How to Clean Baseball Cleats? | Keep Them Game-Ready

Whether you play twice a week or every day, mud and grass build up fast on your spikes. The right way to clean baseball cleats takes about ten minutes and keeps the upper, studs, and stitching in good shape through a long season. The wrong way — like tossing them in a washing machine — can ruin them.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather a few items you likely already own before you begin cleaning baseball cleats. The list is short, and none of it is specialized gear.

• A soft-bristled brush, old toothbrush, or clean cloth
• Mild laundry detergent or dish soap
• A bowl or bucket of warm — not hot — water
• A towel and some newspaper or clean cloth for drying

Pick a spot where a little mess is fine. Tapping off dried mud sends clumps flying, so a garage, patio, or mudroom beats a carpeted hallway every time.

The Step-by-Step Cleaning Routine

This simple process handles grass stains, caked mud, and ground-in dirt without damaging your cleats. Work through it in order, and your spikes will look close to new.

Step 1: Knock off the loose stuff. Smack the soles together or tap them on a hard surface to dislodge dried mud, grass, and dirt clumps.

Step 2: Dry-scrub the surface. Use your soft-bristled brush or old toothbrush to work over the outsole, studs, grooves, and seams. This lifts the remaining loose particles and gets into the ridges where mud likes to hide.

Step 3: Scrub with soapy water. Mix a small amount of mild detergent into warm water. Dip your brush, dab off the excess, and scrub the dirty areas in small circles. For leather uppers, switch to a specialized leather-cleaning solution instead of soaking the shoe.

Step 4: Rinse lightly. Wipe away the soap with a clean, damp cloth or a quick rinse under running water. Use only as much water as needed — you want the surface clean, not the whole shoe saturated. Never fully submerge your cleats, since that can damage the interior lining and the upper.

Step 5: Dry properly. Stuff the shoes with newspaper or clean cloths to hold their shape and absorb moisture, then air-dry in a cool, dry, ventilated spot away from direct sunlight and heat sources. That means no radiator, no vent, no hair dryer, and no dryer machine.

Removable Parts: Laces and Insoles

If your cleats have laces and insoles you can take out, removing them makes the whole job easier and gets everything fully clean.

Pull the laces out and wash them by hand with the same soapy water. Wash removable insoles gently by hand, then pat them dry right away so they do not stay soggy. Replace everything only after the shoes have dried completely.

Common Mistakes That Ruin Cleats

Most cleat damage comes from a few avoidable habits. Skip these and your pair will last noticeably longer.

• The washing machine or dryer. The tumbling action warps the sole and breaks down glue. Hand-washing is the only safe route.
• Direct heat drying. Radiators, vents, space heaters, and hair dryers all dry leather too fast, which cracks it and shrinks the fit.
• Full submersion. Soaking the whole shoe saturates the interior and can loosen the upper from the sole.
• Letting mud harden. Cleaning soon after use is the single easiest win — dry caked mud takes far more scrubbing and can scratch the surface.
• Walking on concrete in them.

That step keeps the leather supple and less likely to crack over a full season.

Once your pair is clean and dry, you might be thinking about your next set of spikes — and this roundup of the best yellow baseball cleats on the market covers top picks for different positions and budgets.