How to Wash Vivaia Shoes & Flats

Vivaia is an eco-friendly footwear brand that’s known for their handcrafted shoes, all of which are made of sustainable materials.

More About Vivaia

Vivaia was founded by Jonathan Lim in the summer of 2020. A vegan company, their mission is to create stylish yet sustainable footwear that’s both comfortable and environmentally responsible. For one thing, all of their shoes are made from recycled plastic bottles.

For those who are interested, check out their official website. Some of their products are also available on Amazon.

What Kind of Footwear Do They Offer?

Vivaia offers a variety of women’s footwear including flats, boots, heels, sandals, and sneakers. Some of their best sellers include their Mary Jane Flats, Wool Boots, and V-shaped Flats.

Price-wise, you’re looking at around $70 to $100 for a pair, depending on the style. Take their bow-tie heels, for example, they go for $99. They also have an outlet section, where items are up to 40% off so be sure to check that out as well.

Taking Care of Vivaia Shoes and Flats

The great thing about Vivaia is that many of their collections are machine washable. Just throw the shoes in, add a bit of detergent and they’ll come out looking like new.

With that said, you don’t want to wash them too often as that’ll wear out the material, which will shorten its lifespan.

For a detailed guide on how to wash their footwear (both their machine washable and non-machine washable collections), read on.

How to Wash Vivaia Shoes the Right Way

Using the Washing Machine to Clean Your Vivaia Sneakers

Remove as much dirt as possible before washing the shoes. If you can, do it over a trash can—that way, it won’t get all over the floor.

Next, remove the laces. Consider pre-treating them with detergent if they’re excessively dirty; that’ll help the dirt come out more easily.

You can either wash the laces in the sink or put them in the washer with your shoes.

If you’re doing the latter, make sure to put them in a laundry bag – that’ll prevent them from getting tangled on your other items while they’re being washed.

Place the sneakers in their own mesh bag and put them in the washing machine. If you don’t have a bag, you can improvise with a clean pillowcase (tie off the end with an elastic).

And remember to add a few towels. Not only will that help balance the load, but it’ll also keep your sneakers from banging around inside the machine, which can cause damage.

Once you’ve put everything in, measure and add one scoop of ACTIVE Detergent. Next, choose your settings.

For sneakers, and shoes in general, it’s best to run a gentle cycle with cold water. Avoid using hot water as it can melt the adhesives. Avoid bleach.

Let the washing machine run. Wait until the cycle has ended before taking out the laundry bags. Remove the sneakers and laces and let them air dry in front of a fan or dehumidifier.

You can stuff the insides with some paper towels or newspapers to help them keep their shape. Resist the urge to throw them in the dryer—that can permanently warp the shoes.

Wait until the laces are completely dry (it can take >12 hours) before putting them back on the sneakers.

Hand Washing Your Vivaia Sneakers

Start by removing the laces. Consider pre-treating them with detergent if they’re excessively dirty or stained (just rub it into the dirty sections).

Next, clean the outside of the sneakers. We recommend using an old toothbrush – just dip it into a bowl of detergent water and use it to scrub the surface of the shoe.

Don’t forget to clean around the eyelets as well to remove any built-up dirt.

If necessary, soak the shoes in water. Fill a large bucket or sink with warm water and pour in half a scoop of ACTIVE Detergent.

Stir until the mixture is sudsy and place the shoes in.

If you want, you can throw in the laces as well. Leave them in there for up to 20 minutes—that’ll give the detergent time to dissolve any remaining dirt and grime.

Rinse the sneakers with cold water after soaking. You can use a sponge to wipe away the detergent or you can hold them under a stream of water. Either way, you want to rinse all of the soap out.

Tip: Consider using a bit of baking soda if odor is an issue. Sprinkle a generous amount into the shoes and let them sit for a few minutes before rinsing away the powder.

Give the sneakers a quick wipe-down with a clean cloth and place them somewhere well-ventilated so that they can air dry.

Remember not to use the dryer and don’t place them in direct sunlight (the colors can fade).

The Best Ways to Wash Vivaia Flats

Throwing Your Vivaia Flats In the Washing Machine

Take out the foam insoles. You can either throw them in the washer with the flats or wash them by hand (make sure to use a mesh bag if you’re putting them in the machine).

Use a scrub brush to remove as much dirt as possible from the flats before washing. Don’t forget to scrub the soles as well.

Once you’ve done that, place the shoes in a mesh bag. That’ll keep them from banging around in the washer, which can potentially damage the flats and the washing machine.

While it’s best to wash the shoes separately from your clothes, we do recommend adding a few towels to help balance the weight.

Next, add one scoop of ACTIVE Detergent. Once it’s in, run a gentle wash cycle with cool water. Don’t use hot water – the heat can damage the adhesives or worse, it can warp the flats themselves. And skip the bleach. It’ll do more harm than good to your shoes.

The final step is to hit the start button. Wait for the wash cycle to finish before taking out your flats. Let them dry naturally in a well-ventilated area.

If you want, you can speed up the drying process by placing them in front of a dehumidifier. Stuffing the inside with newspaper will help as well.

Wait until the shoes are completely dry (it can take several hours) before re-inserting the foam insoles.

How to Hand Wash Vivaia Flats

Prepare a large container. Fill it with lukewarm water and add in half a scoop of ACTIVE Detergent. Stir until the powder is dissolved—you should end up with a sudsy mixture.

Remove the insoles from the flats and place them in the container. Swirl them around a few times so that they’re completely saturated with the solution.

Do the same with the flats after brushing off any excess dirt with a brush.

Leave the insoles and flats in the container for 15 to 20 minutes. The goal is to let them soak so that the detergent will dissolve any remaining dirt and grime.

Consider adding some baking soda if odor is a problem—it’ll act as a natural deodorizer.

Get rid of the dirty water and rinse the insoles and flats under a stream of cool water. For example, you can hold them under the faucet or rinse them with the showerhead.

Either way, you want to get all of the soap suds out. This can take a couple of minutes.

Allow the flats to air dry in a well-ventilated room. You can speed things up by placing them in front of a fan or a dehumidifier. However, you don’t want to use the dryer. The direct heat can permanently warp the flats.