Cleaning white sneakers without ruining them.
Identify the material before you touch it, use the least aggressive thing that works, and never put them in a washing machine. White leather takes a mild soap solution and a soft brush. White mesh needs a gentler touch and more patience. White suede must stay dry and be brushed, never washed. Most ruined white sneakers were not ruined by dirt, they were ruined by someone using a bleach solution or a washing machine on a material that could not take it.
Work out what you are cleaning
- Smooth leather is sealed, so it tolerates moisture and a soft brush. The risk is the finish, not the material.
- Mesh and knit are porous. Dirt goes into the weave, so it wants repeated gentle passes rather than pressure.
- Suede and nubuck are napped and must be kept dry. Water marks them and flattens the nap.
- Painted or dyed panels on an otherwise white shoe are the first thing to lift. Anything abrasive takes the paint with the dirt.
A safe method for white leather and mesh
Take the laces out and wash them separately. They are usually dirtier than the shoe and they hide the eyelet area.
Dry-brush the whole shoe first to remove loose dirt. Cleaning over grit grinds it in.
Mix a few drops of mild soap into warm water. Work in small circles with a soft brush, a section at a time, with the brush damp rather than wet.
Wipe each section with a clean damp cloth as you go, so you lift the dirt off instead of spreading it.
Pack with paper and air dry away from heat. Never a radiator, never a dryer, never direct sun.
The five things that cause the damage
- The washing machine. It breaks down the adhesive, distorts the shape and can separate the sole.
- Bleach. On white it causes yellowing, not whitening, and the yellowing it causes cannot be reversed by icing.
- Magic erasers on leather. They are fine abrasive. They will take the finish off and strip any paint.
- Heat drying. Glue softens, panels warp, and the shape goes permanently.
- Soaking. Water sitting inside the midsole takes days to leave and can bring staining out through the upper as it dries.
When home cleaning will not get there
There is a point where the dirt is in the material rather than on it, and where the white has gone grey or yellow rather than dirty. Household cleaning does not reach either. Neither does it touch oxidised soles, which is a separate problem with a separate fix.
That is the point to send them in. A deep clean is $75 and covers uppers, midsoles, outsoles, liners, insoles and laces. If the soles have yellowed as well, the Reesey Revive at $120 adds the icing.
Sending a pair in
White pairs are the ones people hand over most nervously, which is fair. Every pair is cleaned by hand, one at a time, with the method matched to the material.
Mail them in from anywhere in the US, or drop off in Decatur if you are local.
Every pair is worked on by hand by Reesey herself in Powder Springs, Georgia. Nothing is sent out to anyone else, and nothing starts until you have approved the price.
More answers in the guides, or see the Wall for before and afters, what customers say and every service and price.