Cleats catch the worst of every game. Grass stains. Caked mud. The smell that hits the second you open the gear bag. Most players have no idea how to clean cleats properly, so they let them sit until next weekend or shove them in the washing machine. Neither works.

Here is the simple, no-mess way to clean cleats in about 10 minutes after a game, and keep them in rotation all season.

1. Knock off the loose mud and grass.

2. Pull the laces and insoles.

3. Wipe the uppers with a SneakERASERS sponge (a little water, gentle swipes).

4. Wash the laces and treat the insoles.

5. Air dry indoors with no heat for 12 to 24 hours.

We have cleaned more than 6 million pairs of cleats, sneakers, and boots for athletes who do not have 24 hours to wait on a soak. The process below is the one that actually works on game-worn cleats.

Gather everything before you start so you only make one trip.

• Soft bristle brush or old toothbrush

• Mild dish soap or detergent

• Microfiber cloth or rag

• Small bowl of warm water

• SneakERASERS sponge for fast cleaning of leather and synthetic uppers (a quick dip in water activates the sponge if you’re taking from our 10-pack/20-pack)

• SneakERASERS SOAK for deep cleaning mesh and knit cleats, laces, and insoles

What to skip: bleach, harsh chemicals, the washing machine for the cleat itself, the dryer, and any direct heat source. These damage the materials that hold the cleat together.

Do this outside or over a trash bag the second you take the cleats off. Cleaning muddy cleats is all about timing. Wet mud wipes off in seconds. Dried mud takes ten times longer and grinds into the studs and the upper.

Tap the cleats together sole to sole. Then use a stiff brush, an old toothbrush, or a wooden skewer to clear compacted dirt from between the studs and around the cleat plate. Non-negotiable for soccer, football, and baseball.

For baseball and football cleats with metal spikes, check each spike for damage or looseness while you clear dirt. A loose spike caught now saves a trip-and-fall on the field next weekend.

Pull the laces all the way out. Skip this and dirt stays trapped under the eyelets, and your shoe laces never come fully clean. Drop them in a bowl of warm soapy water to soak while you work on the rest of the cleat.

Pull the insoles out too. They hold the sweat, the smell, and most of the moisture. They dry separately, and the cleat itself dries faster without them inside.

If the insoles are visibly grimy or smelly, treat them now. Hit them with SneakERASERS SOAK and set them aside, or jump to the smelly cleats section below for the full deep clean.

Use a soft brush dipped in warm soapy water to clean the outsole, the cleat plate, and around each stud or spike. Any dirt left here adds weight, reduces traction, hides damage, and ages the rubber faster.

For molded plastic studs (most soccer and football cleats), the brush plus soapy water finishes the job. For metal spikes (baseball, some football), dry them thoroughly after this step to prevent rust. If the spikes screw in, a light coat of WD-40 or similar on the threads keeps them easy to remove later.

Wipe everything dry with a microfiber cloth before moving to the uppers. A wet outsole drags moisture back onto the upper while you work.

This is the step that decides how the cleats look at next week's game. The method depends on the upper material.

For leather cleats with synthetic or full-grain uppers, the SneakERASERS sponge is the fastest option. Take a sponge fresh from the pack and add a little water to wake it up (the 10-pack sponges are pre-treated, not pre-moistened, so a quick dip activates them). Swipe across the upper in light strokes and watch the dirt and scuffs lift off. No soap. No mess. Wipe with a dry microfiber cloth after.

For knit, mesh, or fabric uppers (common on modern soccer cleats like Nike Mercurial and Adidas X), skip the sponge. Knit and mesh need to be soaked. SneakERASERS SOAK is built for it. Drop a pre-measured pod into warm water, soak the cleats for the recommended time, then rinse and air dry. SOAK lifts stains and odor out of fabric where surface wiping cannot reach.

For suede or nubuck (rare on cleats but found on a few retro pairs), do not use water or a sponge. Use a dedicated suede brush only, and brush gently in one direction.

Pull the laces out of the soapy water from Step 2. Rub them between your fingers to work the soap through. Pay attention to the tips and the middle section where dirt builds up.

Rinse under warm water until the water runs clear. If the laces are white and still dingy, drop them in a fresh bowl with a splash of SneakERASERS SOAK and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Lay the laces flat on a microfiber cloth to air dry. Do not put them in the dryer. The aglets (plastic tips) melt and the laces shrink.

This is where most people ruin good cleats. Heat warps adhesives and stiffens materials, which is why the Cleveland Clinic warns against drying athletic shoes near radiators, dryers, or other direct heat sources.

Stuff each cleat with newspaper or a clean dry rag to absorb interior moisture and hold the shape. Swap the paper after a few hours if the cleats were soaking wet.

Set the cleats in a well-ventilated room at normal temperature. Skip the dryer. Skip the radiator. Skip direct sunlight (the sun fades color and dries out leather). A fan pointed at the cleats speeds the dry without adding heat.

Allow 12 to 24 hours for a full dry depending on how wet they got and the upper material.

The basic process works for every sport. A few details change based on what the cleats face.

Soccer cleats live in wet grass and mud, and modern knit and mesh uppers like Mercurial, X, and Phantom should not be cleaned with the sponge. Use SneakERASERS SOAK for those. Use the SneakERASERS sponge for leather pairs like Copa, Tiempo, Premier, and Adidas Sambas.

Pay extra attention to the studs and the soleplate seam where mud gets ground in. Never machine wash, regardless of what the tag says.

Football cleats see grass, mud, paint from field lines, and dirt from a lot of falls. The six-step process above applies. For removable spikes, take them out, clean the threads separately, and add a drop of lubricant before reinstalling.

