Taking care of your fabric shoes can help them last much longer and look new. Properly cleaning them requires a careful approach, especially if they are lined with leather. So here’s how to clean your fabric shoes without messing up their integrity.

Materials Needed

To start, gather the following items:

• Your fabric shoes (best for flat styles; avoid velvet or brocade)
• Lukewarm water
• A soft toothbrush
• Delicate liquid laundry detergent (fragrance-free options like Earthwise are suitable)
• Paper towels
• A bowl

Cleaning Process

1. Prepare the Cleaning Solution
   Pour lukewarm water into your bowl. Put a very small amount of laundry detergent on the toothbrush. After that, you swish the toothbrush in the water until the detergent is fully dissolved.

2. Dampen the Toothbrush
   Shake off most of the water from the toothbrush. The idea is to make sure that your shoes stay as dry as possible when you are cleaning. Hold the slightly damp toothbrush against the soiled areas on your shoes in simple parallel back and forth movements along the strand of fabric. This technique creates suds and aids in lifting dirt.

3. Focus on Heavily Soiled Areas
   Scrub over the whole surface of the shoe, focusing on the tougher-to-reach areas. While it’s all right to occasionally wet your cleaning solution down again and re-soak the shoes, they aren’t what you’re looking for.

4. Rinse the Shoes
   Rinse the bowl and the toothbrush again, thoroughly, then add clean non-soapy water to the bowl. Using a barely damp toothbrush, gently brush your shoes again to remove the last of the detergent. Make short, brisk strokes moving the shoe from back to front.

5. Ensure Cleanliness
   Rinse your toothbrush constantly to get rid of any detergent residue. By taking this step, you are helping to prevent residue from being left on your shoes.

6. Drying Your Shoes
   When you’re done brushing, pat and wipe the shoes with paper towels to soak up any extra moisture. Next, wrap some paper towels and put them inside the shoes so they keep their shape and absorb more moisture.

7. Final Drying
   If you must, place your shoes in a well ventilated area but away from direct sunlight or heat sources. Make sure they are completely dry before you wear them again.

Result

Depending on how dirty your shoes are, after the cleaning process you’ll notice just how nice they look. This helps to ensure that they not only look cleaner, but that they look good too.

Regular cleaning (although you will have to wear them through it, at least they will last several wears) will help make a noticeable difference and contribute to keeping your fabric shoes in top condition. This method is an essential part of your shoe care routine.