How to Wash Shoes
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Sometimes you can get a dried stain out of suede shoes by rubbing it out with an eraser. Or you can use a soft brush, like a toothbrush. Using water is never a good idea. If it’s something wet, soak the wet off with a dry towel. Don’t ever rub hard, it will ruin the suede.
I clean my shiny non-leather dressy shoes with paper towels and Windex. If the insides get too dirty, I just peel the liner out and stick in a pair of comfort insoles to replace it.
If bleaching in the washing machine won’t work, paint over the stains with white shoe polish. Paint the whole shoe if you have to.
We figured this out by accident when our son was a baby and very generous with his messes. Baby wipes are gentle enough to use on leather shoes and boots, even my husband’s favorite cowboy boots. The cleaner in them won’t damage or stain the leather.
Just about all athletic shoes are machine washable, whether they say they are or not – even the leather ones. Use a toothbrush to get rocks and dirt out of the soles, then machine wash in cold water and not much soap on gentle cycle. Not more than a capfull or two of bleach if they’re white – too much bleach will dissolve the glue and make the leather or vinyl weak. Set aside at least the weekend to air dry, and stuff them up with plastic grocery bags or newspaper stuffed in a plastic bag to hold their shape.
If sneakers are really gross, you can dye them in the washing machine with the kind of dye you use for clothes. But if your feet sweat you’ll have colored feet, so wear socks.
My sneakers are so freakin’ gross. And they aren’t even that old. I wore them a couple times working at the bar and now it’s like they are the most rotten smelling ever. Like vinegar. I tried washing them in the washer, I even tried an exorcist.
How do you clean out ratty sneakers?
a great way to keep your sneeks in pristine condition is to take preventive measures and coat them with (scotch guard) sneaker protector from the get go! you can buy sneaker protector at any footlocker, footaction, or champs…. and trust me it is worth EVERY penny! i have over 20 pairs of nike dunks, mostly sb’s and le’s that are literally irreplaceable.. i pull em out of the box, and before they touch my feet they get a good, solid, two coats of protection. after you’ve guarded your precious kicks, cleaning them is simple, you spray on a mild sneaker cleaner and lightly rub it off with a nice, soft terry cloth. to keep the soles like new, i use 409 sprayed right on to a toothbrush and scrubbed back and fourth til’ they’re white and nice. remove the excess 409 and grime with a damp terry cloth, then finish them with a dry one… boom!