Learning to be a true sneakerhead takes more than just knowing how to buy and sell sneakers online and flipping them for profit. It also involves being informed on taking care of them as well. Sneakers, after all, are more than just shoes these days. They are extensions of you and today’s world, bonafide commodities.
To help you maintain your sneakers for years to come, we collaborate with Malaysia’s leading sneaker care service, Hype Guardian, to bring you the top tips on taking care of your kicks.
As their name implies, Hype Guardian helps to guard your shoes against deterioration. Not only do they provide cleaning services for your sneakers, helping your latest shoes be as clean as they were in the beginning, they also help with customization and protect your soles as well. From sneaker deodorant and repellent to transparent shoe boxes, they have physical stores located in multiple states of Malaysia.
Spot Cleaning
If you want to keep your sneakers in top shape, it’s important to do some spot cleaning – meaning identifying specific areas of stain and cleaning them.
Do not throw your sneakers in the washing machine, no matter how little time you have. Doing so will probably cause you more harm than good, as the strong cycling motion will destroy the composition of the material in your sneakers, ultimately ruining the pair for good.
When doing spot cleaning, identify the material of your sneaker first. This is very important as there are proper cleaning agents for different materials. If you want to clean your sneakers hassle-free, you can opt to buy all-around sneaker-cleaning solutions that are specialized for cleaning most materials, from leather to suede.
If you are unable to buy a proper sneaker-cleaning solution, any mild soap which you can grab inside your home will do. Just make sure it doesn’t contain any bleach as this will cause discoloration.
Once you’ve picked up your preferred cleaning solution, dilute it with a small amount of warm water. Grab a new toothbrush and start scrubbing away gently at the upper. When it comes to your midsoles and outsoles, you’ll need to exert more strength since they are made of much more durable material such as rubber.
TIP: To cure your shoes from turning yellow, put two layers of kitchen paper towel over them. The first layer should be slightly wet, while the other remains dry. The point of this is for the first layer to absorb the yellowish residue. Since the first layer remains wet, it won’t be able to absorb everything, which is where the second layer comes into play.
Maintaining Shape
Form deterioration will occur in any sneaker no matter what, especially for pairs that you wear all the time. To keep your sneakers’ form in optimal condition, you can use a shoe tree. These help in keeping your sneakers’ original form by keeping it stretched, which also prevents cracking and excessive creasing.
Additionally, wooden shoe trees also help in drying out the moisture your sneaker lining accumulates from the inside, which is caused by the sweat our feet produce. If you’re saving money and buying several shoe trees isn’t an option for you, using acid-free tissue (kitchen towels or tissue) to stuff them is another option. This can actually help maintain your sneaker’s proper moisture level. You can also input crease killers (those you put in Air Jordan 1) as it prevents creases from forming.
TIP: While old newspapers are a common DIY method, this is actually not recommended considering the fact that the ink of the newspaper may have a chemical reaction with the shoe and cause them to turn yellow faster.
Preservation Process
One way to properly take care of your sneakers is to treat them from the moment you take them out of the box. If you’re not a fan of the worn-out look of white sneakers, opt-in to buy dirt and water-repellant sprays. Its quite simple to use: spray it all over your sneakers, and let it dry for usually 24 hours.
These protective sprays will keep water, grease, and oil from being absorbed by the material of your sneakers. The best part about these products is they work on a number of materials, such as fabric, canvas, suede, and leather.
TIP: Since shoes eventually turn yellow, it might be a good idea to consider putting oxygen absorbers (or silica gel) inside of them. While it does not completely stop the oxidation process from occurring, it can help to slow it down, preserving your sneakers a bit longer.
Storing Your Sneakers
If you have a large sneaker collection and you’re not wearing most of them, you have to learn proper storage methods so they last longer.
There are a number of ways on how to go about this, but the first option is to keep them in their original boxes. Avoid stacking them too high because these boxes aren’t meant to carry a lot of weight, some the more you stack, the higher the chances the bottom row will get squished.
Furthermore, the higher you stack your shoe boxes, the more they will be exposed to hot or humid air, which causes damage.
Another option is to buy proper stackable storage boxes that are tailor-made for sneakerheads who possess countless pairs. These storage boxes come with clear drop-front windows that allow you to grab a pair of sneakers without unstacking the boxes on top. The clear windows are also perfect for collectors who want to display them. They also prevent dust from accumulating too much on your valued collection.
It’s also important to consider the location of your storage. You must avoid rooms that are highly penetrable by sunlight. When choosing a location, pick a room that is dark and cool, or at least well ventilated. It is not a good idea to store sneakers that are worth hundreds of dollars in humid places like an attic.
TIP: Do not ever put your sneakers under the sun for it to dry. People often think doing this will help it dry quickly, but it’ll actually do more harm than good. It’s recommended putting under the fan because the UV from the sun may cause more odor from the shoe.
Final Thoughts
While it may seem tedious at first, getting in the habit of taking care of your sneakers every few weeks is essential to keeping them looking good for a long time. Moreover, it also helps to prevent your sneakers from giving off foul odours, something everyone should practice.
Sneakers are no longer simply footwear. They are commodities that people buy and sell, with the entire reselling market itself valued in the billions.
With this in mind, knowing the first thing about cleaning your sneakers can not only help maintain your favourite silhouettes, but it may also allow you to save a lot more money later down the road. Sneakers are a part of our everyday culture now, and for Bryan Chye of Hype Guardian, he believes maintaining our shoes will only be for the better,
“Good shoes take you to good places. I believe everyone has a habit of doing dirty laundry on a daily basis, but when it comes to footwear, how often are we attentive to it? The sneaker care industry is a relatively new field that requires skills and knowledge. It is an arising profession and soon-to-be necessity for the modern-age community. Think it this way, how many pairs do you actually own, and how many places have you been to? Speaking about hygiene, let’s start from rock bottom- underneath your feet.“