Sure, running shoes aren’t high maintenance. However, they do need a little cleaning and care along the way. Always remember that your goal isn’t to keep them minty fresh. You just need to ensure that sweat and much are away from doing damage. By knowing how to clean running shoes, you can lengthen the life of your trail runners and trainers.
What’s more important is that you should how to clean running shoes without discoloring them. You would come across a plethora of cleaning solutions that can discolor your favorite pair of shoes. So when you are aware of the ways to clean them, you can maintain their look and style for a longer duration.
Many of us tend to put our running shoes into a washing machine, which causes more harm than good. The spin of the washing machine’s drum can disturb the running shoe’s pronation, which in turn can stress our feet. So here are some tips on how to clean running shoes which would help you to preserve their look for a long.
What are the things you will need to clean your Shoes?
A good pair of sturdy and comfortable running shoes can be expensive. However, when you use them to their full potential, they are likely to get dirty in no time. To keep pace with a hectic lifestyle, many tend to clean them in a washing machine.
However, doing that can cause your shoes to wear out more quickly. Before embarking on the cleaning process of your running shoes, you should be aware of the things you need. So here are some things that you would commonly need to clean your running shoes.
- Cloth-safe soap or mild detergent
- A sponge
- Paper towels
- A bucket of warm water
- A soft brush for scrubbing or an old toothbrush
It is important to note here that you can also opt for shoe shampoo in place of detergent. Shoe shampoos are very mild and wouldn’t pose a threat to the fabric of your running shoes. So now that you know the things you require to clean running shoes let’s take a glance at the various ways to clean them. And also make sure that you don’t put them in a washing machine.
1. Cleaning the Insoles of the Running Shoes
Well, we all know that insoles absorb a lot of sweat, which creates a fertile ground for the growth of odor-causing bacteria. You should remove the insoles and clean them thoroughly. Remove the insoles and choose your potion.
Potion here refers to the type of detergent you are using. You can also use old newspapers on the floor to prevent it from getting muddy. First, try to brush off the dirt present on the insoles with the old newspaper. Next up, scrub them thoroughly and leave them for drying in the air.
2. Cleaning the Upper Portion of the Running Shoes
Warm water can readily remove all the dirt present on the upper portion of the shoes. But you have to ensure that water is not too hot as it can shrink the mesh or the running shoes’ fabric. Clean your shoes and their uppers by first removing the laces. Note that you can clean the laces with the laundry later on.
So there is no need to worry about cleaning the laces. Clean your shoes by removing the liners or the insoles. You can use an older toothbrush to remove the dust and dirt from the uppers. Subsequently, it would be best if you scrubbed them with a mild soap or detergent. Rinse your shoes comprehensively with clean water and dry them.
It is important to note here that never put your shoes in a drying machine. Also, refrain from placing your wet shoes in direct sunlight. It would be best if you dried them in the air for maximum freshness.
3. The Context of Warm Water and Laundry Detergent
People usually debate around the proposition and effectiveness of using laundry detergent along with mild soap. It would be best if you opted for a cleaning solution that would not be bad for your shoe’s fabric.
Running shoes comprise mesh too, and hence you should take care of cleaning them too. Using a toothbrush is the most subtle way to clean the mesh portion of your running shoes.
4. Wet the Sponge
Alternatively, you can use a soft towel or a soft brush. Before scrubbing the sponge on the running shoes’ outer surface, ensure that it has sufficient quantities of soap in it. Scrubs are one of the best shoe cleaning devices that can eliminate stains. An old toothbrush can come in handy for cleaning around the tongue and in other hard-to-access points.
5. Dealing with the Stains
To be precise, stains are a common occurrence in shoes. But when the context is about running shoes, you should know the correct ways to deal with them. You just can’t use a strong detergent on the stains of the running shoes to remove them.
The best way to eliminate stains from running shoes is the use of a stain eraser. You can find them in most shoe stores. Ensure that you use the stain eraser when the shoes are dry. Using a stain eraser on wet shoes can degrade the quality of the eraser. If in doubt, contact a shoe specialist to get expert advice.
6. Make your Shoes Smell better
It is important to make your shoes smell better so that you can avoid embarrassment in public places. After cleaning them, ensure that you air dry them effectively. Your fete can sweat all the way through the socks.
An effective way to make your shoes smell better is by sprinkling foot powder. It would help if you sprinkled foot powder on the insoles to make them smell fresher. Foot powder can curb the growth of bacteria, which can eliminate odor coming out from shoes.
7. Significance of Drying
It would help if you never overlooked the importance of drying your shoes. It will help if you let them dry with a paper towel stuffed inside. This would help in getting rid of the moisture present in them. Also, many a time, during cleaning, the shape of the shoe suffers the most. By stuffing paper towels or newspapers, you can make sure that the running shoe retains its older shape.
Key Takeaways How to Clean Running Shoes
So by now, you may have a good idea about the ways to clean your shoes. Follow the strategies mentioned above to clean the running shoes effectively. In case you aren’t sure how to clean them, contact an in-store specialist who would offer you quality advice on cleaning running shoes.
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