How to Clean On Cloud Shoes Without Ruining the Sole
How do you clean On Cloud shoes without wrecking the very thing that makes them comfortable? That’s the question most owners ask after their first muddy parkrun or rainy commute, and it’s a fair worry, because On shoes aren’t built like a canvas trainer you can throw in the wash. Learning how to clean On Cloud shoes properly matters because the hollow CloudTec pods, the Helion foam and the glue that holds everything together all react badly to heat, soaking and spinning. One wrong wash can leave you with yellowed soles, peeling seams or a pair that feels flat underfoot. The good news? Cleaning them by hand takes about 15 minutes and costs almost nothing. In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to wash the uppers, scrub the pods, whiten white On Clouds, get stones out of the sole, kill bad smells, and dry everything safely. We’ll also cover special care for LightSpray, waterproof and suede models, plus the mistakes we see most often on returns. If you haven’t picked your pair yet, browse our On Cloud shoes UK store first, then bookmark this page for later.
Can You Wash On Cloud Shoes in the Washing Machine?
No, and this is the one rule worth remembering even if you forget everything else. On itself advises against putting any of its shoes in the washing machine or tumble dryer, and every footwear designer we’ve read says the same thing about running shoes in general. Here’s why. Most modern trainers are held together with water-based adhesives, so soaking them in a drum full of warm, soapy water for 40 minutes starts to loosen the bonds between the sole and the upper. The spin cycle then bangs the shoes against the drum, which can crack or warp the hollow CloudTec pods and crease the Speedboard plate inside. Heat is the final problem. Hot water and tumble dryers can shrink mesh, distort the heel counter and break down Helion foam, so your shoes lose bounce long before they should. You’ll find plenty of blogs claiming a mesh bag, cold water and a few towels make machine washing safe, and to be fair, a pair might survive once or twice. But in our experience, machine-washed pairs are the ones that come back with soles lifting at the toe within a few months, and some retailers point out that machine washing can also void warranty claims. The laces are the exception. You can pop those in a small mesh bag and run them on a cool, gentle cycle with your normal washing.
What You Need Before You Start
You don’t need fancy kits or expensive sneaker cleaners. A bowl of lukewarm water (around 30°C, warm to the touch but never hot), a few drops of mild washing-up liquid or gentle laundry detergent, an old soft toothbrush for the pods, a slightly firmer brush or nail brush for the rubber outsole, a microfibre cloth or sponge, a few sheets of newspaper or kitchen roll for drying, and some bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) for whitening and odours will cover almost everything. A melamine sponge (often sold as a magic eraser) is brilliant for scuffs on white midsoles, and a wooden toothpick or cotton bud helps with the gaps between pods. What should you avoid? Bleach, strong solvents, acetone, stiff wire brushes and anything labelled “heavy duty”, because they can strip colour, weaken glue and leave mesh looking fuzzy. Hairdryers and radiators are also off the list, which we’ll explain in the drying section.
How to Clean On Cloud Shoes Step by Step
Start by knocking off loose dirt, which is easier than it sounds. If your shoes are muddy, let the mud dry completely first, then clap the soles together outside and brush away what’s left, because scrubbing wet mud just pushes it deeper into the mesh. Next, take out the laces and the insoles so you can reach every part of the shoe and so each piece can dry properly later. Mix a few drops of mild soap into your bowl of lukewarm water, dip the soft toothbrush, and scrub the upper using small, gentle circles, working from the toe towards the heel and paying extra attention to the area around the toe box where sweat and dust build up. Don’t drown the shoe. A damp brush works far better than pouring water over it, and you never want to soak the inside, because that’s where the glue sits. Then switch to the firmer brush for the rubber outsole and the side walls of the midsole, scrubbing a little harder there since rubber can take it. Wipe everything down with a clean, damp microfibre cloth to remove the soap, because leftover soap attracts dirt and can leave a chalky mark once dry. Finally, stuff the shoes with newspaper and set them aside to air dry, which we’ll cover in detail below. From start to finish, a normal clean takes 10 to 15 minutes per pair.
