Anella Shoe Washing Bag
Anella Shoe Washing Bag
Shoes thrown into a bare drum is how people crack a washing machine, and how a toe box ends up folded in on itself. This bag absorbs the impact and does the scrubbing at the same time.
- Chenille lining scrubs the shoe for the whole cycle
- Padded wall keeps the drum quiet and the shape intact
- 39 × 19 cm — takes a pair of adult trainers
- Zip pull doubles as a hook to hang it up to dry
How to wash a pair
Loosen the laces, put both shoes in facing opposite ways, add your normal detergent straight into the bag, and zip it shut. Run a cold or 30°C cycle on a low spin.
Then hang the bag by the zip pull and let the shoes dry inside it, or take them out and stuff them with paper. Do not tumble dry — heat is what unglues a sole.
What fits
The bag is 39 × 19 cm, which takes a pair of adult trainers, canvas shoes, flats or kids’ shoes. High tops fit with the laces loosened.
Heavy work boots and anything with a leather upper that should not get soaked are the two things to keep out.
Looking after the bag
It goes through the wash with the shoes, so it cleans itself. Unzip it, shake the grit out and hang it to dry — the lining stays fluffy rather than matting down.
Shipping & returns
Ships within 24 hours. Free returns within 30 days.
A bare drum is how machines break
A trainer weighs next to nothing dry and a fair bit wet, and at spin speed it is being thrown against the drum a few hundred times. That banging is not the shoe getting clean, it is the shoe and the machine wearing each other out.
The bag turns the impact into padding. The wall is thick enough that the shoe is never hitting steel, so the noise drops and the shape holds.
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The banging stops The padded wall sits between the shoe and the drum, so the cycle runs at normal noise instead of sounding like a fight.
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The toe box holds Left loose, a wet trainer folds and dries folded. Held in a snug bag, it keeps its shape.
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The door seal is left alone The rubber gasket is the part that actually fails, and it fails from being hit by hard soles.
Four steps, then walk away
Shoes in
Loosen the laces and put the pair in facing opposite ways, so they sit flat rather than stacked.
Detergent in
Your normal detergent, straight into the bag with the shoes. No special product, no pre-soak.
Zip it shut
The zip runs the full length, so it closes over a bulky trainer without forcing.
Run the machine
Cold or 30°C, low spin. Then hang the bag by the zip pull and let them dry.
The forty minutes you used to spend at the sink with a brush is now one cycle you are not in the room for.
The lining is the brush
An ordinary mesh laundry bag only protects. The shoe goes in dirty, gets tumbled about in soapy water and comes out mostly as it went in, which is why people give up on it and go back to scrubbing by hand.
This one is lined with soft chenille fingers. They press against the upper and move across it for the entire cycle — thousands of small passes over the mesh, the midsole and the seams. That is the brushing, done by the drum instead of by you.
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Soft on the upper Chenille is a mop fibre, not a scourer. It lifts dirt off canvas and knit without scuffing them.
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Reaches the awkward parts The lining wraps the whole shoe, so the midsole ridge and the seams get the same contact as the flat panels.
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Works on the inside too Turn a shoe so the opening faces the lining and the same fibres work the footbed.
Built for the drum
Full-length zip
Opens right down the side, so a chunky trainer goes in without being forced through a small mouth.
Mesh end panels
Water and detergent move through freely, which is what stops the shoe sitting in dirty water.
Hangs to dry
The zip pull takes a hook, so the bag dries on the rail instead of on a radiator.
Washes with them
The bag goes through the same cycle, so it comes out clean rather than becoming the next thing to wash.
Frequently asked questions
Does it actually clean, or just protect?
Both, and the cleaning is the point. A plain mesh bag only stops the shoe knocking about — the shoe still comes out much as it went in. The chenille lining here is in contact with the upper for the whole cycle, so the shoe is being rubbed the entire time it is in there.
Heavily caked mud is worth knocking off under a tap first. Everything short of that comes off in the wash.
Will it damage my washing machine?
It is the opposite of the problem. Loose shoes hammer the drum and the door seal for the length of the cycle; inside a padded bag they never touch either. Run a low spin and it sounds like a normal wash.
What cycle should I use?
Cold or 30°C on a low spin, with your normal detergent. Avoid hot water and avoid a fast spin — heat and force are what loosen the glue holding a sole on, not the washing itself.
How many pairs fit in one bag?
One pair of adult trainers, which is the size it is built around. Two pairs of small kids’ shoes will go in together. Cramming two adult pairs in stops the lining reaching the surfaces, so they come out half done.
Can I put any shoe in it?
Trainers, canvas shoes, knit runners, flats and kids’ shoes are all fine. High tops fit with the laces loosened.
Keep out anything that should not be soaked at all — leather dress shoes, suede, and shoes with glued-on decoration.
Can I tumble dry them afterwards?
No, and this is the one thing that ruins shoes people otherwise washed correctly. Tumble heat softens the adhesive between the upper and the sole. Hang the bag up by the zip pull, or take the shoes out and stuff them with paper.
Does the lining flatten out over time?
It goes through the same cycle as the shoes, so it is washed every time it is used rather than staying damp and matting. Shake the grit out and hang it to dry and it stays fluffy.
Do I still need to brush them first?
Only if there is thick mud or grit sitting in the tread — knock that off under a tap so it does not end up in your machine. For ordinary city dirt, scuffs and general greying, it goes straight in.