EXCLUSIVE
With the UK facing more heavy rainfall a footwear expert is begging Britons to stop putting wet shoes and trainers on radiators to fast dry - as it's destroying them.
This weekend the UK faces a range of Met Office yellow weather warnings for rain, guaranteeing Britons will be returning home from work, a walk or the shops with soaking wet shoes.
We are all guilty of popping them on top of our piping hot radiators upside down to speed up the drying process so we can store them away.
But now footwear expert Julian Nelson, from https://www.afinepairofshoes.co.uk/ , is warning people that the common drying blunder could in fact ruin our favourite footwear and drive up energy bills - costing Brits hundreds a year.
Julian explains how the popular hack is disastrous as it dries out leather, melts sole glue and shrinks cushioning foam.
Instead he is urging we adopt his four-step, old-fashioned method of packing them with old newspaper and leaving them in a place with good air flow - so save our treasured shoes.
He explains: "When your shoes get drenched, it’s tempting to speed up the drying process by placing them directly on a radiator.
"But putting wet shoes on a radiator can drastically shorten their lifespan. The intense heat dries them too quickly, causing materials to become brittle and lose their flexibility.
"Leather, in particular can crack and warp, and the adhesives may weaken, leading to sole separation - it can also damage the cushioning materials, leading to permanent deterioration.
"For running shoes, the potential damage is even worse. The heat can degrade the foam midsoles, reducing their cushioning and support, which means they’ll wear out much faster.
"A good pair of trainers should last hundreds of miles, but drying them on a radiator could cut that down significantly as excessive heat can damage their performance and durability."
With high-quality trainers or leather dress shoes costing up to £200 to replace, and radiator inefficiency adding around £70 per year to heating bills, avoiding this mistake could save Brits hundreds annually.
One Reddit user recently shared "I learned this the hard way. I left my shoes on top of the radiator, and the foam layer in the soles shrank by 30 per cent."
Aside from the cost of needing to replace your shoes sooner, Julian explains there’s another expensive side effect.
He adds: "Placing wet shoes on a radiator disrupts the convection cycle, making the radiator inefficient. This forces your boiler to work harder to maintain room temperature, leading to higher energy bills."
Instead, Julian advises a four-step safer drying method:
1 - Remove the insoles and stuff the shoes with newspaper or paper towels to absorb moisture.
2 - Swap out the paper every few hours to speed up drying.
3 - Allow shoes to air dry naturally in a well-ventilated area, away from direct heat sources.
4 - If possible, place them in an area with indirect sunlight or use a fan for airflow.
A Fine Pair of Shoes is a UK-based supplier of high-quality men’s shoes, with over 20 years of expertise in premium footwear care.
Julian concludes: "A better approach is to let shoes dry gradually with proper airflow.
"Using newspaper or a fan will absorb moisture without compromising the integrity of the shoe, helping them last much longer."
