Okay, so last Tuesday I looked down at my favorite Adidas Stan Smiths after walking through that muddy park – total disaster. They looked like I’d been hiking, not just grabbing coffee. Figured it was time for a deep clean before they got ruined.
Step 1: Yankin’ Out the Laces & Brushing Off Crud
First thing I did was sit on my apartment floor. Pulled the laces out real quick – chucked ‘em in a bowl of warm water with a squeeze of dish soap to soak. Then I took an old toothbrush and just went ham on the soles and sides. Scrubbed off all the dried mud and little pebbles stuck in the treads. Felt like an archeologist digging out dirt.
Step 2: Mixing Up My Super Cleaner
Grabbed a small bowl from the kitchen. Poured maybe half a cup of warm water, added two squirts of blue dish soap – the cheap kind I use for pans. Stirred it with my finger until it got kinda bubbly. Didn’t overthink it.
Step 3: Scrub-a-Dub Time
Dipped the toothbrush in that soapy mix and started working on the leather. Used small circles like I was polishing a car, focused on the nasty toe creases and those side stripe stains. For the scuffs? Pressed harder and went back and forth like erasing pencil marks. Wiped off gunk constantly with an old T-shirt rag. Took me 15 minutes per shoe, easy.
Step 4: Rinse & The Paper Towel Trick
Ran the toothbrush under tap water to clean it, then brushed plain water over the soapy spots to rinse. Key move here: stuffed both shoes tight with crumpled paper towels. Like, really jammed them in there. Saw some YouTube guy do it once – keeps the shape and pulls moisture out from inside.
Step 5: Let ‘Em Breathe & Re-Lace
Placed them near my window away from direct sun (that sun will crack leather, trust me). Waited a whole dang day. Took the paper towels out – still slightly damp inside, so gave ‘em another half day. Finally rinsed the now-clean laces, dried those with a hair dryer on low, and threaded them back in. Boom. Looked 90% better, no weird soap residue or anything.
Honestly thought I’d mess ‘em up, but they bounced right back. Wore them yesterday and felt smug all day.