TIPS in cleaning your sneakers

There’s nothing quite like a fresh pair of sneakers, right? The problem is that all it takes is one wear to dull their new-shoe shine, especially if your kicks are white. After a few runs or treks to the gym, or, heaven forbid, some unexpected rain, it’s pretty much all over.

But as far as I’m concerned, sneakers are an investment worth taking care of. That goes not just for running sneakers or the pair you only wear to fitness classes. I'm talking any sneakers you have in your rotation, whether you wear them with jeans or a pair of leggings. That’s why I’m excited to share some effective ways to keep your new sneakers looking new without damaging the material or functionality.

CLEANING ADVICE

1. Household items such as Soap & Water is always a good start when you don't have any cleaning supplies handy. Use an oldtoothbrush to scrub away dirt, grime or any other crud buildup. You might have to put in a lot of elbow grease to really get the job done, but it's astart. Other house hold items to use for cleaning shoes include: babywipes, ajax or comet, and also windex. However, with ANY cleaning products, please use atyour own risk. Try and clean a small area first so you won't ruin your entire shoe.
2. Shoe store cleaners can be a lil pricey but work well when used properly. I like to wipe off any dust or dirt off as much as I can withoutusing the cleaner first. After I've gone through the initial wiping, I'll apply the cleaner to the spotted area and scrub it using the included capbrush. After the foam or gel dissolves, I'll wipe the residue off with a damp wash cloth. Cleaners can be purchased at just about any grocery store as wellas any shoe store. They'll come in different varieties, but most of 'em all do the same trick. Follow the instructions on the bottle and you should befine.
3. For dusty shoes (dust on suede or nubuck or for the hard to reach places such as the air bubble window or in between shox columns.) I liketo use "Dust off". It's basically compressed air in a can, usually used for electronic products like VCR's and keyboards. However, it worksGREAT on kicks! The Air will BLAST away any dust buildup that's hard to reach!
4. For LIGHT SCUFF MARKS (Not scratches) I reccomend Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Easy to use and pretty cheap. Just add a smallamount of water to the sponge and wipe away the unwanted marks left on your shoes!

5.Another household item that is super effective in whithening is your home toothpaste.

MAINTENANCE
Other than cleaning your shoes on a regular basis, these tips will help you maintain that "new" look to your shoes.

1. Store your shoes in a cool, dry place. Keeping them out of sunlight and dust will help you maintain the shoes looking good for when you're ready to wearthem. There's nothing worse than opening a box of shoes you had been storing for a long time only to find out they've yellowed due to the fact thatthey've been dried out and stored next to the heater!

1a) I know some people like to display their shoes like trophies, but this can also be a bad thing. Direct and constant light tends to dry out the shoescausing materials to break down and yellow.

There are two ways to buy these: Spray and Wipes. Personally, I prefer the spray for the Brown and the Yellow bottles, because it?s more cost effective, and Ican make the bottles last for years. The Purple Cleaning Armor All, I do get the wipes because leaving a carton of those by the door when I come in is easierto pull one out, wipe the shoe down, and then throw the wipe away and then put the shoes up.

Here's the interesting thing: I have silica packs in each shoe box, i.e. to remove the moisture from the air. It seems to do wonders of removing the sweatfrom the shoes, but not the moisture in the shoes or the leather. 4 years, and nothing wrong with any of them. Also, I have a giant thing of Damp Rid in thecloset to help control the humidity. Same thing, I think it helps keep the external moisture low. I live in a desert, and I still have moisture problems.

The WORST things to use on shoes are: Glass Cleaner, Rubbing Alcohol, any kind of cleaner with bleach in it, anything with abrasive cleaners, such as borax, onthe leather especially. Glass cleaner has ammonia in it, and even the ones that say ammonia free have a type of drying agent in them that will literally drythe leather right out. Alcohol is an astringent that will do exactly the same thing. Bleach, for obvious reasons, is just a bad idea in general. You can useAjax to scrub the midsoles using a toothbrush, but be careful not to get it on the leather when scrubbing. It?s an abrasive, even though it?s mild, you canscratch the leather of the shoes.

Those of you with XI's, there is a product called Black Magic Tire Wet Tire Wet that will make patent leather practically glow. There's no website Ican find for these guys, but I know they carry it at Autozone's around here. This is NOT something you want to spray directly on the shoe. Spray it on arag and then apply it to the leather, and only the PATENT leather. The stuff is EXTREMELY slippery, and I can guarantee, you get it on the soles and forget towipe it off, you are going to royally bust your butt when you walk.

Also, a cleaning note I am sure a LOT of people are missing: Under the laces, especially on mid's around where you cinch, tighten, the laces through thetop eyelets. Pay especially close attention to these areas when you come home. The laces pick up a ton of dirt, rub in those areas, and if you leave it longenough, it will stain.