A fresh white sneaker is a wardrobe staple, but they never stay fresh for very long let’s be serious. Good thing is, we have discovered you CAN put your sneakers in the washing machine, here is how to do it right.

Step 1

Remove the laces. You can toss them in the machine along with the sneaks, but you should wash them separately because a ton of dirt and grime collects around the eyelet, so you want to be sure that area gets maximum exposure to water and detergent.
Next, if the shoes are heavily soiled, bang them over a trashcan or brush them off with a rag to dislodge dirt, grass, street detritus, etc. Then, spray them liberally with a laundry pre-treatment product  before the shoes go in the wash.

Step 2

Know your washing machine cycle. Gentle cycles only.

Step 3

Provide a buffer. A good way to protect sneakers from getting too banged up in the washing machine is to fill the rest of the load with something like old towels, blankets, or sweatshirts. Just be sure to rewash these afterwards.

Step 4

Don’t Overdo the detergent

More detergent feels like it should make something more clean! But that’s totally not true, because overusing detergent will leave soap residue behind, and that can make the shoes stiff and even lead to staining.

Step 5

Always, always air dry. If your sneaks have removable insoles, take them out to dry separately (you can also remove them prior to washing), and flip the tongue out over the toe box to allow more air to circulate through the interior of the shoe.

Voila! Squeaky clean, good as new sneakers!