The most frequent question you will ask yourself when shopping for a new cleaning agent is whether or not it works. Will this remove all the stains you have on your footwear? Will this work for your design, in particular? How good is it in removing dirt/grease/marker/pen/food stains?

Now, let’s get the disappointing part out of the way first: there is no cleaning solution which is 100% effective. Even if a product has rave reviews, you might be among the few customers who end up dissatisfied with the final result. This can happen for a number of reasons: either there was a flaw in the product itself, the one which arrived at your doorstep, or the product is unsuitable for what you want it to do, or perhaps, you’re not applying it the right way.

In order to make sure that you’re getting the best formula possible, we ranked the items on our list according to their effectiveness. There are those which remove almost any stain that comes their way, such as the Bickmore and the Oakwood Liquid items and the Sneaker Suds Cleaner. And then there are others which are less effective, or perhaps more focused on removing a specific type of stain from a specific type of material.

Most products are meant to be used only on the uppers, which are easier to clean, but there is also one product, the Angelus Easy Cleaner, which is strong enough to get stains out of midsoles and outsoles as well!

Before you decide on a product, make sure to read over everything we have written about it, and to check out as many of the customer reviews as you can. All of this will clue you in on the effectiveness on the formula - for which materials it is best suited, which stains it is good at removing, and which still remain even after diligent cleaning.

The important thing here is to remember that if you don’t succeed in thoroughly cleaning your footwear with one product, it doesn’t mean that you should give up. Most of these items are easy on the budget, and you should have no problems turning towards a different brand and giving it a go. Sooner or later, you will definitely find an option that works for you, and you will finally be able to enjoy clean footwear whenever you want!

When we say materials here, we mean ‘ingredients’. As you have undoubtedly noticed in our guide, there are a lot of different ingredients which go into these products, each one of them with different pros and cons. We will talk more about them here, and outline what you should be looking for for each specific footwear style and material type.

• Natural Oils: For the purpose of this text, we refer to coconut and jojoba oils as natural oils, ones that are found in the Reshoevn8r Cleaner and the Ugg Accessories Cleaner. These are 100% natural ingredients which are safe for the environment and completely safe for your skin as well. Jojoba oil especially doesn’t go rancid, and you don’t have to worry about your footwear developing a bad odor or turning sticky.
  Additionally, if either coconut or jojoba oil accidentally rub off on clothing, you will have no problems taking them out.
  If you’re looking for something that is free of chemicals and has no harmful additives, then an all-natural product with these oils (such as the Reshoevn8r Cleaner), is a great choice.
• Lanolin: Lanolin comes from sheep, and it is also an entirely natural ingredient. It is used on leather goods to turn this material incredibly soft and supple. It has moisturizing properties, making the leather look smooth and shiny, and erasing any cracks or dry patches it might have.
  However, some people claim that lanolin makes the leather too soft. While this isn’t a problem in case of leather jackets or gloves, it might not be what you’re looking for in footwear. If you want your leather boots or shoes to be more rigid, perhaps avoid lanolin as an ingredient.
• Neatsfoot Oil: Neatsfoot oil is obtained from shin and foot bones from cattle. It is a conditioning ingredient, one which is used to keep leather products lubricated and soft, and to give them a shiny finish.
  The downside to neatsfoot oil is that it is acidic. It can ‘eat through’ stitches if applied in high concentration, consequently damaging your footwear. Moreover, it also tends to darken the leather, which makes it a poor choice if you wish to preserve the color of your designs.

While we listed specific ingredients we found in the description of each product, it is important to keep in mind that these are not the only compounds a cleaning formula is made of. In fact, in some cases - like the Angelus Easy Cleaner - no one but the manufacturer knows what goes into a product.

If a formula contains natural ingredients but doesn’t declare itself 100% natural - it most likely isn’t. If a product doesn’t have any natural ingredients, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is unsafe. Use your best judgement when making a choice, and don’t forget to consider other people’s experiences as well. Reviews are your friends.

It would be absolutely amazing if we had the money and the opportunity to simply drop off our footwear at the cleaner’s and pick it up the next day all shiny and squeaky clean! However, as that is not the case for most of us, we have to resort to doing the work ourselves.

Sometimes, this is an easy task which requires an insignificant amount of time and easy-to-get tools. Other times, it’s a little more difficult than that.

