Restoring Old Tennis Shoes

Have you ever noticed that new shoes never really feel as good as those nasty looking old tennis shoes that you have lying around in your closet? Well, instead of spending some of your hard earned money (or a lot of your money depending on the shoe) why not take the time to restore them? Restoring old tennis shoes isn't all that difficult of a project, and one that anyone can do with a little bit of effort. All you really need to do is follow these simple directions.

• Inspect your shoes. Before you can actually begin restoring your old tennis shoes, you need to first inspect them and see if they are even worth saving. While you are looking over your shoes to see how much wear and tear is left in them, make a note of any gum that may be stuck to the bottom of your soles, or particularly nasty stains that will need to be taken care of. As you are looking your shoes over, take out the laces and look at the tongue as well. Throw the old laces away since you will be replacing them later.
• Clean the surface. Once you have inspected your shoes for serviceability. It is time to begin cleaning them. Use an old soft toothbrush or sponge and an appropriate material safe cleaner to begin cleaning the surface of your shoes, For example leather or vinyl use a mild degreasing dish soap, warm water, and a sponge to remove as much of the dirt and grime as you can. For cloth tennis shoes, you can use a stronger type of soap (typically the kind that you use on clothing will work just fine) and an ole toothbrush to do the job. Don't forget to clean the tongue as well.
• Hit your soles. If the soles of your shoes had any gum stuck to them, now is the time to remove it. Use a butter knife and an ice cube to work the gum out of the grooves of your shoes, and off of the sole. If the sole of your shoe is usually white, and it happens to have a bunch of marks around the outer edges of the sole, use a bleach pen to remove them. For a black sole use a black marker to color over any imperfections.
• Replace the laces. Replace your old laces with some new ones that will go with your shoes, and set aside the shoes to dry. Once they are completely dried, they are ready for use again.