Hi, we are in the middle of Nutcracker season and in addition to all the other things about me that suck, my ballet teacher has also decided that my flat shoes are too big. They are canvas and covered with rosin also (we dance on really slippery wood floor) and one of my friends washed hers last night and they look amazing. Apparently she also put them in the dryer and they shrunk a little.

Everything I've read has said not to put shoes in the dryer even if they are canvas, but if I want them to shrink a little bit, is it okay for me to put them in the dryer? I have another rehearsal tomorrow, so please help me out ASAP. Thanks!

I wash my canvas ballet slippers at least 1 or 2X a month, and put them in the dryer. Some bnrands have shrunk slightly some have not, but I've never had a problem with washing them.

I washed my Sansha canvas flats and dried them. They turned out fine, but they did shrink. Since you want to shrink yours, that's fine. Keep and eye on them though - don't just pop them in for an hour and wander away lol. I would check them pretty often to see how dry they are and how small they are getting, like every 10-15 minutes.

I usually wear sansha also and I wash them every few months in the washing machine. The dryer will shrink them a little. Don't dry them too hot because I have had the lining come unglued (from melting) in some brands of shoes.

I have Sansha canvas shoes as well, they are quite snug so I have never dried them, but even with washing and air drying they did shrink a tad, so keep that in mind. If they weren't drying fast enough I would put them by the air conditioning floor vent instead of a hot dryer.

Most canvas is 100% cotton or at least has a high percentage of cotton so washing and drying will shrink it.

Thank you everyone!