To a basketball player, his shoes are like a driving license of an Ubar driver. It’s an essential gear for any basketball player. These shoes are like a rudder that drives the court’s comfort and performance and provides a pleasant experience. Also a certain level of confidence boosts you will get at the court if the shoes remain neat and polished.
But the difficulty of a basketball shoe is they are prone to dirt, and hard to keep them clean. After every match, certainly, the shoes will be dirty. To have tidy basketball shoes, all you need, a bucket full of love and care for them. Basketball enthusiasts like you and I always try to find solutions that make our life easier to deliver our absolute best performance. This article is all about that, showing ways to improve the presentation, moreover, some easy techniques on how to clean basketball shoes by hand.
HOW OFTEN YOU NEED TO CLEAN BASKETBALL SHOES?
Cleaning of the shoes often depends on how often you use them on the court. Some of you use basketball shoes as regular outdoor style icons; they will usually get more hits from the ground. These kinds of usage need regular cleaning.
And some people wear them only at their indoor basketball games and prefer different shoes for outdoor fun. If you fall into these categories, cleaning hardly ever won’t hurt the shoes. If this sounds like you, your basketball shoes may need to be cleaned occasionally.
Some people stand in between and play basketball randomly. Their shoes need cleaning, but only when they wear them.
Your shoe’s cleansing depends on where you wear them and how often wear them. Quirky situations like mud splash or spilled drinks can create room for instant scrubbing.
HOW TO CLEAN BASKETBALL SHOES BY HAND
Clear your conscience about one thing, clean pair of shoes not only boost your performance but also save your money. So let’s gather the knowledge on how to do so-
Remove the Dirt
Dirt or mud is the biggest threat to any basketball shoes. Take the shoes one by one, hold them on your hand, and check thoroughly from top to bottom. Surely you will find a decent amount of debris on the top and bottom of your shoe. You can handpick the dirt or use a shoe brush/unused toothbrush to remove them. For soft, sticky mud, use a soaked cloth to rub them off.
Use Warm Water
I meant by using warm water to create a liquid substance that can be a mixture of warm water and any soft detergent like your liquid dishwasher.
After successfully removing the dirt, soak a piece of fabric or sponge with the warm water plus detergent, and start wiping all the stain from the shoes. Never use hard cleansing materials, or it can fade the color of your favorite NIKE shoe. Avoid cleansing components with a sweet aroma because it can affect the shoe traction by leaving some kind of remnants.
If the shoe has shoelaces, you can always wash them separately.
Wash the Insoles
Wash the insoles with the same warm water mixture. Never dip them into the hot water, or it will lose its original form.
If you are thinking about the odor of your insoles, and how to get rid of it? I have a solution for you. Just throw some baking soda over your insoles and wait for them to dry. Make sure before putting them into the shoes that dried completely. Trust me! It will work like magic against the bad smell.
Let them Dry
Now let your beloved shoes dry in a warm spot. Air drying under is the best care you can give your basketball shoes. Please don’t make the mistake of putting them directly under the hot sun or any hot source. Put them under a nice shed because hot sources can leave your shoes into a crook deformity that can’t be undone. Nobody wants a shiny but shrink and cracked shoes. The best practice is to dry them at room temperature.
Tips for White Basketball Shoes
If you own all-white basketball shoes, these tips are for you on how to clean white shoes-
Bring a bowl of warm water mixed with detergent, the same as before. But the secret ingredient is, use a tad of white toothpaste into it.
Try this solution on your white basketball shoes to smudge the spots. It will work like wonders and make all the spots disappear. You will get back your white shoe shiny as new.
Final Word
To ensure a long service from the basketball shoes, you must give them the correct care they need. If you follow the procedure to clean the shoes, nothing fancy will be required rather than your hands. For pro-players, washing after every game is a must.