Washing Your Sneakers - Video

It's only natural that your sneakers will become dirty, especially if they're a part of your regular routine. You can't just throw your sneakers into the washer and expect them to come out clean. You need to take certain measures to ensure that your shoes still maintain the level of quality you expect.

The way that's probably the safest is to wash your shoes by hand. This way you can better control how wet the shoe gets and you can monitor the cleanliness of the shoe. Before you even start you need to make sure that the fabric of your shoes is conducive to washing because if not, you're likely to ruin your shoes.

Take a simple solution of soap and water (dish soap often works well with this method) and methodically scrub your shoes, targeting specific areas that need attention. The risk with this technique, however, is if you're not careful you could smear dirt around instead of taking it out. Test a small section first and then if you're successful go ahead and clean the rest of the shoe.

Once the shoe is clean, you are ready for drying. Fabric shoes will hold their shape better if you fill them with paper towels first, and air-dry them after washing.

The best way to keep your shoes clean is to prevent a lot of dirt build-up in the first place. You can purchase protective sprays at any shoe store and those definitely are effective in protecting your shoe from the dirt of everyday wear and tear. Spray your shoes when they're still new and clean and they'll be much less likely to attract dirt, grime, and other gross stuff.

For a longer tip related to this subject, see Washing Your Sneakers and Tennis Shoes