How To Get Sand Out Of Shoes: 8 Effective Methods

How To Get Sand Out Of Shoes: 8 Effective Methods

The summer months are ideal for spending time at the beach, drinking sweet cold beverages, and munching on watermelons. But after a day at the beach, you frequently return home to find your shoes and clothes covered in sand.

It can be challenging to get the sand out of your shoes at times. After your beach vacation, you’re still shaking sand out of your sandals for weeks!

Sand can be removed from shoes using baby powder, a vacuum cleaner, a washing machine, a hose, or even by beating or shaking the shoes. Here are some tips for finally getting rid of beach sand or sandbox sand.

Methods for Removing Sand from Your Shoes

Remove the Insole

You should remove the insole from the shoes before starting the sand-out process. Sand frequently becomes trapped under the insole, which is why your shoes will still have sand in them weeks after leaving the beach.

Additionally, it is simpler for you to wash your shoes and completely get rid of the sand when you remove the insole. Additionally, it’s simpler to remove sand that has become lodged in the crevices of your shoes.

After taking off the insole, be sure to rinse it. When you re-insert the insole into your shoe, you can make sure there is no sand still on it.

Beat Your Shoes

A simple beat-together of the shoes can sometimes be all that is necessary to remove sand from them. Smack the shoe soles together to help loosen any sand that may be lodged inside the shoes as you do this.

Then shake the shoes while they are upside-down. Any particles that become loose should fall out of the shoe’s interior with the aid of this.

Knock Them on a Wall

If simply flipping them doesn’t remove the sand, try slamming them against a wall or a counter or slamming the soles of the shoes together.

How To Get Sand Out Of Shoes: 8 Effective Methods

Use a Pressure Hose

Nothing works better than a pressure hose blast to remove sand that has become stuck inside your shoes. Even the most difficult types of sand are removed by pressure hoses’ bursts of water.

Blast the water into the shoe’s opening using this technique. When the shoe is completely submerged in water, dump the liquid out to remove the water.

Dunk Them in Water

To help remove the sand, try immersing your shoes in water. If you decide to do this, swish the shoes around while they are submerged to help loosen any sand that has become deeply embedded.

After that, drain the water. Before putting the shoes back in the water and repeating the procedure, let the sand settle to the bottom of your bucket.

Try Baby Powder

When it comes to cleaning sand out of your shoes, baby powder, a starchy substance, is a miracle worker. For the job, talcum powder, baby powder, or cornstarch will work.

Pour some powder inside your shoes and use a toothbrush or rag to rub it into the sand-filled areas for this technique. Sand will quickly be moved by the powder!

Use a Hand Vacuum

Sand in your shoe can be removed using a hand vacuum if you have one. Your shoes will stay spotless because many strong vacuums can remove the sand from inside of them.

Place Them in the Washing Machine

Even though this approach should only be used as a last resort, it works wonders, especially if you have a pair of extremely soiled shoes. Sand can be cleaned and removed with the aid of your washer. After visiting the beach, washing your shoes in the washing machine is a great way to help remove sand.

Just keep in mind that not all sneakers hold up well in washing machines.

Preventing Sand from Getting into Your Shoes

Avoiding the sand from getting into your shoes in the first place will allow you to skip the steps above! There are several methods you can use to approach this.


One option is to wear running shoes with closed mesh. Sand is less likely to be drawn to mesh fabric, which also prevents foreign objects from getting into your shoes.

Try walking or running on the wet sand as well. Sand that has been wet is even, smooth, and tightly packed, so it won’t irritate your shoes.

As a final precaution, stay away from the beach on windy days. You might have a big mess to clean up later if the wind blows sand into your shoes while it is blowing.

How To Get Sand Out Of Shoes: 8 Effective Methods

Will Run on the Beach Ruin My Shoes?

A fantastic summer activity is running on the beach. Sand provides a soft cushion for your feet, allowing you to unwind and reduce some of the stress of daily life. When walking on the beach, sand is infamous for getting into shoes. Depending on the time you have and the materials you have, there are various ways to accomplish this.

Take a bag, put some sand in it, and put your shoes in it. Any undesirable particles can be removed by walking while the sand circulates around your shoes. You could also try soaking your shoe while wearing it with a hose, but make sure the nozzle is set to a gentle spray to avoid damaging your shoe or wetting down nearby objects. Depending on your preferences and the resources available at the time, you can clean the sand out of your shoes in various ways.

Conclusion: It Depends

We could provide a solution here for how to remove sand from shoes, but it would depend on the kind of shoe. We advise soaking mesh or open-toed athletic shoes in water and dish soap for 30 minutes before manually brushing off any sand that is visible. If you’re unsure of how to clean the sand out of your closed-toe leather boots, let us know. We’ll do everything we can to support you and guarantee that your feet are comfortable this summer.