As someone who owns a pair of New Balance sneakers, I can attest to the fact that they are some of the most comfortable shoes on the market. However, it’s important to keep them clean and in top shape, no matter how much you love wearing them. That’s why I’m excited to share some secrets and tips on how to clean New Balance shoes.
When it comes to sneakers, there are a lot of brands to choose from, but I’ve found that New Balance sneakers are the perfect fit for me. Even though they may not be as popular as Nike and Adidas, New Balance offers unique designs and unbeatable comfort. And as someone who loves comfy shoes, I’m always looking for ways to keep my sneakers looking and feeling great.
Let’s learn how to clean New Balance shoes so you can enjoy the comfort and style they offer for years to come!
Contents
I. My Methods on How to Clean New Balance Shoes
There are a lot of ways how to clean new balance shoes. Although New Balance has put out its own recommendations for cleaning its products, I still have my own trick that you can try!
New Balance Shoes Cleaning Kit
- ShoeCleaner: A special shoe detergent needed to clean your favorite and precious New Balance sneakers.
- Apron: Not an obligatory item, but it will come in handy when we’re talking about keeping your shirt clean while washing your New Balance sneakers.
- Premium Brush: Used to clean the upper part of your New Balance shoes that incorporates canvas, suede, leather, synthetic leather, mesh, knit, or nubuck.
- Medium Brush: Used to clean your New Balance sneaker’s midsole section.
- Standard Brush: Used to clean your sneaker’s outsole section.
- Small Brush or Toothbrush: This type of brush will come in handy when it comes to cleaning the inner part of your New Balance sneakers that is usually hard to reach.
- Microfiber Cloth: Used to wipe sneakers clean of dirt and stains.
- Shoe Tree: Essential item to keep your New Balance sneaker’s basic structure intact.
- Container/Pan: Used to store water that will be mixed with Shoe Perfume in order to generate a certain odor for your shoes.
- Shoe Perfume: You can use this to eliminate foul odor in your New Balance sneakers.
New Balance Shoes Cleaning Process
Follow the instructions carefully and be thorough!
1. Prepare the New Balance shoes that you want to clean
Take your dirty New Balance shoes out of the box and inspect each one carefully. You should pay attention to significant stains and scuff marks. Also, check if your shoes have a damaged part, so you don’t accidentally scrub it and make the parts worse.
2. Prepare the material needed to clean your sneakers
Prepare the cleaning kit! As I’ve mentioned before, you’ll need a ShoeCleaner, apron, Premium Brush, Medium Brush, Standard Brush, Small Brush, Microfiber Cloth, two pieces of Shoe Tree, and a container to store water and ShoePerfume.
3. Remove the laces from your New Balance Sneakers
Based on my past experiences, it’s best to remove the laces from your New Balance shoes. It’ll be easier to clean them. After you manage to separate them, you can soak the laces in water that has been mixed with Shoe Cleaner. After waiting for some time, clean it and squeeze it a bit to remove the water. Finally, you can dry it off with a microfiber cloth.
4. Insert the Shoetree in your New Balance Sneakers
This is an essential step, as a Shoetree will be important to maintain the shape of your New Balance sneaker when it’s being washed. However, make sure to remove the insole before inserting a Shoetree.
5. Dry-clean the Sneakers
Before washing the New Balance with water, we need to brush the upper part and midsole with a premium brush to wipe off debris and dirt that is often found on the shoes.
6. Wash the Outsole and Midsole
During this cleaning stage, you can use a Standard Brush. Make sure to use all your strength when cleaning the outsole, as it’s naturally the dirtiest part of a shoe.
As soon as you have finished cleaning the outsole, you can proceed by cleaning the midsole with a Medium Brush. This time, patience and diligence are needed, as there will be a lot of dirty spots that are hard to clean.
6. Wash Your New Balance’s Insole
If possible, make sure to remove the insole from your New Balance sneaker. Then, proceed to brush the insole with a Premium brush and wait until it dries off before inserting it back inside the sneaker.
Note: Don’t force to remove the insole, as some New Balance sneakers were made with their insoles glued to the shoes. When you force it out, it will definitely damage your precious item.
7. Wash the Outer-Upper Part of your New Balance sneakers
Use the Premium Brush to wash the upper part of your sneaker in order to prevent any damage to your shoe. When cleaning the outer-upper part of your sneaker, make sure to do it carefully! Shortly afterward, you may wipe it with a microfiber cloth by gently tapping it on the shoes and letting water get absorbed.
