Upon entering and exiting my home, I’ve always wondered if it’s okay to leave the shoes right inside the front door. I guess it’s better than leaving them outside where there could be stolen and affected by the elements. Some people don’t have a front entry closet with a shoe rack but I do. It’s often the shoes that aren’t worn as often go in the closet and on a rack. Shoes or slides that I tend to use frequently, 4-5 days a week often live by the door. This is for convenience of course but also because I prefer most days to remove them before entering the house. I’m not sure if it’s just the tradition I grew up in or my ocd compulsions telling me that they would track in dirt, or bad energy from the outside world.
I live with my sister in law and my brother, our family huskies, and my mother who helped secure our family home back in 1994. And since my brother got married, we’ve inevitably accumulated more pairs of footwear. It’s not a big deal and I honestly still have a passion for footwear so the more wearable shoes the better. It brings me joy and makes me feel blessed to know that I have a pair of footwear for nearly every adventure.
One day while coming home from work, I took off my white lululemon sneakers and kicked them off to place them next to my sister in law’s work shoes which were a classic pair of black vans. What I immediately noticed was how worn they were and also how dirty they had gotten over time from her steps around the Italian restaurant she had been employed at.
With a black pair of sneakers, especially ones with a white midsole and outside, it is fairly easy to see the contrast of what a new pair and a well worn pair is. And hers were hanging on by their one of their last threads. I mean the structure of the shoe and tread were still alive, but the amount of yuckiness and black buildup on the pair of vans was yelling at me to give them a rejuvenation. That’s is ultimately what I did the next two hours.
I grabbed my tools* and cleaning chemicals, including dawn dish soap, and pulled up a comfortable chair to get comfortable in while planned my attack to this pair.
I enjoy the first step of unlacing the shoes, taking a rag with scorching hot water and soap and pulling away the surface level buildup.
The tedious and laborious part comes next with the erasing of the outsole, soaking of the laces, and scrubbing of the upper. I’ve even found pleasure in restoring the outsole and bottom of the shoe to its original color. This part also supports my idea that footwear is one of the most important part of your outfit, because they’re the only thing that stands between you and the ground. They are and should also be a source of comfort and style!
With these Vans, my goal was simple, sanitized and make them ready to go for a casual outing at in n out or a walk around the zoo.
All in all this detail took approximately 3 hours, including waiting for the laces and upper to dry. Luckily I have a dryer rack that levitates the footwear in the air while at the same time using low to moderate heat to dry the footwear.
The before and after on this one are really satisfying. She is now able to rock these outside of the kitchen and pair them with some skinny jeans and a graphic t-shirt.
From the video you’ll notice how lost in the sauce I got. It’s vividly similar to detailing cars or folding pants at lululemon. You have to find the right mix of chemicals, tools and stamina to complete a makeover like this one. My forearms wete actually pumped but it was all worth it and it came to be a complete surprise for my sister in law.
I hope this inspires someone out there to save a pair, and just give them a full make over. Shoes rarely go out of the style, it’s mostly the fit that we need to be concerned here!
Enjoy the process 🤙🏾
* my other brother and his fiance picked me up a new footwear cleaning kit for my birthday last month. It should also be good for all footwear and colors, and is from Sorel.
p.s. I just uploaded a mid length, 10 minute, candid video of my deep cleaning this pair
