Today’s QT comes from RBR contributor Sheri Rosenbaum, who happened upon a great way to clean up her white road shoes. Here’s what Sheri says:
I have a pair of Nalini Snake white road shoes, pictured. As with any white apparel, it’s hard to keep them looking clean.
I asked my local bike shop for suggestions, and they recommended I use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser on the synthetic leather and a mixture of Oxi Clean and water on the mesh microfiber.
The Mr Clean Eraser worked like a charm, but the Oxi Clean/Water combo didn’t cut through the dirt/oil on the microfiber.
So I decided to contact Nalini via the company website. Their rep contacted me within 24 hours. He had the same Mr Clean Eraser recommendation for the synthetic leather, but for the microfiber he suggested making a mixture of detergent (didn’t specify a brand), white vinegar and water.
Take the mixture and dab it on the microfiber material and rinse. Repeat until the dirt is gone. With such an easy way to keep white road shoes looking good, I won’t hesitate to buy another pair. To me, they’re a nice change from basic black.
If you have an idea for a QT, fire away. We’re always looking for good info we can share with fellow roadies. We would love to hear from you with any suggestions you have. Contact us by clicking Quick Tips Ideas.
—John Marsh & The RBR Team
Any formula for the mixture? What quantity of each liquid do you add? Thanks – luv my white Mavic shoes but they need a good cleaning!!
Tony, they did not provide a formula. I winged it. Just mixing about a tablespoon of Oxi Clean with a cup of warm water and 1/8 cup of white vinegar. You don’t want to use too much detergent or vinegar because there isn’t a real good way to rinse the shoe without soaking it. So I stayed conservative and remember to dab. With my shoes, the microfiber wasn’t as dirty as the synthetic leather so I needed more of the Magic Eraser than the detergent mixture.
Thanks!
By the way, regarding vinegar, my wife and I keep a big bottle on hand to use when washing our workout clothes (she’s an avid runner, sometimes cyclist). We pour in about a quarter to half a cup with each load, along with the regular detergent “bullet,” and it really helps knock out the stink. It’s a super-cheap solution.
Absolutely John. Vinegar is also great for removing the odor from your cycling gloves. Use one cup per load to wash your gloves. It will remove the smell.
I’ve been washing cycling shoes in the regular wash ever since synthetic leather uppers replaced real leather. As long as the closures are closed, it works fine and leaves the shoes looking good. Baby wipes are a good way to spruce up your shoes in the short term.
A pair of black shoes might not need so much attention.
Soak your stinky helmet in a bucket containing one cup white vinegar per gallon of water for several hours and then hand-rinse.
Many years ago the PineSol bottle would have the tip of adding to a wash load as a freshener and whitener. I’ve done this for decades putting one-fourth cup in the washer’s bleach cup with most washes. Works great (other than these pine cones growing from my axilla!)