Sneaker cleaning at home vs. sending them out

Most sneakers can be brought back a long way at home. The ones that cannot are the ones people ruin trying. The difference is the material of the upper and how deep the dirt has gone.

What works at home

• Canvas and mesh uppers: warm water, a drop of mild detergent, a soft toothbrush, small circles. Rinse with a damp cloth, not under a tap.
• Rubber soles and midsoles: a magic eraser or a paste of baking soda and water lifts scuffs and most yellowing.
• Laces: take them out and wash them in a bowl or a sock in the machine.
• Insoles: pull them out, wash, and dry flat. Half of the smell lives there.

What does not

• Putting sneakers in the washing machine. Glue lines soften, uppers distort, and the drum damages the sole.
• Drying in the sun or with a hair dryer. Heat yellows white rubber and cracks leather.
• Bleach on white canvas. It goes yellow, not white, and weakens the fabric.
• Any wet cleaning on suede or nubuck. Water marks are permanent.

Leather

Wipe with a damp cloth, then a leather cleaner if you have one, then a conditioner so it does not dry out. Do not saturate it. Scuffs on white leather respond to a little toothpaste on a cloth; deep scratches do not, and polish only hides them.

When to send them out

Deep-set dirt in knit uppers, yellowed midsoles that a paste has not shifted, suede of any kind, and anything you would be upset to damage. We clean by hand, material by material, with laces and insoles done separately, and dry pairs away from heat so the glue lines hold. It takes about two days because drying properly cannot be rushed.

Send a photo on WhatsApp first if you are unsure. We will tell you honestly whether a pair is worth the cost, or whether a toothbrush and twenty minutes will do.