How to Clean the CloudTec Pods and Remove Stones From the Sole
The hollow pods are the trickiest part of any On shoe to clean, and they’re also where grit does the most damage. Small stones and gravel slip into the open tubes on road models like the Cloud 5, Cloud 6 and Cloudflow, and if you leave them there, they click on hard floors, rub the rubber from the inside and can eventually tear a pod. So check your soles after every walk on gravel paths, car parks or park trails. To remove a stuck stone, push it gently back out the way it came in using a wooden toothpick, a blunt key or the end of a teaspoon, and avoid sharp metal tools like screwdrivers or knives, which can slice the rubber. For general cleaning, dip your soft toothbrush in soapy water and work it into each pod, then use a cotton bud for the tight corners between the clouds and the Speedboard. Here’s something we’ve noticed on returns: shoes with a small split inside a pod almost always had a stone left in them for weeks, so a two-second check after each walk really does make your pair last longer. If you mostly walk on gravel, our honest suggestion is to choose a model with a closed or flatter sole, like the Cloudsurfer 2, the Cloudmonster 3 or one of the trail models, because they pick up far fewer stones in the first place. You can compare these in our On Cloud running shoes range.
How to Clean White On Cloud Shoes and Fix Yellowing
White On Clouds look incredible when they’re fresh, and they show every mark when they’re not. For grey scuffs on white midsoles, a slightly damp melamine sponge works like magic, just rub lightly in small strokes and keep it away from the mesh, because it’s mildly abrasive and can roughen fabric. For general dullness on white mesh, make a paste of two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda with one tablespoon of warm water, brush it gently over the upper, leave it for about 10 minutes, then wipe it off with a damp cloth. Yellowing is a different problem. It usually comes from oxidation of the foam and rubber, which speeds up with heat and direct sunlight, and in our experience most yellowed pairs we see were dried on a radiator or left in a sunny window. Light yellowing on midsoles can sometimes be reduced with a paste of bicarbonate of soda and a little 3% hydrogen peroxide, brushed on and left for 20 to 30 minutes, then rinsed off with a damp cloth, but always test a small hidden spot first and never use it on coloured parts. Honestly, prevention beats any fix here. Dry white shoes indoors away from heat and sun, store them in a cool cupboard, and clean them little and often rather than waiting until they’re filthy.
How to Stop On Cloud Shoes From Smelling
Smelly shoes are almost always caused by bacteria feeding on trapped sweat, so the fix is to clean and dry the insoles properly. Pull the insoles out, wash them by hand in warm soapy water, give them a gentle scrub with your toothbrush, rinse, and let them air dry completely before putting them back, ideally overnight. For a quick deodorising trick, sprinkle a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda inside each dry shoe, leave it overnight, then tip it out in the morning. A few drops of white vinegar mixed with two parts water on a cloth also helps wipe down the inside lining if the smell is stubborn. Prevention matters even more. Always wear socks, preferably moisture-wicking running socks rather than cotton, take your shoes off and loosen the laces after each use so air can get inside, and if you wear them daily for work, rotate between two pairs so each one has 24 hours to dry out fully. If a pair still smells after all that, replacing the insoles is cheap and makes a surprising difference.
How to Dry On Cloud Shoes the Right Way
Drying is where most people accidentally ruin their shoes, so take your time here. Stuff each shoe loosely with crumpled newspaper or kitchen roll, which soaks up moisture from inside and helps the shoe keep its shape. Swap the paper every couple of hours for the first evening, because wet paper stops working quickly. Leave the shoes somewhere well ventilated at normal room temperature, out of direct sunlight, and away from radiators, heaters, fireplaces and underfloor heating. That heat might speed things up, but it softens the glue, shrinks mesh and is the number one cause of yellowed soles we see. Hairdryers and tumble dryers are a hard no for the same reason. Most pairs dry completely in 12 to 24 hours, and the insoles and laces should always go back in only once they’re fully dry. A small fan blowing across the shoes can safely speed things up if you need them for the next day.
