Search for a boot dryer and you'll hit the same three questions within a minute. Does Argos sell them? Is the one in the middle aisle at Aldi any good? And who on earth are half these brands on Amazon?
I've been in this market twelve years, so here's the lay of the land. Full disclosure: I'm co-owner of Shoefresh, and we're the most expensive thing in this article. If you want cheap, we're not your shop, and I'll happily point you elsewhere.
Where to actually buy one
Amazon has the widest choice by miles: MaxxDry, DryGuy, PEET and an endless tail of unbranded boxes. Check who's selling before you buy, because half of them are middlemen with no service behind them.
Argos stocks a basic electric dryer now and then, mostly autumn and winter. Cheap, cheerful, gone by spring.
Decathlon does sport-focused models, including one with an ozone function. The ShoeDry Airo is their best seller. Stock varies by store and by season, so check online first.
Aldi and Lidl put an own-brand dryer in the middle aisle once a year. Around £20, while stocks last, and nobody to ring next season.
Outdoor and ski shops are worth a look if you're drying walking boots or ski boots. That's where Therm-ic lives.
Brand shops cost more but you get one phone number for warranty and service, which matters more than people think.
The shop matters far less than what you walk out with, mind. A supermarket special dries and nothing else. There's more on that in our honest review of cheap shoe dryers.
The brands, briefly
Under £50
Aldi, Lidl and Argos own brands. Warm air, no real fan, no cleaning. Around £20. Fine for a slightly damp shoe, out of their depth with soaked trainers.
Drysure. A British brand doing something genuinely different: no electricity at all. You slide the units into your boots and the absorbent core pulls the water out overnight. The Ultimate lists at £39.95, the Extreme is lighter and better for travelling. Brilliant for leather boots you'd rather not heat, for stables and for sheds with no socket. It's slow, though, and it won't do a thing about what's living inside the shoe.
ShoeDry Airo. The best-selling budget machine, around €50, sold through Decathlon, Bol and Amazon. It uses ION instead of ozone, so it's weaker on stubborn smells, and you're going without the programmes, the heel dryer, the automatic start, the powerful fan, the 90-day trial and the design.
£50-110
MaxxDry Heavy Duty. Probably the best-known boot dryer in Britain, around £59.99. Four rods so you can do two pairs, a fan inside, extension tubes for wellies and walking boots, a three-hour timer and roughly 240 watts of warm air at about 40.5°C. A proper dryer with proper airflow, which already puts it well clear of the middle aisle. It doesn't clean, though. No ozone, no ION. Smells only improve because the shoe gets dry.
DryGuy. American, forced-air, same story as MaxxDry. Decent airflow, drying only. Mostly Amazon and outdoor retailers over here, and prices bounce around depending on the seller.
PEET. The oldest name in the game. Their classic dryers use convection with no fan, which is quiet and kind to materials but slow. Great overnight, frustrating if you need trainers ready in an hour. Cleaning is either absent or sold as a separate add-on.
Therm-ic. Austrian, from the ski world. Boot-shaped, and there are portable versions that run off a battery or the car. Ideal for a ski trip, less so for daily trainers at home.
£110 and up
Shoefresh. The Opod (€129) and the Opod Detect (€179). Active oxygen running through the whole programme, a fan strong enough to dry the heels, three programmes for sport, trainers and leather, and infrared sensors that start it for you. Over 3,641 reviews at 4.7 out of 5, a Red Dot Design Award, a Shopping Award, 90 days to try it and a 2-year warranty.
Where the cheap ones cut corners
Two machines both say "shoe dryer with ozone" and there's a hundred pounds between them. Here's where that money went.
- The fan. First thing to go. Weak airflow dries the toe and leaves the heel and seams damp
- The cleaning. Weaker technology, and often only running for the first few minutes rather than the whole cycle
- Ease of use. No automatic start or stop, and a row of buttons you have to decode
- Safety. Frequently no overheating cut-out, and not always a CE mark
- Programmes. One setting for everything means leather and Gore-Tex are on you
- Stability. Put a pair of walking boots on a cheap one and it topples
- Design. Most are the same generic unit sold under five different names
- Build quality. Housing and glue decide whether it survives a winter of daily use
- Service. With a marketplace seller there's usually nobody to repair anything
The checklist
- Is there a fan, and how strong? Ask about drying a soaked trainer, not a damp one
- Does it clean, and how? Ozone first, ION second, UV not at all
- How long does the cleaning run? Whole cycle or just the opening minutes
- Are there material programmes? No 40°C setting means no leather, no Gore-Tex
- Who's the seller? A brand shop gives you someone to ring
- How long has the brand existed? A warranty is worth nothing if the company isn't
- Can you send it back?
- What do the reviews say about drying time, smell and how long it lasted?
FAQ
Does Argos sell shoe dryers?
On and off, mostly in autumn and winter, and usually a basic electric model around £20-30. Check online before you drive over. For daily use after sport they're on the light side.
Does Decathlon sell shoe dryers?
Yes, sport-focused models including one with an ozone function. The ShoeDry Airo is their best seller. Range varies by store and season.
Which brands can I buy on Amazon?
MaxxDry, DryGuy and PEET are the familiar ones, alongside a lot of unbranded models. Check the seller and whether there's any warranty behind it.
Is a non-electric boot dryer like Drysure any good?
For leather boots, for places with no socket and for gentle overnight drying, yes. It takes hours rather than one, it holds a limited amount of water and it doesn't treat the inside of the shoe, so it won't fix recurring odour.
What's the difference between a cheap and an expensive shoe dryer?
Fan strength, how long the cleaning runs, the programmes, the build and the service. The numbers are side by side in our top 5.
Better to buy online or in store?
Online gives you the choice and the specs. Buy from a brand shop and you also get one point of contact for warranty, rather than a chain that won't stock it next year.
Which shoe dryer is best?
Depends on your budget and how wet your shoes get. We line up the best shoe dryers of 2026 from budget to premium.
Still weighing it up? Read the complete guide to shoe dryers or see the top 5 of 2026.