When it comes to spring cleaning, don't forget about your wardrobe—more specifically, your shoes! A little baking soda, dish soap, detergent and metaphorical elbow grease go a long way, even for a pair of kicks that might seem like a lost cause. Before donating your favorite old pair of sneakers or tossing them entirely, check out these three TikToks for shoe-cleaning hacks galore.
Video of the Day
1. Scrub Method
Our first shoe-cleaning tutorial comes from, well, us! (We're @ehow on TikTok, by the way!) To clean pleather shoes, we recommend using an old toothbrush to scrub on a mixture of soap and water before wiping shoes dry. For canvas, combine baking soda and vinegar to create a paste, scrub the mixture onto shoes with an old brush, then let dry before wiping. Lastly, for mesh shoes, mix sodium percarbonate (which is not the same as baking soda) and water. Scrub the mixture into shoes, then rinse and let air-dry. Voilà!
2. Dish Soap & Detergent Method
The next tutorial comes from TikToker @chloeeee__96, who revives a well-loved pair of Nike running shoes. She covers the shoes (already placed in the washer) with baking soda, then adds a washcloth loaded with Dawn dish soap. The next step is to add normal laundry detergent and run the washer. The result? Nikes that emerge looking clean, fresh and ready to rock. In the comments, @chloeeee__96 mentions that dish soap helps make whites even brighter and—as we know—it's also great at cutting through grease and grime. She also specifies that this method isn't advisable for leather shoes. The more you know!
3. Soak & Wash Method
Our third and final tutorial from creator @luckygirl4ever uses similar ingredients but different methods. The TikToker clarifies that she completes this process every three to five months and that she has had all shoes pictured for at least three years. Instead of turning immediately to a washing machine, @luckygirl4ever first combines baking soda and dish soap with hot water in a bucket, then lets shoes soak. After waiting a day, she scrubs shoes with an old brush before adding them to the washing machine. We imagine this helps remove a lot of dirt and grime beforehand! Finally, she lets shoes air-dry and even uses a wet towel and iron to remove creases in the toe section of one pair of sneakers. Talk about a hot tip!
No matter what type of shoe you need to clean, there's a solution (literally). We hope one of these tutorials is the right fit! Now that you know how to clean sneakers, you'll be rocking good-as-new kicks in no time at all.