Special Care for LightSpray, Waterproof and Suede On Shoes
Not every On shoe should be cleaned the same way. LightSpray models, such as the Cloudboom Strike LS and Cloudmonster 3 Hyper LS, have a thin sprayed-on upper that’s more delicate than standard mesh, so stick to a dry, soft brush for everyday dirt and a barely damp cloth for marks, and avoid scrubbing the upper hard or soaking it. Waterproof models, like the Cloud 6 Waterproof and Cloudhorizon, can handle a wipe with warm water and mild soap, but skip strong detergents, which can clog the waterproof membrane. After cleaning, it’s a good idea to refresh the water-repellent coating with a footwear proofing spray once the shoe is fully dry, especially before a wet UK winter, and you’ll find these models in our On Cloud waterproof shoes collection. Suede and leather details, which you’ll find on some Cloudnova, Roger and lifestyle styles, shouldn’t get wet at all if you can help it, so use a suede brush and a suede eraser for marks, and treat them with a suede protector spray when new. You can browse these styles in our On Cloud lifestyle shoes range. For trail shoes, rinsing the outsole under a gentle tap is fine, since the rubber lugs are tougher, but keep water away from the inside of the shoe.
How Often Should You Clean On Cloud Shoes?
A quick routine beats a big deep clean every few months. After each muddy or wet use, knock off dirt, wipe the upper with a damp cloth, and check the pods for stones, which takes two minutes. Once every two to four weeks, depending on how often you wear them, do the full hand clean described above, including insoles. Every few months, give white pairs a whitening session and re-proof waterproof models. If you run often, here’s an extra tip: cleaning helps your shoes look new, but it won’t bring back worn-out cushioning, so most road running shoes still need replacing somewhere between 300 and 500 miles, while walking shoes often last a year or more of daily wear.
Common Questions About Cleaning On Cloud Shoes
Can you put On Cloud shoes in the washing machine? No, On recommends hand washing only, since machines can damage the pods, foam and glue. Can you put On Cloud shoes in the dryer? Never, because heat warps the sole and weakens the adhesive. How do you get stones out of On Cloud shoes? Push them out gently with a wooden toothpick or blunt key, never a sharp tool. How do you clean white On Clouds? Use a bicarbonate of soda paste on the mesh and a damp melamine sponge on the midsole. How do you stop On Cloud shoes from yellowing? Keep them away from heat and direct sunlight, especially when drying. Why do my On Cloud shoes squeak? Squeaks usually come from pods rubbing together or moisture under the insole, so dry the shoe fully and try a light dusting of talc under the insole. Can you use bleach on On Cloud shoes? No, bleach can discolour mesh and weaken materials. How do I clean the insoles? Hand wash them in warm soapy water and air dry them overnight. Can I wash the laces? Yes, in a mesh bag on a cool, gentle machine cycle. You can also read On’s own advice on the On website’s shoe care guide.
What Cleaning Can’t Fix
We want to be honest about the limits here. Cleaning removes dirt, stains and smells, but it won’t repair a split pod, a torn upper or foam that’s lost its bounce after hundreds of miles. Deep yellowing on older white pairs often won’t come out fully, even with peroxide pastes, because the colour change is inside the foam itself. Mesh that’s already gone fuzzy or thin at the toe won’t return to new, and if the sole has started to separate from the upper, it’s usually time for a repair shop or a new pair. And if your shoes have been through a washing machine several times already, a hand clean now won’t undo any damage to the glue. Cleaning keeps a good pair looking and feeling better for longer, but it isn’t a time machine.
Our Final Recommendation
So, how do you clean On Cloud shoes properly? Hand wash them, never machine wash them. Remove the laces and insoles, scrub the upper gently with lukewarm soapy water and a soft brush, clean the pods with a toothbrush and cotton bud, wipe off the soap, then stuff the shoes with newspaper and air dry them at room temperature away from heat and sunlight. Use bicarbonate of soda for whitening and smells, a melamine sponge for midsole scuffs, and a wooden toothpick for stones. Do a quick wipe after every muddy use and a full clean every few weeks, and your On shoes will look better, smell fresher and last noticeably longer. Got 15 minutes tonight? Grab an old toothbrush and give your pair a proper clean.