You will find all of the products on the list ranked by how easy they are to apply, by how easy it is to get the equipment you need - if any - and how long it takes for your footwear to dry afterward.

In that regard, we have to applaud the Oakwood Liquid product, because it doesn’t require even water! You simply wipe on the formula, scrub your shoe for a bit, wipe it off, and you’re done! There is no other product which is this easy to use, but there are those which come with neat brushes and towels that help you do your work more efficiently.

Like the Sneaker Suds Cleaner, for example, which comes as part of a kit. In it, you have a brush that helps scrub dirt off your designs, and a towel which is great for wetting your footwear and wiping them off later. It really saves a lot of time when we don’t have to look for additional tools ourselves, but already get everything packed and ready for us.

There is also the question of the form in which the product comes in. Most cleaners here are in liquid form, packaged in a regular bottle that you have to tip over to apply the liquid to the shoe or to a towel or a brush. In such cases, there is always a chance that you might spill some of the solution and get it in places where you don’t want it.

If you want to avoid this, then a solid, tin-can form is a better option. With them, you need to figure out how to scoop out the product, but there is definitely no risk of spilling anything, as the formula doesn’t flow.

Lastly, there is the factor of drying your footwear. This should be natural and never under the influence of a heater of any kind, which could potentially damage the materials of the upper. It doesn’t take longer than 8-12 hours for a design to dry, and if you feel like it needs one more round of cleaning, make sure that it is completely dry before you go through the process again.

In terms of durability, in this guide, we’re thinking of questions like: how long will this product last? These all seem like awfully small bottles and cans, how long will you be able to use it before you completely run out?

This is another very valid concern that anyone who really buys anything wonders. How long will I be able to use this for? Is it worth the price?

Fortunately, in case of practically all of the products here, the answer is - you will be able to use them for a very, very long time. The reason for this is that when you’re applying any of these formulas on your footwear, you should keep in mind the good old saying, a little goes a long way.

With just a drop and a slightest dab, you are able to clean a whole sleuth of shoes without any trouble. If you accidentally use more, some of the solutions threaten to foam more than they should, and you might have trouble wiping the excess off later. More product doesn’t equal a better wash, so pay attention to that.

Some of the items on our list, like the Jason Markk Premium Cleaner, measure their durability, or how long they last, in the number of sneakers they can effectively clean. While this isn’t a widespread way of expressing durability, it certainly is useful, seeing as you don’t clean your footwear every single day, and the measurement of time doesn’t apply. If a product can clean 100 to 200 sneakers from one bottle - it’s downright amazing!

An average would probably be around 60 to 70 sneakers, while anything below 50 would mean that the product isn’t up to par when it comes to this quality.

Something should also be said about the consistency of the product, which we also mentioned in our Ease of Use part. Solid forms tend to last longer than liquid forms, mostly because you use less of them in a single treatment than you use a liquid form, even if you try to apply as little of both as possible.

While none of these products are exactly expensive - though this is a matter of perspective, as some of the items here can be quite pricey for their product category - it is good to know that for your money you’re getting a cleaning solution that will last for a long time to come. It might even outlast some of your footwear, you never know!

We understand that the color of the product you’re using isn’t of much importance. However, what is important is the color of your footwear, and the ability of the cleaner to keep it preserved or, less preferably, change it.

It is no secret that any type of formula you apply to your design has a chance of altering its color. It could make it lighter, as though you’ve applied bleach, but it could also make it darker, like the way leather footwear usually becomes darker with conditioning. It is in fact, a rare occasion that a cleaner or a conditioning product doesn’t cause any type of discoloration. Even if the majority of customers claim that their footwear color remained intact, there will always be one or two unfortunate people who’ve had their shoes possibly even ruined.

If you’re not certain how the product will react with the material of the upper and you don’t want to risk damaging your footwear irreversibly, there is one thing you can do beforehand: take the smallest amount of product possible, and apply it to a place on your shoe which is hidden from view, say somewhere on the inside of the design.

‘Clean’ that tiny area as you would clean the whole upper, and then leave it to rest for a day or two. Come back to it and check out the results - if everything looks fine, you’re free to use your product on that particular design!

For minimal damage to your footwear, it would be best if you could do this for every new design and every new formula, so that you are certain you won’t accidentally destroy your favorite pair of sneakers or boots.