Can You Put Work Boots in the Dryer?

I have to work with my work boots on almost every single day. And I often get them wet and dirty, which becomes a horror to clean.

Plus, it takes so long to dry the work boots on their own. And I know I shouldn’t use them when they aren’t completely dry.

So it gets hard to keep them dry, especially when I need to use them on a regular basis. That’s precisely why I used to wonder,

Can you put work boots in the dryer?

The answer is a bit more complicated than a simple yes or no! If it’s a pair of work boots made out of materials like rubber or nylon mesh, you could put them in the dryer after you wash them. But using the dryer for work boots with materials like leather is not a good idea.

Can you put Work Boots in the Washing Machine?

Why Can’t You Put All Work Boots in the Dryer?

Why Can’t You Put All Work Boots in the Dryer?

It’s really natural to want to use the dryer to dry your wet work boots. Believe me, we’ve all been there! But you can’t do that to work boots of just about any material.

What to do then?

Well, you’ll have to determine what material your work boots are made of first. It can be leather, nylon mesh, rubber, or other composite materials to make up a safety-toe box.

Only then can you figure out how that particular material will react to having dried in your clothes dryer.

Let’s find out!

Nylon Mesh Work Boots

You can dry your work boot in the dryer if they are made out of nylon mesh.

And these types of work boots are lightweight, which makes it easier on you if you have to carry a lot of heavyweight loads on a daily basis.

But why?

See, to understand why you can use the dryer with these kinds of work boots, you have first to know what happens inside of a dryer.

A dryer basically tumbles your clothes inside it while blowing hot air at them, which usually goes up to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

How does that affect you?

Well, when it comes to your nylon, it will only start to melt at 428 degrees Fahrenheit.

This means that if you put your nylon mesh work boots in the clothes dryer, they won’t melt or get damaged from the heat.

There’s more!

Nylon is a really strong material. So if you tumble dry your nylon work boots in the dryer, there’s a lesser chance that the boots will get damaged in the process.

However, that doesn’t mean that you should do it too often!

Rubber Work Boots

When it comes to drying your rubber work boots in the clothes dryer, it is very much possible to do so without harming the work boots.

This is because rubber boots are weatherproof. They can withstand a lot of pressure and the harshness of weather, which means they can handle all the tosses and turns in the dryer.

That’s not all!

If you did end up putting your rubber work boot in the clothes dryer, its material would not start to shrink and get ruined.

That’s because the melting point of the kind of rubber used to make work boots is around 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which is way higher than the mere 135 degrees of heat inside the dryer.

So you can dry your rubber work boots in the clothes dryer if you really have to!

Leather Work Boots

A lot of good-quality work boots are made out of leather, which can be leather of different kinds, which shouldn’t be put inside a clothes dryer.

Even though leather is usually a tough material, it might get damaged inside a clothes dryer if you want to dry your leather work boots like that.

The damages can look like this:

  • Shrinking: Enough heat can make the leather start to shrink. This will definitely cause the leather to get damaged and look a certain way that you can’t wear your work boots out anymore.
  • Warping: Because of the heat, you might find the skin of your leather work boots to start warping in a way that just doesn’t look good.
  • Stretching: Leather has collagen fibers in it, which can stretch or shrink if you apply heat to it for a long time.
  • Cracking: There’s also a chance that your leather work boots will start to crack due to losing moisture, which is not a good look.
  • Wrinkling and Creasing: If you put your leather work boots inside the dryer for hours, there’s a chance that the leather might come out wrinkled and creased.
  • Losing Color: Yes, your leather work boot can even start to lose its color if you keep it heated up in the dryer for too long.
  • Peeling: If you keep your leather work boots in the dryer for long enough, they can crack, which could even lead to them peeling.
  • Indentation: The tosses and turns inside the dryer will likely cause the leather of your work boots to be indented.

This is why you should never even think of drying your leather work boots in the dryer.

Things to Do Before Putting Work Boots in the Dryer

First of all, it’s not the best idea to use a dryer to dry your work boots, no matter what material they are made out of.

However, if you’re in a pinch, you might as well keep these things in mind:

  • Try to hang your work boots using the shoelaces or strings (if they aren’t lace-ups) to the dryer door before you turn it on.
  • Check for labels and see if the work boots are said to be dryer-safe. It’s always better for your peace of mind to know this.
  • Try to set the temperature of the dryer as low as possible to ensure the work boots don’t start to shrink.
  • Don’t put your clothes in the dryer with your work boots. That could take longer or mess up your washed clothes.

Final Words

Can you put your work boots in the clothes dryer? Yes, and no, both! It really depends on the type of material used to make the work boots.

I only dry my rubber work boots in the dryer and not my leather work boots.

You should too!

Whatever you do, don’t make this a habit. It’s only a good idea once or twice, but you shouldn’t do this too often.

Scroll to Top
Scroll to Top