Leather uppers respond well to the SneakERASERS sponge. Synthetic mesh uppers need SOAK. Wipe the inside collar after every game. Sweat sits there.

Baseball and softball cleats deal with infield clay (the worst, it dries like cement), grass stains, and metal-spike rust. Knock infield dirt off the second the game ends, before it dries. The dirt holds moisture against the spikes and promotes rust.

After the basic clean, dry the metal spikes thoroughly with a microfiber cloth. Store cleats with a silica gel pack inside to absorb residual moisture between games.

For white baseball cleats, see the white cleat section below.

White soccer cleats, white football cleats, and white baseball cleats are all hard to keep clean and easy to ruin. Avoid bleach. It yellows synthetic uppers and weakens leather over time.

For surface stains on white leather or synthetic uppers, the SneakERASERS sponge lifts grass and dirt without damaging the white finish. Light strokes only.

For deeper stains or a full re-whitening, soak the laces and (if the upper is mesh or knit) the entire cleat with SneakERASERS SOAK. White mesh uppers stain faster than smooth synthetics and respond best to soaking rather than surface wiping. For leather uppers, follow with a white leather conditioner to keep the finish from cracking.

Lace stains are the most visible part. Replacement laces are affordable. If a single soak does not fully restore them, swap them.

The smell comes from bacteria feeding on sweat and moisture trapped in the insoles and lining. Research from the University of Arizona found that athletic shoes can carry hundreds of thousands of bacteria per pair, with the heaviest load in the insole and lining. Kill or remove the bacteria, and the smell goes with it. The inside of shoes is where bacteria concentrates, so targeted interior cleaning matters more than surface wipes for odor.

Pull the insoles out and let them dry separately. Sprinkle baking soda inside the cleat and on the insoles overnight, then shake it out in the morning.

For stronger odor, soak the insoles in SneakERASERS SOAK. The formula targets the bacteria that cause the smell, not just the surface.

Between games, store cleats with cedar shoe inserts or activated charcoal pouches to absorb moisture before it turns into smell.

Never spray Febreze or perfume on cleats as a fix. It masks the smell for an hour and adds moisture that makes the underlying problem worse.

Yes. Cleats stored wet, especially in a closed gear bag, grow mold within days. Look for white or green fuzzy patches on the upper or inside lining, a sour or musty smell, and dark spots that do not wipe off with a damp cloth.

Treat mold the second you spot it. Take the cleats outside before you do anything. Shaking mold spores around the house spreads the problem. Use a soft brush to clear visible mold from the surface.

Mix one cup of warm water with a splash of white vinegar. Dampen a cloth with the solution and wipe down the affected areas. Vinegar kills most surface mold without bleaching the upper.

For deeper mold inside knit or mesh uppers, soak the cleats in SneakERASERS SOAK and let them air dry fully in a ventilated space. Do not put moldy cleats back in a gear bag until they are completely dry.

To prevent it from coming back, never store cleats in a sealed bag while damp, always pull the insoles after games, and let the cleats fully dry between uses.

Most cleat damage is self-inflicted. Skip these and a pair lasts a full season.

• Putting cleats in the washing machine. The cycle stresses the seams, warps the cleat plate, and shortens the life of the shoe. Even cleats sold as machine washable last longer hand-cleaned.

• Using the dryer. Heat melts adhesives. That is it.

• Letting mud dry on the cleats. Dried mud is ten times harder to remove and damages the upper.

• Using bleach to whiten white cleats. It yellows the synthetic and weakens the leather.

• Storing wet cleats in a sealed gear bag. Mold and odor result every time.

• Skipping the insoles. They hold most of the smell and moisture. Always pull them to dry.

• Using a stiff brush on the upper. Use a soft brush or the SneakERASERS sponge. Stiff bristles scratch leather and shred mesh.

Three levels of clean cover a full season.

• Quick clean after every use. Knock the mud off, wipe the upper with a SneakERASERS sponge, pull the insoles to dry. Under five minutes.

• Deep clean every four to six games, or once a month during a regular season. Pull the laces, soak the insoles, full upper clean, full air dry.

• End-of-season deep clean before storage. A shoe cleaning kit keeps everything organized for the seasonal deep clean. Full SOAK treatment, full dry, stuff with paper, and store in a cool dry place out of the gear bag.

Once you know how to clean cleats, the routine is simple. The right tools cut the time and protect the cleats so a pair lasts past a single season. SneakERASERS sponges handle fast post-game wipes on leather and synthetic uppers in seconds, with a touch of water and no harsh chemicals. SneakERASERS SOAK takes care of the deeper clean on mesh, knit, insoles, and laces overnight. The same approach works for gym shoes, running shoes, and anything else in the rotation.

Both products came out of a Shark Tank deal with Lori Greiner and Alex Rodriguez, and have since cleaned more than 6 million pairs of shoes for athletes, parents cleaning their kids shoes after weekend games, and busy professionals. The sponge is the top-selling shoe cleaner on Amazon with over 13,000 reviews, and you can grab a pack at Walmart, Target, Costco, or CVS if shipping is too slow.

Shop the SneakERASERS 10-pack and SOAK pods on erasers.com. Throw a sponge in the gear bag for after the next game and run the SOAK every fourth or fifth weekend. Next weekend's cleats will look like the ones you wore out of the box.

"How to Clean Shoes." Cleveland Clinic, health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-clean-shoes. Accessed 31 May 2026. 

"Shoe Bacteria Research." University of Arizona News, news.arizona.edu. Accessed 31 May 2026.