- Washing in a typewriter
- 8 manual ways
- Sole cleaning
- Cleaning inside
Sneakers have long ceased to be solely sports shoes. Today they are worn with classic clothing as an alternative to high-heeled pumps or loafers, which often chafe feet. White sneakers are best combined with office suits, flying dresses, pleated skirts and cashmere coats - the most minimalistic, neat and calm. They pay for their versatility with durability: white sneakers turn gray at the slightest contact with dirt or sand and turn yellow with frequent washing and improper drying. We list the ways that will help return them to their original appearance - from the simplest to the most complex.
Can sneakers be machine washed
The easiest way to clean white and any other sneakers is to machine wash. However, none of the specialized shoe brands recommend it: sneakers can simply shrink, deform, or come loose. Representatives of a chain of branded stores of sneakers and sneakers Street Beat advise washing only fabric shoes in a machine, warning that washing at temperatures above 30 degrees can damage the pair. “The glue that holds the sole and carcass parts into a sticky, gooey state. Therefore, washing at a high temperature can lead to glue wandering all over the shoe, and the frame parts can deform or come off altogether. As a result, you will end up with gnarled sneakers,”reads the Street Beat memo.
Representatives of adidas also advise to wash exclusively fabric shoes, only at cold temperatures and in a delicate wash cycle. It assumes low RPM, while high RPM can lead to tears, scratches and parts breakage. To avoid deformation of the shoe, you need to insert plastic spacers into it, and put the pair itself in special textile bags - they will soften the impacts on the drum and prevent paint from coming off.
How to clean your sneakers by hand
Ideally, sneakers should be cleaned as soon as you return from a walk, without waiting for the dirt to dry out and absorb into the fabric. For shoes made of leather, use a soft, colorless and damp cloth, from suede, nubuck and textiles - with a dry brush with a soft bristle, and for mesh fabric - with adhesive rollers or masking tape. If the dirt has dried up, forming a gray spot, it is worth turning to water procedures using household improvised means. It is better to try each of them first on a small section of the shoe, and only later, after making sure that the method is effective and safe, clean the entire pair. To do this, it is also worthwhile to first remove the insoles and laces (the latter can be washed directly under running water, having walked with laundry soap on both sides).
Method 1. Toothpaste
To quickly, easily and effectively clean the white sneakers from dirt with toothpaste and a brush. It is better to choose a paste without fragrances, dyes and colored blotches, and a brush - without hard and prickly fibers, otherwise the material can be damaged. In the case of sneakers with suede and leather inserts, the brush can be replaced with a household sponge or tightly twisted nylon stocking. The selected tool must be moistened in warm water, applied on top of the toothpaste, rubbed into the contaminated surface in a circular motion, and then carefully remove the remnants with a napkin.
Method 2. Laundry soap
If the contamination is insignificant, then you can turn to laundry soap - apply it to the surface of the sneakers with a brush, or walk over the spot with the bar itself. Then the steam must be left to dry completely and later rinsed thoroughly with warm water. With neglected dirt or yellow spots, it is worth chopping up the laundry soap with a grater or knife, then pour boiling water over the shavings, let it brew, add soda and treat the surface of the shoes with the resulting solution. After 30-40 minutes, remove the residue with a dry brush.
Method 3. Micellar water
Micellar water can be used to cleanse not only the face, but also sneakers: it is enough to moisten a cotton pad abundantly and thoroughly treat the surface with it. Excess moisture should be removed with a dry cloth or paper towel, and then dry the shoes in natural conditions - outdoors or in a ventilated area.
