One of the most overlooked parts of building the perfect wardrobe is knowing how to take care of your clothes/sneakers, giving them longevity. There are many ways to do this, from wearing the right clothes during the right weather conditions, to how you store your garments.
The time spent on these small habits will work towards extending the lifetime of your wardrobe. When it comes to sneakers, you have to take extra care. Unlike clothes, footwear is directly exposed to terrain from mud, to puddles to sharp corners causing stains, scuffs and general wear and tear. A lapse in care will slowly ruin the appearance, forcing you to throw them out and get a new pair, starting the cycle again.
If you want to avoid this fate, here are some of my favourite tips to care for your sneakers:
WALK WITHOUT BENDING YOUR FEET
Whenever you bend your feet, you create creases in your sneakers. The more repetitive your bending becomes, the deeper the crease becomes. While wrinkles are inevitable, you can slow down the process by being more conscious of how you walk, run and rest your feet when idle.
I have a bad habit of bending my foot when I sit at my desk. Please don’t follow my bad example and instead, plant your flat feet on the floor.
AVOID THE RAIN
Wearing sneakers in the rain is one of the most damaging ways to ruin your footwear. Get in the habit of checking your favourite weather app so you can accurately match your shoe to the weather condition. If it is raining, maybe leave your sneakers and switch to a waterproof alternative.Â
USE A SHOE HORN
No one wants the back of their shoe to collapse from laziness. Invest in a shoehorn and get in the habit of using it every time you wear your shoes.
MAINTAIN THE SHAPE
One habit that I find challenging to keep up is maintaining the shape of my footwear. If you have money to burn, buy a shoe tree, which will help maintain your shoes’ shape. A crafty alternative is to use newspaper as stuffing.
CLEAN YOUR SNEAKERS EVERYDAY
After a full day of wearing my sneakers, I give it a once-over with a damp cloth or wipe before I store them away for the next outing. This can work with most shoes, especially styles that have a white sole. If you leave it too long before giving it a clean, you might find the dirt harder to remove like an annoying friend.
What are your tips to care for white sneakers?