It’s devastating when you buy brand-new Air Max trainers and they get mucked up within the first week.

But unless you’re going to keep your Air Max in the box they came in 24/7 (which we think would be a travesty, by the way), you’ll want to learn how to clean them.

Cleaning your Air Max is an easy task to learn, and if you’re a parent reading this, it’s something you can teach your kids how to do too. After all, you know that Air Max won’t stay white for long if they’re on your children’s feet! And it’s good for them to have the responsibility of keeping them clean. 

We all know that it’s much better for the environment and your pocket if you clean your Air Max trainers, rather than buying a new pair. But why do so many people resist? Well, mainly because it’s a bit of a hassle, and there’s not an easy way to do it. Plus, the last thing you want to do is damage them by giving them a good scrub!

That’s why we’ve put together this useful blog post, which tells you, step-by-step, how to clean your Air Max quickly and simply without causing any damage.

Firstly, we’ll give you our easy-to-follow five-step process, and then we’ll go through some tips and tricks for getting your Air Max trainers clean depending on the fabric. Let’s get stuck in.

So your Air Max trainers have taken a bit of a beating and they’re caked in dirt. The first place you head to is the washing machine, right?

Nope.

It’s much safer for your trainers – and your washing machine – if you hand wash them. Putting your Air Max in the washing machine could damage the glue in them, eventually causing them to fall apart (which would be a bit embarrassing if you’ve popped out to the shops).

We get it. Washing machines were invented to save us time and hassle. But hand-cleaning your trainers properly only takes 15 minutes. Spending some of that time now will keep your trainers lasting longer.

Plus, the price of electricity right now is enough to put anyone off running their washing machine unnecessarily!

So if the laundry machine is a no-go, how do you clean your Air Max? Simple. Just follow our step-by-step process below…

To get into every nook and cranny to clean your Air Max trainers, you’ll need to remove the shoelaces. Simply soak the laces in warm water with a cleaning solution or even washing liquid.

You’ll want to remove any insoles too to give them a clean while you’re at it. You can clean your insoles in the same way we recommend you clean your Air Max below.

You’ll want to use a dry brush and buff the Air Max to remove any loose dirt. Ideally, you’d use a dry brush or shoe brush for this, but you can also use a toothbrush (it might just take a bit longer!).

You’ll need a cloth, warm water, and a shoe cleaning solution. If you don’t have a shoe cleaning solution, you can use water mixed with a small amount of baking soda or washing powder.

Next, you’ll want to gently rub the Air Max in a circular motion to remove any stains or dirt. Do this carefully throughout.

This process may differ depending on the fabric of your trainer, but you can see our tips below for different fabrics to help you!

Step back from the tumble dryer!

Don’t use a tumble dryer or even a radiator to dry your trainers. This can cause them damage. Try to air dry them naturally outside (yes, if you live somewhere it seems to rain 24/7, this might not be possible!), otherwise leave them to air dry naturally inside. Use a towel to pat them dry, too.

We’re sure your feet smell sweet, but understandably, our Air Max need a little freshening up every now and then.

You can use a spray to refresh your shoes and make them smell nice again. Take your Air Max outside, give them a spray and leave them for 10 minutes. That’s it. (And, yes, it even works on teens’ trainers too.)

Or you can use something like our deodoriser sacks. Just place them in your Air Max to prevent bad smells, mould, and bacteria!

One of the big appeals of the Air Max range is the different styles, colors, and materials the shoes are available in. So when it comes to cleaning them, you do need to be mindful about what fabric your trainers are made of and how to get the best results. Depending on the fabric, you may need to do slightly different things to make your Air Max clean and prevent damaging them in the process.

But don’t worry because, below, we’ll walk you through exactly how to do this.

While leather is generally a good, durable material, it can get dirty quite easily and develop stains that might be tricky to get out. Despite its durability, it can be quite sensitive, so you need to be fairly careful with it to make sure you don't damage your shoe.

Try not to get your Air Max too wet if they are all leather, as this might affect the shoe's shape. Using a damp cloth (but not too wet) or a soft brush, and rubbing in a circular motion, should do the job in most cases

If the stains are a bit more stubborn, you could even add a little bit of toothpaste to the stained area and rub with a cloth.

If your Air Max shoes are mostly suede, you need to be a bit more careful with how you clean them. In most cases, you would want to avoid getting suede wet, as it can stain and affect the feel of the material. However, if your shoes really are trashed and no amount of 'gentle persuasion' is restoring them, using water and a gentle cleaning solution might be your only option.

Whether you decide to use water or not, the first step is to use a dry shoe brush to try and remove as much of the mud and dirt from the shoe as possible. If there are any scuff marks, you can try using a suede rubber, or even a normal pencil eraser to gently rub them away.

If the dirt or stains are particularly stubborn, you can use a soft cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol or white vinegar to clean the affected area, using a gentle rubbing motion.

If this still doesn't cut it and you decide to use water to clean up your shoes, once they're dry, you might notice that the suede has become a bit 'crunchy', as the fibers become stiff and brittle when they get wet. You can use a special suede brush to try and soften the material up again, but if that doesn't work, you can try using Mink Oil or a suitable suede conditioner to get back that lovely soft feel.

If your shoes are mostly synthetic, whether that's synthetic leather or other man-made materials like mesh, rubber etc., these tend to be fairly hardy and you should be able to easily clean them in a similar way to natural leather, with a brush, soft cloth, and warm water mixed with a few drops of mild detergent, like dish soap.

With synthetic leather, the coating can eventually wear away, so you want to try and avoid using anything too abrasive or being 'heavy-handed' when you're cleaning them, as this could shorten the life of your shoes. A softer touch will help keep your shoes looking good for longer, and a soft bristled brush should do the job and avoid damaging the material.

So those are the slightly different techniques you want to employ, depending on what materials your Air Max are made from.

Alternatively, you could use a professional brush like Boot Buddy, which comes with three detachable brush heads, one of which is perfect for cleaning Air Max sneakers. In fact, Boot Buddy cleans every type of shoe without damaging them, including Air Max 90s and 95s!

Don’t fancy rustling up your own shoe cleaning solution? (We don’t blame you. It takes us 30 minutes just to find the bicarbonate.) Obviously, the next thing to do then would be to buy a shoe cleaning kit, wouldn’t it?

And you’d be right. A shoe cleaning kit does the job of, well, cleaning shoes!

We would recommend you look for foam cleaners. Foam cleaners work well because they prevent your Air Max (or boots and shoes) from getting too wet. Getting your trainers too wet changes their shape and can cause damage.

A foam shoe cleaner works better because it doesn’t make your Air Max too damp, and they’re much easier to dry too!

If you’re taking your Air Max on holiday, to the beach, camping or to festivals, you might also want to take some kind of shoe cleaning kit with you. After all, you don’t want your trainers looking dirty on the first day and then having to wear them all week!

It’s a good idea to look for travel shoe cleaning kits, like Boot Buddy, which are easy to carry.

Not to brag or anything, but we’re pretty proud of the fact that not one, not two, but three dragons from Dragons’ Den said yes to Boot Buddy. We absolutely love keeping your trainers clean and long-lasting and helping the environment in the process. If you do too, check out the Boot Buddy range for keeping your Nike Air Max shoes clean below.