You can also use a small brush to clean the narrow space inside the New Balance sneakers that are hard to reach. After the brushing is over, you can proceed by wiping it with a microfiber cloth. You can actually use a Premium Brush, but don’t force it if the space inside the shoes is too narrow.
8. Detailing
Use a wet microfiber cloth to clean out dirty parts that are located on your New Balance’s details. You can also use it to clean the midsole and outsole sections of your shoes.
9. Drying Process
Dry off your shoes by using a fan. As an alternative, you can also dry it by waving your hands or placing the shoes in a cold area with minimal moisture. Try not to dry the sneakers by placing them under direct sunlight, as it can damage the glue or paint of said shoes.
10. Finishing
Once all necessary parts are dry, then you can place the insole back inside the shoe. The same thing also goes for the laces. Now, your shoe is back in action and looks fresh again!
II. Do’s and Don’ts
| Do’s | Don’ts |
| Use a protective spray when you’re using your precious New Balance | Never leave your shoes under direct contact with the sunlight |
| Brush the upper part of your sneakers carefully | Don’t use a brush with rough bristles to prevent scratching |
| Clean your New Balance Regularly | Don’t let dirt and stains pile up on your shoes |
III. New Balance Shoecare
The path to keeping your New Balance in great shape doesn’t stop once you have managed to make your shoes look as good as new. As a matter of fact, it’ll be a continuous journey that requires dedication and effort. Here are some tricks that you should do in order to preserve your shoes’ condition.
- Don’t keep them in a moist area.
- Clean them after usage. Do this regularly in order to avoid dirt and stains from piling up and becoming hard to clean.
- Do not store your socks inside the shoe. This is essential as socks may produce a bad odor to your shoes.
- Avoid using your New Balance in bad weather or on challenging terrain.
- Make sure that you know the material used to make your shoes in order to be more careful when cleaning them.
IV. Experts Tips to Prolong New Balance Shoe Life Span
Don’t leave this page yet, as there is some more knowledge that I can pass on to you. I hope that these tips can prove to be beneficial when you’re dealing with your New Balance shoes. After all, some of these tips are earned through past experiences!
- Avoid using a machine wash when it comes to dealing with your New Balance shoes. It might not be a guarantee that using a laundry machine might break your shoes, but you might not want to risk it, right?
- Rotate your shoes! Avoid wearing the same pair of New Balance shoes every day. Instead, rotate between two or more pairs of shoes to give them time to air out and recover from wear.
- Avoid wearing your shoes for non-athletic activities: While New Balance shoes are designed for athletic activities, wearing them for non-athletic activities can lead to premature wear and tear.
- No direct contact with the sunlight, please. If you want to dry your shoes, make sure to leave them in a room and in front of a fan.
- Use strength only when you’re trying to clean your outsole. For the rest of your shoes, make sure to take your time.
- When you’re using a detergent, make sure to use a dye-free detergent. You don’t want your shoes to have a new design created by the detergent, right?
V. FAQ
Can I put my new balance in the washing machine?
You can use a washing machine to clean your New Balance sneakers. However, as I have mentioned several times before, it isn’t a recommended method. Be mindful that your shoes’ material might not be strong enough to resist the might of a washing machine. If you’re still adamant about using the washing machine, then here goes. However, let me remind you one more time that it’s highly likely that your New Balance shoes might get damaged.
- Remove the laces from your New Balance shoes
- Put your laces in a small mesh bag and your New Balance shoes inside a different bag. This step is necessary in order to prevent your New Balance from getting tangled up and damaging other items that you’re washing.
- Put both bags inside the washing machine. Wait until the machine finishes its process.
- Remove the shoes and laces from their respective bags.
- Leave them until they’re completely dry before putting the laces back on, as well as storing them in their original box.
VI. Summary
New Balance might not look as tasty as Nike or Adidas sneakers, but they sure still look good. Moreover, they feel very comfortable to wear. Therefore, New Balance shoes need to be taken good care of. After all, you’d want your items to be as good-looking as possible, right?
There aren’t any special tricks needed when it comes to cleaning your New Balance. The same rules that normally apply to other sneakers can also be used when you’re trying to wipe the dirt away from the New Balance sneakers. Use a Premium Brush and a mild detergent to clean your shoes, then wipe them off with a microfiber cloth before drying them in front of a fan.
Make sure to avoid some things when cleaning your shoes as well, such as leaving them under direct contact with the sunlight and rubbing the upper part with a standard brush.