Table of Contents
Tennis shoes for men are supposed to be hard-working footwear. They are designed to cope with the challenges of court-specific sports. Still, the overall application for sports use can influence the smell and look of your tennis shoes, particularly if you use them regularly.
If you wish to keep the best tennis shoes for men looking great and odor-free, you should take care of them periodically. More regular care is needed if you are playing your favorite sport almost daily. Thankfully, it is quite easy to take good care of your tennis shoes.
How to Clean Tennis Shoes: A Step-by-Step Guide
Using the following series of steps, you can wash & clean your tennis shoes and any other racquet sports shoes, like badminton, racquetball, and pickleball.
1. Preparing Your Shoes for the Wash
Before you sit down to the main process of washing your tennis shoes, it is important to prep up for the process.
- Remove the Laces: Firstly, you should remove the shoes’ laces. You can wash them separately. You can use either the washing machine or a dish of soapy water & a toothbrush. If you are using a washing machine to wash the laces, you should always store them separately inside a mesh laundry bag or a pillowcase to avoid getting them tangled or damaging the washing machine drum.
- Remove the Inner Soles: Next, you should remove the inner soles of your sports shoes. Again, you should wash these separately, either in a mesh bag in a wash cycle or by hand. It also serves as a great chance to treat your shoes’ inner soles with deodorizing agents, like a pinch of baking soda.
- Remove Loose Debris and Dirt: You can start with a shoe-cleaning tool or a bristle brush to remove loose bits of dirt and debris. This process will make it easier and quicker to clean all marks and stains. It will also help prevent loose dirt and mud from getting into your cleaning area or your home.
2. Pre-treating Tennis Shoes
If you have smelly or dirty tennis shoes, or if they feature tough stains or marks, it can be a great idea to pre-treat them before you start washing and scrubbing. This will help you save both time and elbow grease.
You can go ahead with spot-treating the shoe. To achieve this, you can use a soft toothbrush or a cloth piece, along with a strong mix of an effective laundry detergent solution. Or, you can also consider soaking them in a tub of some cleaning liquid while allowing them to sit overnight. In case you are spot-cleaning your shoes, you can wash them right away. This will help you avoid unsightly water marks of discolored patches.
3. Hand-washing Tennis Shoes
As you start hand-washing your favorite sports shoes, you should prepare a liquid detergent solution. You can mix a mild dish soap with warm water to clean tennis shoes and sneakers gently and effectively. You can also add a few drops of white vinegar to help minimize odors and improve the brightness of white shoes.
You can use a shoe-cleaning tool or a soft brush and work in circular motions to apply the cleaning solution to the sports shoes. Pay attention to any ingrained stains and mud, working the lather into the shoes’ fabric.
When your shoes are clean, rinse them with clean water and wipe them with a damp cloth or dry towel.
4. Drying Tennis Shoes
It is important that you dry your clean shoes before wearing them or storing them. If you wish to dry out your clean shoes more effectively, use a clean cloth to blot them and soak up any excess moisture.
If it is possible, allow the shoes to air-dry in a well-ventilated space. You can use a drying rack if you have one in your house. Do not use high heat, like a fan heater or a hair dryer. These might melt the glue that holds the shoe together.
You can also insert plain paper towels or clean cloth pieces into the shoes to accelerate the drying time. It also helps maintain the shape of your tennis shoes. If you have plain white sports shoes, ensure that the paper towels or cloth pieces you use are color-safe and wouldn’t transfer dye to the fabric.
Cleaning Tennis Shoes: FAQs
1. How can you remove grass stains from tennis shoes?
If you regularly play on grass tennis courts or you are wearing them off the court, you might observe that they pick up grass stains. If you have white tennis shoes, grass stains can appear highly unsightly while spoiling the fresh, bright look of your favorite shoes.
Thankfully, you can remove grass stains easily. You need to use a clean, damp cloth and apply an equal mix of white vinegar and water to the stain. Work the solution gently into the shoes’ fabric. Leave it to soak for around half an hour before washing it normally.
2. How can you remove bad odors from tennis shoes?
Being an intensive sport, tennis shoes are constantly under the effects of hot, sweaty feet. Therefore, it is quite natural for them to develop an unpleasant odor over time. If you wish to prevent the build-up of bacteria causing these odors, you should wash your shoes regularly. Moreover, you can also take out the inner soles to wash every now & then.
When you treat the inner soles or the inside of your shoes with baking soda, it can also help prevent the bad smell.
3. Can you wash your tennis shoes in the washing machine?
Only some of them can be washed in the washing machine. To understand if your shoe is the right fit for machine-washing, check the shoe’s label. Most manufacturers clearly state whether you can wash them in the washing machine or not.
If you do not find the label and are confused about the washing process, you can simply wash them by hand. The temperatures inside the washing machine can sometimes damage them, especially performance footwear.