How to Clean Sneakers
Sneakers are comfortable and they look good on your feet, but many owners forget that they need proper cleaning, too. If you don’t clean and wash your sneakers, they easily become scruffy, worn-out and even smelly. Here’s how to clean your sneakers well.
What You’ll Need:
Mild soap or dishwashing liquid
Water
Athletic shoes cleaner
Soft-bristle brush or old toothbrush
Paper towels
Baking soda
Procedure:
Remove the laces from your sneakers. If there are any inserts, remove them, too. The laces can be thrown in with your laundry, then air-dried, but if they’re extremely dirty, you can scrub and wash them after you’re done with the sneakers.
clean sneakers
Get some water and mild soap, and make a soapy solution. If you don’t have mild soap, you can just use dishwashing liquid. It works the same. Mix them well until the solution becomes soapy and bubbly.
Using a soft-bristled brush or an old toothbrush, start scrubbing and cleaning the shoes and inserts, inside and outside. Scrub gently but with enough force to loosen and remove dirt hanging on the sneakers’ fabric. Scrub the front, back, inside, sides and underneath. Pay attention to areas with stains. Do this for both shoes.
Once you’re done, rinse the sneakers with clean water, removing all traces of soap.
Dry the shoes using paper towels. Wipe all over the surfaces and underneath. Keep changing paper towels, until the sneakers are as dry as possible.
Once you’ve done wiping, you can now stuff the inside of the sneakers with paper towels. This helps absorb excess moisture and preserves your shoes’ shape.
Put the shoes in a well-ventilated room so they can dry. Make sure they’re placed on a waterproof surface. Check the paper towels every now and then, and replace then with new ones as soon as they become soaked.
Once the sneakers are thoroughly dried, put back the inserts and laces. Sprinkle some baking soda inside the shoes, to make them smell fresher longer.
A Few Tips
Don’t put your sneakers in a washing machine, unless they’re labeled ” machine washable”.
For very soiled shoes, use a cleaner that’s specifically made for athletic shoes. Make sure the chemicals are appropriate for your shoes’ material though.
Wait until your sneakers are thoroughly dry before you wear them again.
Don’t use this procedure for suede shoes. It’ll ruin them. Here’s our guide on how to clean suede.
Sneakers look and fit better if they are clean and fresh. Just try this procedure and yours will look as good as new.