For obvious reasons, it’s hard to keep your sneakers clean. But what’s worse is when you let them get so dirty that you don’t recognize them anymore! This also makes cleaning much harder because the dirt and stains have had a chance to penetrate into the material. Now, the question on everyone’s mind is ‘how do I get my dirty, smelly kicks to be squeaky clean and fresh again?’ Read on to find out!

Firstly, gather up the following things before you start:

-Shoe Brush with Soft Bristles

-Dish Soap/Laundry Detergent

-Paper Towels

-Baking Soda

And now, here’s the step-by-step guide to cleaning your sneakers.

Step One: Take out the laces and soles/inserts (if removable). Your laces can be cleaned in the washer or by hand; simply soak them in a sudsy solution of water and detergent for about half an hour before using an old toothbrush to clean them on both sides. The soles/inserts can be cleaned by hand using the same method. Leave them to air dry while you move on to the next step.

Step Two: Rinse out each shoe thoroughly to get off any loose mud or dirt (especially from the bottoms). If you skip this step, you risk spreading dirt and stains while actually trying to get them out!

Step Three: The cleaner you use must be recommended for the material of your sneakers. Either way, the method is more or less the same; make a solution of your chosen cleanser and use a soft-bristled brush to clean. Simply dip the brush in this sudsy solution and brush your sneakers at all angles. You’ll find that the brush is quickly turning brown and so is your cleaner so be sure to make a fresh solution as and when needed. Also, rinse out the brush out at intervals so that you aren’t transferring any dirt back on to your shoe.

Step Four: Rinse out the sneakers thoroughly to remove the soapiness and check for any stains. If you do find a stubborn stain or two, cover it with detergent powder or liquid dish soap and allow it to penetrate into the material for about 15-20 minutes. Next, take an old toothbrush, pour a few drops of warm-hot water onto the area and brush the stain away in circular motions. Rinse the shoe out again and your sneakers will be stain-free again!

Step Five: To dry your sneakers, stuff them with newspaper towels so that they don’t go out of shape or cave in. You may have to replace the paper towels twice or thrice but the good news is that they help the shoes dry up faster by absorbing moisture. Place your sneaker on the window sill, balcony or any airy place but avoid leaving them to dry in direct sun as the color may fade.

Step Six: Once they have dried up completely, put the inserts and laces back in and finish off by sprinkling a little baking soda into each shoe. This helps to absorb odors and keep your sneakers fresh for a while.

Under normal circumstances, you may not need leather cleaning products for sofa cleaning, dusting with a dry cloth and vacuuming the difficult areas such as crevices and the bottom of the furniture may be all you need as your leather cleaner.

In a situation where your leather is subjected to moderate or high abuse however, you may need to apply a leather furniture treatment such as leather sofa conditioner every 5-10 months.

When it comes to how to treat leather couches, you should know that your leather sofa or couch will last longer if you protect it from direct light and sunshine.

Leather furniture is a piece of house item you want to keep for a lifetime, and since leather is one of the finest natural products, aging will eventually bring out its natural features.

To maintain its richness and feel, you need to make it look clean at all times.

Leather will last longer than its fabric hence you need to avoid normal leather cleaning products such as solvents, soaps, and detergents.

Here are our Long Island Maids tips for cleaning and treating your leather furniture.

Protecting your leather furniture against weather and pet attacks

When not properly trained, your pets may see your leather furniture as a chewing toy and this is the reason you need a leather furniture protector, to protect leather couch from cats.

The leather furniture protector covers are simply the extra finishing applied as a top layer of the furniture. These furniture protectors allow pets and humans sit comfortably on the leather furniture without the usual worries of scratching, and chewing.

Leather seats inside the car can get hot quickly during the hot summer and extremely cold during the winter seasons.

Leather furniture indoors, on the other hand, will remain warm because they are natural and they breathe, you need to keep them away from direct sunlight that can wear the color out quickly.

The best leather conditioner is the one that works deep into spills, oils and even grease stains and lifts them out of the furniture, for easy removal.

Removing Stains

For the minor spills and spots:

1. Use a clean absorbent sponge or cloth and moisten lightly with some lukewarm water;
2. clean the entire region where the spot or soil covers;
3. and then allow natural air to dry it out.

Make sure to never use the traditional soap or soak the spot with water as doing so may cause more damage than the stain. Instead, make use of leather stain remover.

For oil and grease stains:

1. Simply wipe off the excess stain with a clean and dry cloth;
2. apply a leather upholstery cleaner that contains anti-grease;
3. leave the spot to dry out after a brief period of time.

When treating leather couches after they are soiled, avoid cleaning solvents such as:

– oils

– polish for furniture

– abrasive cleaners

– varnish

– ammonia water

– detergent soaps

If it is a spot your cats and dogs like to play, then you need to apply leather sofa protector once cleaning is completed and prevent the animals from reach the spot until it dries up. Just in case the stain remains after the entire cleaning process, you should seek advice from a leather specialist to avoid any potential damage to the delicate leather.

For treating leather furniture that is scratched on the surface:

Expert furniture cleaners recommend the use of a chamois or clean fingers to buff the scratch gently and if necessary, you may moisten the scratched surface lightly just to work out the scratch.

You need to keep in mind that the leather is a natural product that requires some regular maintenance and care, in order to retain its beauty and resistance.

Conditioning your couch naturally

If you are looking for how to condition leather couch naturally, you must be prepared to do away with any commercial leather couch cleaner in the first place and in their place, you must get a vacuum.

The vacuum is an ideal leather furniture cleaner that can help you get rid of stains and particles in no time!

To condition your couch:

• Make sure you remove all the cushions from the couch, and then vacuum underneath and take note of all crevices if you want to eliminate dust, debris, and dirt.
• Secondly, you can make use of a mix of Vinegar and lemon as your leather upholstery cleaner. This mix is particularly good to wash leather that is quite thick and resilient.

To create this natural cleaner:

1. Simply add 1 part of vinegar with 2 drops of lemon in a small bowl (do not use any grease or oil)

2. Then dab a clean soft cloth into the mix and wipe the spot in a circular motion. Make sure you rob the solution into the leather thoroughly

3. Let it sit in for about 10 minutes.

4. Once the cleaning is done, simply buff the surface with another piece of clean cloth to return the shine of the leather surface.

A mix of lemon juice with cream of tartar is another natural leather sofa cleaner you should consider.

Be careful with this natural mix because it has a bleaching effect, hence it must be used on the most stubborn stains on leather.

This natural cleaner will remove dark stains easily from light colored leather.

To create this natural solution:

1. Simply mix equal amounts of the two components

2. Then mix the combination to create a paste before rubbing it on the stain

3. Let the paste stay on the sofa for about 10 minutes before applying another layer of the paste

4. Work the paste in with a cloth or soft brush

5. Then remove it with the aid of a damp sponge.

You can apply a recommended leather polish on the treated surface or entire surface of the leather couch.

Conventional stain removers must be used with caution because some are made with synthetic components that can weaken the strength of the leather, however, natural conditioners are long lasting and don’t weaken the leather!