So, you own a pair of Nike Air Force 1, and you clearly want to keep them looking smooth and clean. After all, isn’t that what we all want to do and experience with our sneakers?
But cleaning shoes can be a bit of an art form. You hear various stories as to the best methods available for getting those shoes looking brand new, but do the different methods work?
In this instance, we are going to focus on just one method in order to answer a pretty common question. Can you wash Nike Air Force 1 in the washing machine?
The Answer
Here’s our quick answer. Yes, you can wash Nike Air Force 1 in the washing machine. In fact, it’s pretty easy to do, and the cool part is that it will also prove to be a rather effective way of getting your sneakers looking substantially better than they probably do right now.
However, when you are trying to clean your sneakers, there are a few additional points to think about before you go ahead and just throw your shoes into the washing machine.
The Best Way to Wash Them in a Washing Machine
When it comes to washing your Nike Air Force 1 in the washing machine, never just throw them in there and switch it on. Instead, you need to protect your shoes from potentially being damaged.
Now, the chances of them being damaged are very low, but it just makes sense to care for your sneakers as much as possible.
The first thing you need to do is to remove the laces. You can wash them all on their own, and do so by hand, but we would strongly recommend avoiding putting the laces in the washing machine with the rest of your shoes.
The second thing you need to do is to put your Nike Air Force 1 shoes in a laundry bag to go in the washing machine. If you don’t have a laundry bag, then a pillow case is going to work just as well, and everyone has a spare pillow case lying around somewhere.
A Gentle Wash is Perfect
Avoid putting the washing machine on a harsh wash. You want it to treat your shoes as if it’s washing gentle and delicate garments. However, you do still need to add all the usual detergent and stuff, so in that respect, your shoes are being treated the same as any other type of clothing.
Avoid the Dryer
This is an important point. Never put your shoes through the dryer part of the washing machine. That heat is going to ruin your shoes in an instant, and there’s going to be no going back.
Instead, you should only ever air dry your shoes. This will take some time for them to dry, but the spinning process, which is part of the wash cycle, is going to remove some of the water from the shoes, and that will certainly help.
The Laces
Remember how we told you to remove the laces and not to put them through the washing machine? You should wash them by hand, and give them a good scrub. Then, let them air dry as well, since this should result in things looking pretty pristine.
What About Stains?
But you may be sitting there wondering how you deal with stains. Let’s face it, anything can happen that leads to marks appearing on your shoes, and you don’t want to go through the washing process, only to be left with those marks.
Of course, you should try to remove the stains as best you can before the actual washing part. That will make a difference with how the washing machine will then break down the stain, and you improve your chances of things being removed.
Perhaps the main concern people have about their sneakers is yellowing. That yellowing will completely change the appearance of your shoes, and the washing machine will not always get those marks out.
In that instance, you should try the following.
A Mix for Yellowing
Mix some baking soda, vinegar, and water. This can break down the yellowing, and it can be used on both leather and fabric areas without it damaging the actual material in question. The only material that you cannot use this on is suede, so be careful.
What you want to do is to use this mixture on the yellowing parts, and give it a scrub. Then, rinse off the mixture before you add it to your washing machine. That’s going to hopefully make a difference when it comes to that yellowing. However, there’s no guarantee.
Also, when scrubbing, don’t be too hard with the action. You want to really move in a circular motion, but not too much elbow grease will be required to get the kind of end result you are hoping for.
It’s worth keeping in mind that you should tackle any yellowing issues as soon as you see it happening. The yellowing is due to oxidation, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. This is just simply a fact. Bleach and sneaker cleaning fluid will also make a difference, but if you want to avoid using so many toxic chemicals, then the method mentioned above will certainly be safer.
Overall Conclusion
Ultimately, you can indeed wash Nike Air Force 1 in the washing machine, but it’s not as simple as just throwing them in on a standard wash cycle.
Instead, you need to remove those laces, add them to a laundry bag or pillow case, and never dry them in the machine. Failing to do those steps could lead to your shoes being damaged as a result, and nobody wants that to happen to their shoes.
Also, deal with stains or dirt on your shoes before adding them to the washing machine. That will increase the chances of your shoes coming out of the washing machine looking brand new, rather than you being disappointed with the end result.
Do this on a semi-regular basis, and your shoes will continue to look amazing for longer.