When spring comes along, our shoes go from walking on ice and snow to slush and mud. I know that I have shoes that I don’t wear very often due to them getting dirty and not having a cleaner to clean them with. Once discovering eco-friendly products and realizing I can repurpose items to clean them, I felt less scared to wear my nicer shoes in unpredictable weather. Let’s get onto my tricks when it comes to cleaning my shoes in the springtime.

Using foam cleaners with all natural ingredients

While researching products to use to clean my shoes that won’t damage them and be as eco-friendly as possible, I came across using foam cleaners. Foam cleaners are not only gentle, but they allow you to use less water when cleaning. A good all-natural cleanser for shoes is the SneakerRescue foam cleanser. It works on multiple shoe types while being gentle. 

Repurpose old items (old toothbrushes, old scraps of materials, jars for shoe cleaner etc)

What you use to help clean your shoes is also an important aspect for shoe cleaning. Using old household items or leftover fabric scraps can be great for scrubbing away dirt. Your old toothbrush you leave inyou toothbrush holder can be used to get tougher stains and dirt off, or the old towels you reserve for your dogs dirty paws can be used to wipe in the cleaner. If you don’t have older items to repurpose, using a sustainable item that you purchase such as a bamboo nail brush is great to really clean the shoes.

DIY shoe cleaner

Similar to household cleaners, shoe cleaners can be made right at home! Baking soda, water and vinegar can be used to clean away stains and yellowness that typically happens when white shoes age. Even using just water and baking soda as a paste is a great stain remover. Please do your research on what type of material your shoe is made out of before using these ingredients, as it could potentially change the texture or colour of the shoe. Here is a website detailing instructions for DIY shoe cleaners.