Alright so last weekend I finally got around to cleaning my favorite burgundy Chucks. Man, they were trashed after wearing them to that muddy park concert. Looked more brown than burgundy! Here’s exactly how I brought ’em back to life using stuff I already had at home.
Gear I Dug Up
- Gross old toothbrush (seriously, don’t steal your roommate’s)
- Cheap dish soap – literally the blue Dawn bottle
- Clean rags (cut up that stained t-shirt nobody wears)
- Regular tap water, lukewarm not hot!
- Baking soda for that one stubborn spot on the toe cap
First, I yanked out the laces. Threw those nasty off-white strings into a bowl of warm water mixed with dish soap. Let ’em soak while I worked on the shoes themselves. Seriously, the water turned grey in like 2 minutes. Disgusting.
Next up – dust knockoff. Grabbed a dry rag and went ham wiping down the whole shoe. Canvas, rubber, everything. So much dried dirt and mystery crumbs fell out! Saw way more of that deep red color peeking through already.
The Actual Washing Part
Made my sudsy mix – squeezed a nickel-sized blob of Dawn into a small bowl, filled it halfway with water. Dunked the toothbrush in and started scrubbing in small circles. Worked top-down: canvas first, paying extra attention to the toe box where I always kick things. Watched the suds turn pink with gunk. Wiped it off with a damp rag before moving to rubber sides.
Scrubbed the rubber parts slower cause dirt gets glued in those little grooves. Tried baking soda paste on that ugly scuff near the heel – dampened the brush, dipped in soda, gently rubbed. Took 3 tries but finally lifted it. Rinsed everything under running water, careful not to soak the inside fabric.
Post-Cleaning Stuff
Stuffed rags inside to keep the shape while drying. Left ’em overnight FAR from direct sun – heard sun can fade burgundy bad. Next morning, re-laced with the now-clean laces. Saw leftover grime in the eyelets? Yeah, swabbed those out with a Q-tip dipped in the soap mix.
Took pics like “before” was some horror movie. Color came back crazy vibrant! Even the suede tongue patch looked fresher after gentle dry brushing. Only regret? Accidentally scrubbing too hard on left shoe’s toe – minor color fade there. Lesson: go softer on older canvas.
Final verdict? Dirt cheap, dead simple. Those kicks ain’t brand new but they don’t look like swamp monsters anymore. Next muddy adventure? Bring backups, man.
