How to Clean Sneakers, According to an Expert

Learn how to clean your sneakers like a pro with these tips & tricks perfect for any shoe, including Jordans, Yeezys, Nike, adidas and more.

How to Clean Sneakers
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original, all artwork by Naomi Otsu

How to Clean Sneakers

Nothing feels better than a new pair of shoes. Nothing feels worse than getting those shoes dirty. But just as nothing stays new forever (unless you never wear your sneakers), dirt stains aren't permanent, either. Learning how to clean your sneakers is a badge of honor. Just like watering your plants or getting exercise and following a diet, it's healthy to maintain your sneakers over time.

While some sneakers do look better with a bit of wear, no sneaker looks good with food stains or mud on them. To get a better idea of how to clean your sneakers and keep them in tip-top shape, we talked to sneaker cleaning guru and co-founder of sneaker cleaning brand SneakersER Rob Stewart.

Below are his techniques to clean every part of your shoe. From a quick wipe down, to waterproofing, and more advanced process like unfogging an Air bubble or making sure your midsole doesn't crumble. In a day and age where you see people wearing cooked Air Force 1s, this is how you can avoid that plague.

All illustrations by Naomi Otsu

How to keep your sneaker laces white

how to clean laces

How to get the odor out of an insole

How to get odor out of a shoe

How to clean a suede sneaker

how to clean a suede shoe

How to clean an outsole

how to clean an outsole

How to clean a midsole

how to clean a midsole

How to stop a shoe from creasing

How to stop a shoe from creasing

How to get gum off a sole

How to get gum off a sole

How to waterproof a shoe

how to waterproof a shoe

How to get yellowing off a sneaker

how to get yellowing off a sole

How to fix cloudy Air bubbles

how to fix cloudy air bubbles

How to fill in a scratch

How to fill in a leather scratch

How to keep a midsole from crumbling

midsole crumbling