fungus can colonize. Even after your skin clears up with treatment, slipping your feet back into contaminated shoes can restart the infection within days.
Machine-Washable Shoes: Use Hot Water
If your shoes can go in the washing machine (canvas sneakers, many athletic shoes, fabric slip-ons), a hot wash is the most reliable way to kill the fungus. Research published in the European Journal of Dermatology found that just five minutes at 60°C (140°F) completely killed the most common athlete’s foot species. A standard 45-minute wash cycle at that temperature with regular laundry detergent left no viable fungus behind.
One important caveat: a less common but still widespread species proved much harder to kill. It survived a full 45-minute wash at 60°C with detergent, though growth was greatly reduced. Complete kill required temperatures of 95°C (about 200°F) for five minutes. Most home washing machines max out around 60°C, so for extra assurance, add a disinfecting step on top of the hot wash.
To wash your shoes safely:
- Remove the insoles and laces and wash them separately
- Set your machine to the hottest water setting available
- Use regular laundry detergent
- Place shoes in a mesh laundry bag or pillowcase to reduce banging
- Air dry completely before wearing (more on drying below)
Shoes You Can’t Machine Wash
Leather dress shoes, boots, suede sneakers, and many structured athletic shoes can’t survive a washing machine cycle. For these, you’ll rely on antifungal sprays, powders, or disinfecting solutions applied directly inside the shoe.
Antifungal Sprays and Powders
Over-the-counter antifungal shoe sprays and powders typically contain tolnaftate at 1% concentration, the same active ingredient used in medicated foot powders. To treat contaminated shoes, spray a thin layer inside each shoe and let it dry completely. For ongoing prevention, apply once or twice daily, morning or night. If you’re actively treating an infection, plan on using the spray daily for at least four weeks.
These products work best when the shoe interior is clean and dry before application. Wipe down the inside with a damp cloth first, remove any debris, and let the shoe air out before spraying.
Disinfecting Solutions
Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) and hydrogen peroxide are both EPA-registered antifungal agents effective against fungi on hard, nonporous surfaces. For shoe interiors, which are partly porous, they won’t penetrate as deeply as a full wash, but they still help reduce fungal load significantly.
Mix a solution of one part household bleach to ten parts water, dampen a cloth, and wipe down the entire interior of the shoe. Pay special attention to the toe box and insole area. Let the solution sit for at least 10 minutes before wiping it off with a clean damp cloth. Be aware that bleach can discolor certain materials, so test a small spot first. Hydrogen peroxide (3% household strength) is a gentler alternative that’s less likely to damage color or fabric.
What About Vinegar?
Vinegar gets recommended often as a natural shoe disinfectant, and it does have some basis in science. Research in the Hong Kong Journal of Dermatology and Venereology found that the most common athlete’s foot fungus is killed at a pH of 3.0 or below. Standard white vinegar (5% acetic acid) can achieve a pH between 2.5 and 3.3 depending on dilution, which puts it right at the threshold.
The problem is consistency. Undiluted white vinegar may reach a fungicidal pH, but once you dilute it or it gets absorbed into shoe material, the pH can rise above the effective range. If you want to try it, use undiluted white vinegar, soak a cloth, and pack it inside the shoe for at least 30 minutes. It’s a reasonable supplement to other methods but not the most reliable option on its own.
Skip the Freezer
You’ll find advice online suggesting you bag your shoes and freeze them for 24 to 48 hours. This is not a reliable method. Dermatophytes are routinely stored in laboratory freezers and remain viable after thawing. Fungal cultures are actually preserved through freezing in clinical settings. Cold temperatures may slow fungal growth temporarily, but they don’t kill the organism. Once the shoe warms back up on your foot, surviving fungi resume growing.
UV Shoe Sanitizers: Buyer Beware
Several companies sell small UVC light devices designed to sit inside your shoes overnight. Marketing claims often promise 99% germ elimination, but the Federal Trade Commission has taken action against multiple UV sanitizer manufacturers for making unsubstantiated claims. In 2015, the FTC found that companies selling UV shoe and surface sanitizers “didn’t have scientific evidence to back up” their kill-rate claims. Some of these devices may offer a modest reduction in microbial load, but treat the marketing numbers with skepticism and don’t rely on UV devices as your sole disinfection method.
Drying Is Just as Important as Cleaning
Killing the fungus is only half the job. Preventing recolonization requires keeping your shoes dry enough that fungi can’t establish themselves again. A full day or two of drying time between wears brings humidity levels inside the shoe low enough that fungi can’t survive. This means you need at least two pairs of everyday shoes so you can rotate them.
After cleaning, stuff shoes with newspaper or paper towels to absorb moisture from the interior. Place them in a well-ventilated area, not inside a dark closet. If you’re in a humid climate or your feet sweat heavily, consider using a boot dryer, which circulates warm air through the shoe and can cut drying time to a few hours. Removing insoles and loosening laces while shoes dry speeds up airflow considerably.
A Practical Cleaning Routine
If you’re dealing with an active athlete’s foot infection, treat all shoes you’ve worn in the past few weeks. For machine-washable shoes, run them through a hot cycle. For everything else, wipe the interiors with a bleach or peroxide solution, let them dry completely, then apply an antifungal spray or powder. Repeat the spray application daily for at least four weeks, matching the duration of your foot treatment.
Once the infection clears, maintain the habit of rotating shoes daily and using antifungal powder a few times a week in shoes you wear without socks or during exercise. Replace old insoles, which trap moisture and fungal debris in their foam. Synthetic insoles with antimicrobial treatment dry faster and resist colonization better than standard foam.