How to dry shoes in winter: leather, nubuck, suede, sheepskin

How do you dry shoes in winter?

Dry wet winter shoes slowly: at room temperature, with paper inside and away from the radiator. A pair usually dries in a day or two. Hot air saves a few hours but can cost the leather its shape.

1. Remove dirt and salt. Wipe smooth leather with a damp cloth; blot nubuck and suede without rubbing. Salt left to dry leaves white marks.
2. Take out the insoles and loosen the laces. Dry removable insoles separately and pull the tongue forward so air reaches the toe.
3. Stuff the shoes with paper. Firmly, right into the toe, without stretching. Use paper towels or plain paper; newspaper ink can mark a light lining.
4. Change the paper. Every two to three hours while it soaks through quickly, then at night and in the morning.
5. Place the pair properly. On a rack or a dry towel, somewhere ventilated. Not on the radiator, next to a heater or in direct sun.
6. Care once dry. Cream for smooth leather, a brush and spray for nubuck and suede, a comb-through for fur.

Can you dry shoes on a radiator?

No. Every Babylon product page with drying advice says the same: keep shoes away from radiators and heaters, and the leather models’ pages rule out hair dryers too. Wet leather exposed to sharp heat shrinks, stiffens and loses shape, and may later crack at the creases.

Leather is made of collagen fibres worked with fats during tanning. Water washes out some of those fats, and a radiator dries the shoe unevenly: hot and dry outside, still wet inside. The fibres tighten, the leather shrinks and hardens, and creases form across the vamp. Long exposure to very dry air, like the air near a radiator, also changes the structure of leather for good.

What else radiator drying spoils:

• Fit. A pair that has shrunk from heat fits differently, and the shape of the last can’t be restored at home.
• Sheepskin. The leather base of the fur hardens and the upper can ripple.
• Nubuck and suede. The nap mats down and darkens in patches that are hard to brush out.

Warm room air helps; a hot surface harms.

How do you dry leather shoes?

Let leather shoes dry naturally with paper inside, then treat them with cream. Cream puts back the fats that water washed out, so the leather does not crack at the creases.

The Care tab of the Armor-24 men’s boots says: “If your shoes get wet, let them dry naturally, avoiding direct sunlight and heat sources. Do not dry them on a radiator or with a hair dryer to avoid damaging the leather.” The same text appears on the pages of other Babylon leather boots and sneakers.

• Laces. In high boots the toe and the area under the tongue take longest, so undo the laces all the way.
• Lining. Respira leather linings (and Winterfrost 500 insulation, if you chose it for Armor-24) dry the same way, without heat.
• Cream. Only on dry leather: a thin layer, let it absorb, buff with a soft cloth. Apply a water repellent before you next go out.

For winter-long care of leather boots, see our guide to men’s winter boots.

How do you dry nubuck and suede?

Without heat and without cream: once dry, napped leathers are brushed and re-treated with water-repellent spray. Don’t rub them wet; blot the water first.

Babylon’s care notes for these materials are short and clear. For the Verona-94 fur-lined nubuck boots: “Avoid soaking the shoes… If they get wet, dry them at room temperature, away from radiators and heaters.” For the MARY-99 fur-lined nubuck slip-ons: “Do not wash the shoes or dry them near heaters.”

• Nap. When the pair is dry, lift the nap with a suede and nubuck brush to remove matted patches.
• Fur inside. Verona-94 and MARY-99 are lined with natural fur, so they dry more slowly inside than out. Check by hand near the toe.

Step by step, with all the tools, see “What to do if nubuck or suede sneakers get wet?” in our nubuck and suede care guide. For the difference between the two materials, read Nubuck or suede.

How do you dry shoes with sheepskin or fur inside?

They take the longest: fur holds a lot of water, and while it is wet, the leather base underneath stays damp. Stuff the pair with paper or towels, change them more often than for boots and wait until fully dry, at least a day.

The Frost-71 page, for sheepskin boots in double-face leather (shearling: one piece of sheepskin — leather outside, natural wool inside, no separate lining), warns never to dry them near heat sources such as radiators or heaters, because that can deform and damage the material. If they get wet, it says to stuff them with paper or towels to hold their shape and let them dry at room temperature.

• Dry them completely. Moisture left in fur means odour and mould.
• Insole. The Frost-71 insole is fur-covered and gets wet too, so push paper right into the toe.
• Fur. Once dry, brush out flattened areas with a soft brush.

For full sheepskin boot care, from cleaning to storage, see “How to dry sheepskin boots properly?” in our sheepskin boot care guide.

How can you dry shoes fast?

The fastest safe method is to change the paper often and keep air moving: a fan with room-temperature air or an electric shoe dryer on a low setting. This speeds things up noticeably, although leather and sheepskin often still need a day or more.

• More paper changes. In the first hours, swap it as soon as it is damp.
• Air flow. An ordinary fan aimed at the shoes from a distance speeds drying without heat.
• Electric dryers. Choose one that barely warms or has a no-heat mode; hot inserts left on all night are a radiator inside the shoe. For sheepskin, fur, nubuck and suede, use the lowest setting.
• Shoe trees. Wooden shoe trees absorb moisture; put them in when the pair is almost dry so it finishes drying in shape.
• A second pair. Alternate two pairs so each gets a full day to dry.

Hair dryers, ovens, gas hobs and fireplaces are out: too much sharp heat.

What should you do after drying?

Check that the pair is dry inside and out, then restore protection: cream for smooth leather, brush and spray for nubuck and suede, a comb-through for fur.

• White marks. White patches that appear as the shoes dry are salt. Wipe the leather with a damp cloth and dry again; we will cover removing salt and de-icing chemicals in a separate article.
• Protection. The Armor-24 page recommends treating leather shoes with water repellents: “This is especially important during the rainy and snowy seasons.” For the MARY-99 nubuck, apply a protective product before the first wear.
• Storage. Putting the pair away until next winter? See How to store shoes between seasons.

What do Babylon product pages say about drying?

Babylon makes its shoes by hand at its family-owned factory in Kharkiv, in business since 1997, and every product page has a Care tab. The wording varies by material; the rule doesn’t: dry naturally, away from heat.

• LeatherMen's leather boots Armor-24Winterfrost 500: insulation between the upper and the lining; rated from +5 to −15 °C; sole: chunky€120View →
• NubuckWomen's fur-lined winter nubuck boots Verona-94Lining: genuine fur; sole: chunky; fit: secure foot support€113View →
• NubuckWomen's fur-lined nubuck boots, down to −20 °C MARY-99Lining: natural fur; style: slip-ons; sole: light€115View →
• LeatherWomen's sheepskin boots, down to −20 °C Frost-71Heel counter and decorative tongue insert: genuine leather; inside: dense; insole: fur-covered€115View →

All winter styles in leather, nubuck, suede and sheepskin are in our Winter shoes category.

The winter styles mentioned in this article are collected in Women’s winter shoes and Men’s winter shoes.