Clean Tennis Shoes
Cleaning your tennis shoes helps reduce odor from sweat, and cleaning your shoes regularly prolongs their life. Unless you only wear your tennis shoes at a pristine indoor gym, they‘re probably embedded with dirt and mud at any given time. The combination of sweat, dirt and other debris picked up while walking and running makes your shoes smelly and dirty, and they should be cleaned on a regular basis.
Steps
- Remove any dirt or mud clumps from your shoes with a stiff brush. If you can’t do this outside, hold the shoes over an old newspaper or a wastebasket to brush off the dirt.
- Remove gum and pebbles from the soles of the shoes with a flat blade knife and tweezers.
- Remove the laces. It is easier to dry unlaced shoes, and the laces don’t always get completely clean if you leave them laced in the shoes.
- Remove your insoles if you use them.
- Fill a sink with tepid water. The sink should be large enough to accommodate both shoes.
- Add several capfuls of dish detergent to the water and mix the water with your hand to dissolve the soap.
- Fully immerse the tennis shoes in the sudsy water and let them soak for at least one hour.
- Use a soft-bristle brush to scrub the shoes. There is no need to scrub the inside of your shoes; the water and detergent will remove surface dirt while the shoes soak.
- Drain the soapy water and refill your sink with clear water.
- Immerse the shoes into the clean water and swish them around to remove the soap.
- Rinse the shoes again under the tap as you drain the sudsy water from the sink.
- Blot sneakers with a towel to absorb excess water.
- Dry them in the sun if possible; otherwise, let your tennis shoes air dry naturally.
- Let the insoles dry separately before reinserting them.
Tips
- Use white vinegar to disinfect your shoes if they have a lingering odor. Add 16 oz. (0.473 L) of vinegar to the rinse water and let them soak for several hours, then rinse with tepid water.
- Sprinkle baking soda or talcum powder inside your tennis shoes to absorb moisture.
- Use either oxygen bleach or chlorine bleach to whiten shoes.
- Help shoes made of leather to retain their shape by stuffing newspaper inside the shoes while they dry.
- Keep two pairs of tennis shoes and wear on alternate days. This will allow one pair to dry and air out between uses.
- Put several towels in with your shoes if you must use a washing machine. Use cool water and the gentle cycle. The towels will help prevent the shoes from banging around too much.
Warnings
- Hot water and forced hot air may shrink the fabric. Always use cool water.
- Avoid drying tennis shoes in a dryer. The heat and agitation will quickly deteriorate them.
- Chlorine bleach is toxic, and can irritate your eyes and skin. If you use chlorine bleach to whiten your shoes, be sure to wear gloves and keep the room well ventilated.
Things You’ll Need
- Sink or bucket
- Mild detergent
- Soft-bristle brush
- Flat blade knife
- Tweezers
- Baking soda (optional)
- White vinegar (optional)
- Talcum powder (optional)
