I've washed them many times in the washer. I use the "delicate" setting and a liquid detergent and let air dry. When hand washing, I let them soak in a bucket of detergent and water for a day or a few hours so that most of the stuff in the pad migrates out and settles at the bottom, then I agitate and rinse a few times before letting them air dry. I believe the thing you don't want to do with the pads is wring them out.