Here's how to clean golf shoes: brush off loose dirt and grass first, then match the method to the material. Mesh takes a soapy water scrub with a soft brush; leather and synthetic uppers want a gentler mix, mild soap rather than dish soap, and a damp cloth wipe rather than a soak. Clear the spikes while you're in there, air dry away from heat, and reapply a waterproofing treatment once water stops beading on the surface.
None of that costs more than a toothbrush and a bar of soap already in the house. The reason it's worth doing anyway is boring but true: mud and wet grass carry acids and enzymes that break down leather and glue over time, and a pair that gets cleaned after most rounds will outlast a pair that only gets cleaned when it starts looking bad. Early October, with the season winding down for a lot of courses, is a reasonable point to actually do it properly instead of shoving damp shoes back in the bag.
What You Actually Need
Nothing here requires a branded "golf shoe cleaning kit." A soft-bristled brush (an old toothbrush works fine for seams and welts), mild soap or a small squirt of laundry detergent, a couple of microfiber or soft cloths, and cedar shoe trees if you already own a pair. A leather conditioner or waterproofing wax is optional and only needed a few times a season, not after every clean. Skip anything marketed specifically at golf shoes and priced like it, because the ingredients doing the actual work are the same as what's already under most sinks.
Cleaning Mesh Golf Shoes
Mesh uppers tolerate more moisture than leather, which makes them the easier job. Pull the laces and insoles out first, both to get into the seams and to help everything dry faster afterward. Dip a soft cloth or brush in warm water with a small amount of dish soap or laundry detergent, scrub the mesh in circular motions to lift dirt and grass stains, then go over it again with a clean, cold-water-dampened cloth to rinse the soap out. Soap left in the fabric attracts more dirt next time and can irritate skin against bare feet.
How to Clean Golf Shoes Made of Leather or Synthetic Material
Leather is where people do the most damage trying to get shoes clean, usually by treating them like sneakers. Skip dish soap here: it strips the oils leather needs and leaves the surface prone to drying and cracking. A soft toothbrush and a small amount of mild soap or laundry detergent, worked in gently rather than scrubbed hard, lifts most dirt without touching the finish. Wipe with a barely damp cloth afterward rather than rinsing under a tap.
For scuffs on white leather, a dedicated white shoe cleaner also conditions the leather while it removes the mark, which plain soap won't do. Dark leather takes a shoe cleaner followed by a matching color cream to keep the finish even instead of patchy where it's been cleaned repeatedly. FootJoy's own shoe care guide (read September 18, 2026) lays out this same material-first approach and adds a detail worth repeating: check the care label before assuming any pair, including a synthetic one, can handle a full soak.
Don't Skip the Spikes and Soles
The outsole is the part that actually touches the acids and enzymes in wet turf, and it's also the part most people forget once the upper looks clean. Pull small clumps of mud or grass out from around the spikes rather than knocking the shoe against something, which can loosen the receptacle. Check that each spike is still fully seated and hasn't started backing out, and while you're doing it, don't overtighten when you reseat one. A stripped receptacle turns a five-minute spike swap into a repair.
Most golf shoes sold today use soft plastic or rubber cleats rather than the metal spikes older courses banned decades ago, and the soft ones clog with mud far more easily. A toothpick or a flathead tool run around the base of each cleat clears packed dirt that a brush alone won't touch, and doing it while the mud is still damp is easier than waiting for it to dry hard.
Drying Golf Shoes Without Ruining Them
This is the step that undoes an otherwise correct clean. Heat is the enemy, not water: a radiator, a car trunk, direct sun on a windowsill, or a hair dryer will all dry the outside fast while cooking the leather from the inside, and the result is cracking that shows up weeks later, not immediately. Stuff the shoes loosely with paper or fit cedar shoe trees, and let them air dry at room temperature out of direct light. It takes longer than a quick blast of heat, but it's the difference between a pair that lasts two or three seasons and one that needs replacing after one wet summer.
When to Reapply Waterproofing
Cleaning and waterproofing are two different jobs, and treating them as the same one is why "clean" shoes still let water through. The test is simple: pour a little water on the toe. If it beads and rolls off, the existing treatment is still working. If it darkens the leather or soaks in, it's time to reapply. Nikwax, whose products cover leather, synthetic and combination uppers, publishes a footwear cleaning and waterproofing guide (read September 18, 2026) that recommends applying the treatment while the shoe is still damp from cleaning, not after it's fully dried, and giving it roughly 24 hours before wearing them again. Skip this on a pair with a factory Gore-Tex or waterproof membrane baked in; those fail at the seams and stitching, not the leather surface, and no wax treatment fixes that.
The Washing Machine Question
This comes up in enough golf forums that it's worth answering directly: no, not unless the care label explicitly says the shoe is machine washable. A washing machine's agitation is harder on adhesives and seams than hand cleaning, and several manufacturers note that a machine cycle can strip the factory waterproofing even on shoes that survive it structurally. If a pair is genuinely too far gone for hand cleaning to help, that's closer to a replacement decision than a laundry one.
This Is a Ten-Minute Job, Not a Project
The reason golf shoes end up neglected is that cleaning gets filed mentally next to detailing a car, something you do occasionally and dread. A brush-off and wipe-down after a round is closer to rinsing a coffee cup: a couple of minutes, done at the door before the mud dries into the seams. The full soap-and-water clean described above, with drying time aside, is maybe ten minutes of actual hands-on work. Spreading that across a season is cheaper in time than the one long session it takes to rescue a pair that's been ignored since spring.
A Seasonal Routine That Actually Saves Money
The cheapest way to own golf shoes is to spend ten minutes on them after most rounds instead of an hour rescuing them twice a year. That's especially true right around now, when a lot of golfers are also thinking about putting their golf gear away for winter: the same logic that says don't put a damp glove in a sealed bag says don't put damp, muddy shoes in one either. Clean and fully dry them before they go into storage, and if that storage is a cold garage rather than somewhere climate-controlled, dry, off-the-floor placement matters more, not less, because condensation cycles are exactly what turns a clean pair of shoes musty over a winter.
There's also a point where cleaning stops being worth the time. Cracked leather that's split rather than just dirty, a sole separating from the upper, or spike receptacles that won't hold a spike anymore are wear, not dirt, and no amount of soap reverses wear. The same wear-versus-cosmetic distinction is worth applying if you're ever buying used golf clubs: grime cleans off, structural wear doesn't, and knowing which one you're looking at saves money in both directions.
FAQ
Can you put golf shoes in the washing machine?
Only if the care label says the shoe is machine washable, which most golf shoes don't. Machine agitation is harder on seams and adhesives than hand cleaning, and a cycle can strip factory waterproofing even when the shoe survives structurally.
How often should you clean golf shoes?
A quick brush-off and wipe-down after most rounds, with a fuller clean using soap and water every few rounds or whenever they look visibly dirty. Waiting until they're caked in mud makes the job harder and gives grass acids more time to work on the leather.
Is dish soap safe on leather golf shoes?
No. Dish soap strips the natural oils leather needs and can leave residue that dries and cracks the surface over time. A mild soap or a small amount of laundry detergent, applied gently, does the same cleaning job without the side effect.
Do golf shoes need to be waterproofed again after cleaning?
Not every time, but check by pouring a little water on the toe. If it beads and rolls off, the existing treatment still works. If it darkens the leather instead, it's time to reapply, ideally while the shoe is still slightly damp.
What's the best way to clean white golf shoes?
Brush off dirt, clean with mild soap the same as any leather shoe, then use a white shoe cleaner on scuffs, which also conditions the leather rather than just masking the mark the way a plain cleaner would.