How To Clean Kids’ Tennis Shoes?

Kids go through dozens of shoes even before they start school. And as parents already know, these tiny toddler sneakers and sandals don’t come with small price tags. In fact, most of the time they are costlier than an adult’s footwear.

Sadly, there’s not much you can do to keep these kicks clean for long. Kids go running around everywhere, through mud puddles, and water. There are also food spills and potty accidents. One way or another, the pretty shoes and sandals are bound to turn into a stinky, sticky mess.

And when these shoes happen to be white toddler tennis shoes, there’s whole another problem coming your way. Even after a thorough cleaning, there are chances of the white turning into off-white and before you know, it’s yellow.

So, how do you keep these shoes clean irrespective of your kid’s daily rough play with mud?

There are quite a few methods you can use to clean them, some of them mentioned below. But keep in mind you shouldn’t be washing them every day, once a week or two is okay. You don’t want to waste a pair just because it was worn out even before your child could wear them out.

1. Soak them

While you can easily take your kid’s Crocs and jellies outside and hose them down, toddler sneakers need a different approach.

Give them a good, long soak in a bucket of water. This helps in removing the caked-on mud from the sneakers.

Repeat this process, change the water in-between, until most of the dirt is gone.

Now, you can use an old rag or brush, it could be a toothbrush as well, to brush off the rest. In case the shoes have deep, dirty grooves you should consider using a wooden or metal skewer.

Finally, rinse in cold water and air-dry the shoes.

2. Cleaning agent

In case you’re dealing with tougher stains than plain, old mud like grass, blood or any other fluid you should use a cleaning agent.

It’s advised to look for a kid-friendly stain-fighting tool. You can find it in your local supermarket, and if you don’t you can always find it online.

But if you still can’t find it or if you don’t wish to use a cleaning agent, a paste of baking soda and water should also do the trick.

Apply it to stains, allow it to soak and then rinse it well. Air-dry it in a shady spot later. Avoid sunlight because if there’s any excess stain fighter left it could bleach out the fabrics of the sneakers.

3.Toothpaste

This is one of the oldest tricks in the book- give your stained sneakers a good scrub with some toothpaste and an old toothbrush.

It does wonders to clean the shoe soles and even the canvas, making them almost brand new with an added minty fresh smell.

Once done with scrubbing, rinse them thoroughly and air-dry.

4. Washing Machine

Last but not least, the easiest way to clean toddler tennis shoes is by throwing them in the washing machine. Most of the sneakers and canvas shoes are safe to wash in washing machines.

However, don’t use the dryer since it can cause shrinking, instead air-dry every time you wash them. You can dry them outside, or inside over a vent. You can also keep them in front of the refrigerator to soak up the motor heat.

If there are chances of fading try to avoid direct sunlight when drying them outside.

You can also add some baking soda in the wash or sprinkle it on wet shoes after to get rid of any unwanted, foul smell.

Conclusion

So, the next time your child brings home dirty shoes you won’t have to worry about the cleaning. You can rely on these methods to help you turn those muddy shoes into squeaky clean whites.