It’s that time of year – Southern California’s rainy season, so my local trails are muddy. That means lots of built up mud and dirt on my trail running shoes.

I like to keep my shoes and boots clean for 2 reasons: extra traction and extra life to the shoe. Dirty tread means I’m sacrificing traction, which helps with stability on the trail. Plus, if dirt and gunk stays on your shoes for too long, it will affect the durability of the shoe. I often use my trail runners to cross sports fields to get to my local trails, and with all the pesticides in the grass these days, I definitely want to get those chemicals off my shoes!

Here I am demonstrating how to clean trail running shoes. My Vasque Blurs were a little dirty and I like to keep the tread clean so I can get the best traction on my runs. Check it out:

Hiking 101: Womens Trail Running Shoes
Gear Reviews: Vasque Blur Women’s Trail Running Shoes