How to Clean Crocs

Co-authored by Penny Simmons

Crocs are lightweight and comfortable, making them a popular choice of footwear for daily activities. After wearing your Crocs while working in the garden, going on a nature walk, or playing in the rain, they're going to need to be cleaned (especially if they're white). With your main ingredient being soapy water, your Crocs will be shiny and new in no time.

Things You Should Know

Scrub your rubber crocs with water, soap, and a scrub brush. Use a magic eraser to remove tough stains.
Have your sheepskin-lined crocs cleaned at the dry cleaners or handwash them with sheepskin shampoo.
Wash canvas crocs with soapy water and a toothbrush. Then, wash out the suds with clean water.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Washing Rubber Crocs

1
Rinse your rubber Crocs with regular water. Before doing a deep clean, rinse your Crocs with plain water. This will remove the first layer of dirt and help you narrow down which parts need scrubbing.^{[1]
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2
Combine mild soap with warm water in a bucket. Find mild soap or dish detergent and squirt or pour a small amount in a bucket of warm water. You can also put a stopper in the sink and use the sink to clean your Crocs. Mix the soap and the water well.^{[2]
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- The warm water will help break down the dirt, and a mild soap will ensure your Crocs aren't damaged by harsh chemicals.
- If your Crocs are really dirty, or if you have white Crocs, you can add bleach to the water by filling up the bleach container's cap with bleach and mixing it into the water.
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3
Let your Crocs soak in the bucket or sink while you're scrubbing. Once you’ve made a soapy mixture, put your Crocs into the bucket or sink to let them soak. They don't need to soak for a specific period of time before washing them, but keep them in the water the entire time you're scrubbing.^{[3]
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- You can use pretty much any kind of soap for this.^{[4]
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  Expert Source
  
  Penny Simmons
  Shoe Care Specialist
  Expert Interview. 19 November 2020.}
4
Scrub dirt off using a scrub brush or rag. As the Crocs are soaking, use a scrub brush or rag to start wiping off the dirt. This may take several minutes, depending on how dirty your shoes are.^{[5]
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- Use a toothbrush to get inside the vent holes or other places you can’t easily reach. Only use this toothbrush for household cleaning.
5
Use a generic or brand-name magic eraser for tough stains. If dirt or residue on your Crocs isn't washing off, try using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. These are designed for tough stains and only need water to make them work. There are also generic versions that work well and are usually cheaper. Rub the eraser over the stain until it disappears.
- Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and generic magic erasers can be bought at most drug stores, grocery stores, or superstores. If you can't find one in stores, order one online.
6
Rinse the shoes off and let them dry completely. Once you’ve removed all of the dirt from the Crocs, rinse them with plain, cool water. You can either dry the Crocs with a towel, or you can let them air dry.^{[6]
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- If letting your Crocs air dry, don’t leave them out in the sun for more than a few hours — heat can cause damage.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Cleaning Winter Linings

1
Choose an absorbent powder to help get rid of dirt. If you need to remove minor dirt stains or odor from your sheepskin-like lining, find an absorbent powder with a similar color to the lining of your Crocs. These absorbent powders will be helpful in absorbing all the dirt and oils from the lining, as well as helping to get rid of any strong smells.^{[7]
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- Cornmeal, dry oatmeal, and wheat germ are all useful absorbent powders with neutral colors that will match most linings.
- If your Crocs have a dyed lining, salt or baking soda are good absorbents.
2
Sprinkle the powder onto the winter lining. Make sure to evenly cover all of the lining, turning the Crocs around in your hands to cover them from different angles.^{[8]
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- Salt won’t stick to the lining as easily as the other powders, so sprinkle a little extra to make sure it can do its job.
3
Let the powder sit for 3 hours before shaking it out. After roughly 3 hours, start shaking the powder out of your shoes. It’s best to do this over a trash can or sink, or shake them out outside. If there are still powder particles that aren’t coming out, use a handheld vacuum or vacuum hose to remove them.^{[9]
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- To fluff your lining back up, you can use a wire wool brush. Make sure to brush it in one direction to prevent the sheepskin from curling.
4
Have the sheepskin lining dry-cleaned if necessary. Sheepskin won't look the same after it's washed, so you should avoid washing it in water for as long as possible. If it is really dirty, you can have the lining dry-cleaned by a professional to help keep its original texture.^{[10]
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5
Hand wash your lining if you don't want to have it dry-cleaned. If your sheepskin lining is really dirty but you don't want to take it to the dry-cleaners, you can hand wash it. Be aware that the lining won't look the same after it's been hand washed. Let the lining soak in sheepskin shampoo and warm water, and then rinse the lining in a bucket of plain water before letting it air dry.^{[11]
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- The sheepskin will take 1-2 days to dry.
- To help remove dirt, move the sheepskin around in the shampoo and water while it's soaking.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Scrubbing Canvas Crocs

1
Remove shoe laces and soak them in soapy water if necessary. If your canvas Crocs have shoe laces, remove the laces and put them in a bucket or sink full of soapy water. Move the laces around in the water, rubbing the soapy water into them. Once they’re clean, rinse them with clean water and hang them to dry.^{[12]
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- Use any type of mild soap, including detergent, dish soap, or even hand soap. Using a mild soap will ensure the canvas isn't damaged by harsh chemicals.
- Whether the water is cold or warm is up to you, just don't use water that's super hot so as not to harm the canvas.
2
Scrub suds gently into the canvas using a toothbrush. Dip a toothbrush designated for household cleaning or other small scrub brush into the soapy water and scoop some suds onto the brush. Test out a small section of the canvas before scrubbing the whole shoe to make sure the fabric won't be ruined. Gently scrub the canvas with the toothbrush until the shoes are clean.^{[13]
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- Don’t scrub over labels or print on the shoes to prevent them from coming off.
3
Use a laundry stain remover on tough stains. If your canvas Crocs have stains on them that aren't coming out using the toothbrush method, try treating the spots with a stain remover that you would use on your clothes. Follow the directions for the specific stain remover, but make sure you let it sit on the stain for roughly 10 minutes before rinsing the stain remover out.^{[14]
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4
Sponge the canvas with clean water to remove the soap. Find a cloth or sponge and dip it in clean water. Wring the cloth or sponge out so it isn’t dripping before gently sponging the shoes. This should help remove all of the suds.^{[15]
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- Wringing the cloth or sponge out is important — you don’t want the shoes to become soaking wet after they’ve been cleaned.
- You can also use the cloth or sponge to wipe dirt off of the rubber soles, if necessary.
5
Use a towel to absorb excess moisture before letting the shoes air dry. Pat the shoes with a towel to absorb extra water. Once the shoes are clean, you can let them air dry someplace warm, like in a sun room or on a porch.^{[16]
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- Don’t leave the shoes out in the sun — this will cause the dyed fabric to lose its color.

Community Q&A

Question

Can it be straight bleach?

Rebecca Davis

Community Answer

Straight bleach will probably discolor Crocs that aren't white, so I would advise against it. (If your Crocs are white, then it should be fine.)