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Sneakers: Aftercare 101


A heatwave has hit the UK and although everyone is fed up, those suede, white and light coloured kicks you copped in winter can finally be worn without fear of getting caught lacking in the rain. Let's not forget about the rest of your collection. If you're a clean freak or nonchalant about your sneakers, maintaining that fresh-out-the-box look may be one of your top priorities or right at the bottom of your list. If you fit either categories, this post is for you.

We've broken each section down into: Material, Items and Instructions. If you're looking for a specific material just scroll down and all information will be listed below. Most if not all, items can be picked up from a supermarket or convenience store, and all other products have been linked.

Disclaimer: These are our preferred methods, follow at your own risk. Also, before applying any liquid products perform a patch test, to see how/if the material reacts.

AFTERCARE


Air Jordan 1 Game Royal

Leather

Items:

  1. Newspaper

  2. Bowl (2)

  3. Soap

  4. Water

  5. Kitchen Roll

  6. Toothbrush or Washing-up Sponge

  7. Flannel (2)

Instructions:

Remove laces if necessary.​

  1. Spread newspaper on a flat surface.

  2. Mix 3 parts water with 1 part soap in a bowl. Soap can be regular hand soap, washing up liquid or shampoo.

  3. Depending on the amount of dirt use a flannel, toothbrush or sponge to lift it. If the outsole is dirty use a toothbrush for precision.

  4. If dirt does not lift from water alone, wet your preferred cleaning applicator and use soap solution.

  5. Lightly scrub or brush wherever dirt is, so not to damage the material.

  6. Wet clean flannel and wring out, follow up by wiping soap residue from sneakers.

  7. Leave sneakers to air-dry or pat dry with kitchen roll.

Suede

For suede we'll look at the Crep Protect Cleaning Kit, that can be picked up for as little as £12 with one kit being able to clean up to 50 pairs of sneakers. This kit can be used on the following materials: Nubuck, Canvas, Mesh, Flyknit, Fleece and Suede.


Nike Air Force 1 07 Mineral Yellow

Items included are:

  1. Brush

  2. Microfibre Cloth

  3. Cleaning Solution

Instructions:

Remove laces if necessary.

  1. Dunk brush into bowl.

  2. Apply cleaning solution to brush

  3. Dip brush into water.

  4. Use a circular motion to create a lather.

  5. Use microfibre cloth to remove soap

  6. Leave to air dry, suede can take a few hours to dry.

To prevent regular cleaning you can cop the Crep Protect Spray for £10, which is rain and stain resistant, this protects twelve sneakers and can be used on the same materials as the cleaning kit. Once your sneakers have fully dried, apply the spray with two applications ten minutes apart and approximately twenty centimetres away from the sneakers. Re-apply every four weeks for constant protection!

Vans Checkerboard Slip-Ons

Canvas

Items:

  1. Newspaper

  2. Bowl

  3. Mild Laundry Detergent (Suitable for delicate materials)

  4. Water

  5. Toothbrush or Washing-up Sponge

  6. Microfibre Cloth

Instructions:

Remove laces if necessary.

  1. Using a dry toothbrush, brush away any dirt.

  2. Mix one part laundry detergent with three parts warm water.

  3. Apply mixture to a toothbrush or sponge and clean areas where dirty.

  4. Pat dry with a microfibre cloth.

  5. Leave to air dry on newspaper.

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Keeping your sneakers clean allows them to maintain their value if you plan on reselling. These tips are simple and affordable, as you're most likely to have these items stashed away in your cleaning cupboard or around the house. If you don't have these items readily available the most you'll have to spend is £5, and of course, the additional amounts for the Crep Protect products if you do, decide to purchase them.

We hope these tips have given you some sort of insight into how to keep your sneakers clean for the summer!

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Stay wavy!

Photo credit:

Maha Amsterdam - Air Jordan 1 Game Royal

Vanessa D - Nike Air Force 1 07 Mineral Yellow

Vans - Vans Checkerboard Slip-Ons

Cover image: Crafts


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