How To Clean Your Kicks

“Wow, I love your shoes.”

This is something many of us love to hear. While we believe beauty comes from within, a little compliment doesn’t hurt every now and then. 

You may love your shoes so much that you wear them over and over and over again. One day you look in the mirror and they just don’t look the same anymore. Worn out, dirty, and very loved — it’s time to clean those suckers. 

While you may know a lot about shoes, you may not know how to clean them. We clean every other item of clothing in our closet so why wouldn’t our shoes be any different?

We’ve discovered the best way to clean shoes! Sharing is caring, so we will spill our shoe cleaning secrets. 

How to Clean Shoes

When our shoes get super dirty, it makes us not want to wear them anymore. When our shoes are super clean and new, we do not wear them to prevent ruining them. Something doesn’t seem right with this logic.

We shouldn’t have to give up a perfect pair of shoes because they get a little dirty. Once you are confident in your shoe cleaning ability, you won’t be so scared to wear those sparkling new shoes out around the block. 

Cleaning your shoes can help bring life back into an old pair of your favorite heels, sneakers, boots, or whatever your shoe of choice is. 

Clean Freak Tip: How to clean white shoes vs. how to clean leather shoes may be a little different, so make you check out the care instructions before you get too ahead of yourself.

So, enough of the small talk, and let’s get to cleaning. Here is what you need:

• An Old or Your Enemy’s Toothbrush (For legal reasons, this is a joke)
• Safely’s Everyday Laundry Detergent 
• Water
• An Old Rag or Dish Cloth

We made sure this method used items that were not only super accessible but gentle on your kicks. Bleach and other harsh cleaning products may be doing more harm than good. 

Safely’s Everyday Laundry Detergent was formulated to be the most gentle on you and your clothes while being tough on all the nasty stuff: bacteria, sweat… you know what we mean. 

We use two kinds of plant-based enzymes to tackle two types of stains:

• One for the fun life stains like grass stains, cooking splashes, and dirt
• One to clean invisible things like sweat

Our coconut-oil-derived surfactants, plant-based surfactants, and natural enzymes fight stains and wash away dirt, oil, and impurities while preserving the life of your item. Oh, and we almost forgot to mention: it smells fantastic — kind of like you cleaned your shoes in a field of tall wildflowers?

We didn’t know good-smelling shoes were something we wanted until right now. Let’s get our hands dirty and our shoes clean.

How To Clean Fabric Shoes?

Hate to break it to you, but fabric shoes will always get dirty.

1. Hold off on the water. Instead, take a toothbrush and lightly brush off any excess dirt
2. Mix water and laundry detergent in a cup to create warm soapy water. Remember  Everyday Laundry Detergent is highly concentrated and super powerful, so a little goes a long way. 
3. Use this soapy goodness to brush your sneaker in circular motions with a toothbrush
4. Wipe away any excess detergent or suds with a clean cloth
5. Air dry your shoes

How To Clean Shoe Laces?

You can’t have clean shoes without clean shoelaces. Here’s how to properly clean your shoelaces:

1. Remove laces from the shoe so you can get in there. 
2. Run under warm water and scrub to remove any grime. 
3. Spot treat with Everyday Laundry Detergent 
4. Place shoelaces in a mesh bag and throw them in the washer
5. Make sure to air dry (shoelaces can shrink!)

How to Clean Shoe Soles 

White soles can pick up the grime since they are the only part that make contact with the ground. Luckily, most rubber soles can be transformed to look good as new. 

1. Smack your shoes together to loosen any grime
2. Next, go in with a butter knife to gently scrape away any visible dirt
3. Create a warm and soapy water with Everyday Laundry Detergent 
4. Soak the soles of your shoes for about 15-20 minutes
5. Brush off stain and dirt with a toothbrush
6. Rise and let dry!

Show Off Your Clean

Walk with a boost of confidence with your sparkling kicks. This method is so simple you won't have to worry about how dirty your shoes get! Go ahead and step in that puddle.