OFFICIAL shoe cleaning thread

[showbiz00ditc]

k so as most of us love our fresh kicks... heres where you can post what works best and what doesnt work and what you need some help with... please try to include specifics like fabric of the shoe as well.

I'll start:

I have two pairs of FC's that need cleaning... first the pink n blue ones... one of them is dirty from everyone trying it on cause it was the model shoe... so just general dirt on that one.

and then the other are the Gino Iannucci ones... black silver and grey. My snowboard accidently rested on then and they have lines of rust... anyone know rust removal products? that wont damage the shoe?

Edited by showbiz00ditc on May 10, 2005 at 06:48 PM

[mr bob harris]

Hey if you mean FC's instead of FB's then I think you mean the Juventus ones and the Gino Iannucci pro model? I would stick them in the washing machine and hope for the best. But other than that I don't know

[Circa]

I wouldn't recommend the washing machine unless you've already given up on the shoes and just don't give a shit anymore. If you really want them spotless take them to proffessional leather/shoe cleaner. If you really want to do it yourself try a mild leather lotion or saddle soap for cleaning heavily soiled areas and use a soft cloth and an old toothbrush for the nooks and crannies. Some foam spray-on cleaners are pretty decent as well and gentler on the leather. Just remember to spot test every product you plan to use on your shoes before actually using it. Some cleaners/lotions can remove color or darken the leather so be careful and always go light on the products. After you've cleaned the shoe stuff something inside the shoes so that it keeps it shape while it dries or the leather may may wrinkle. You can also finish with a light coating of protective spray if you like.

[darknworn]

i used to work at a sneaker store in my high school days. we had this shoe cleaning spray, kinda foamy and comes with a brush on the cap of the can. this stuff works wonder on sneakers. i believe it was called "second wind" or something like that. try your local sneaker store and get a can of cleaning solution. use a toothbrush if you want to really get into it.

like circa said, the washing machine is the absolute last resort. it ruins the insert, padding material, and the shoe lasts. if you love your shoes, don't be cruel to it.

[Konfucius]

thinking of tossing my slip ons into the machine

i am guessing they will tighten up the stretchy material

[scientific]

magic eraser, all u need to know

if they're suede no chance

[evisu 2000]

it's time to start the party if you don't mind

me and e clean our adidas with 409

[Konfucius]

magic eraser, all u need to know

if they're suede no chance

not suede, i dunno. I just have the most played out pair.. the black and white checkered ones

[keri]

I wash my sneakers in the dishwasher, but I only wear them for working out, and they aren't for fashion or anything. I dont put any detergent in it, and just let it run, with them on the top rack. I haven't noticed them being destroyed or anything, but I dont really baby them well enough to notice.

[echoepidemic]

Spitshine all the way.

[travisio]

you could buy the foamy stuff or the gel stuff and scrub good. just don't scrub too hard, i caused a little big of abrasion on some of my shoes that way.

[suntorytime]

I use toothpaste (straight white toothpaste, no gel stuff) and an old tooth brush on most of my sneakers, it works surprisingly well.

[darkanimal]

Magic Eraser good for leather white sneakers, toothpaste for canvas. Suede is hopeless unless you bring it to a professional suede cleaner.

[samsikle]

works wonders on midsoles too

[travisio]

oh yeah, baby powder on the the stiches of all all white shoes.

[mike lowrey]

my take..

its usually said that laundry detergant will damage leather, but I've used it on most of my white leather shoes and it didnt to any damage. this is of course at your own risk, but from my experience it works, if you dont want to risk it go to a shoe store and buy stuff thats meant for cleaning leather. detergant is also strong enough to remove almost anything, for the leather part you can use a soft brush and for the sides/soles a harder one if required. what I do is I mix the detergant (just a little bit of it) into warm water and then just scrubthe shoes, I suggest using gloves because it can cause allergic reactions and such..

I use the same way on non-leather shoes and even used it on my suede vans slip-ons, on the suede you can see that the detergant is too strong, it leaves the surface a bit rough compared to how smooth it originally was. still looks pretty much the same, but I suggest using something meant for more sensitive materials. if you cant get them clean with anything else, then use detergant.

[turcy.]

what do you guys recommend for cleaning white authentics? or white canvas sneakers in general rather...

[Darkeside]

^^^ warm water with some washing liquid in it, use an old toothbrush to scrub them and the job is done.

[axtsang]

The fabric/material isn't a BIG deal really. It's the dirty white/light colored stitching that's the main culprit.

[the breaks]

For white sneakers i recommend these. It's really uncanny how well they work.

http://www.amazon.com/Clean-Magic-Eraser-Cleaning-8-Count/dp/B000FKGGTE

[STC]

i have that shoe eraser thingy. it works alright for the most part, but i havent given a shit about my shoes for ahwile now.

[fallen angels]

ohh this thread got bumped at a perfect time...

yesterday i spilled gasoline all over my authentics, but luckily theyre black so you cant really see anything, but they smell like gas and feel greasy from the gasoline. so far i've washed the shoes with a hose, but they still dont smell/feel clean. does anyone but how can i remove the gasoline odor and greasy feel from the canvas? i'm just hoping to hear some ideas before i end up buying a new pair...

[dismalfuture]

yeah nice bump..

My white Eras turned yellow in the wash, why? I used normal wash powder. Can they be turned white again without having to resort to bleach? How to avoid next time?

Someone answered this question before but couldn't find the answer...

[cmykhustla]

http://www.jasonmarkk.com

this stuff is ridiculous!!! kind of pricey ($30) but seriously works wonders. We sell it where I work and we all doubted it at first but everyone brought in their sneakers and used it and it is the most versatile cleaner on pretty much all sneaker materials especially nubuck

[Scaught]

I recently got some ash/soot from a fire on my new sk8 His and was wondering what the best way to remove this would be. I'm kind of scared to go at it with a toothbrush/water in fear of rubbing the ash in more... any suggestions?

[billy dee williams]

i have a pair of pigskin leather double identity's. i cant use spray-on cleaner (except for the sole) since itll just absorb thru the material. how do i clean?