As every parent will know, children's school shoes can take a battering from the moment they start a new term.
Whether they are pounding the playground or kicking a football, kids ' shoes can become dirty or damaged pretty quickly. Thankfully, there are ways to make their shoes last longer - and some involve using items you may already have in your home.
According to Sports Direct's latest study, the average child goes through three pairs of school shoes every year. To help parents keep their child’s shoes looking new, Sports Direct has partnered with Luke Goodyear, head of operations at shoe cleaning and restoration service, Shoe Lab, to provide some useful advice. His top tips are shared below.
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Invest in school shoe protector
Whether your child is wearing traditional school shoes or smart black trainers, most good quality shoes are commonly made of leather, canvas or suede, materials that can be subject to wear and tear if not protected properly. It’s incredibly important to make sure you’ve treated the material of the shoes before they’re exposed to any outdoor elements, such as gravel, mud or grass.
Luke said: "For school shoes, we’d recommend investing in a shoe protector which should be applied before their first wear and repeated every six weeks. But, always make sure the shoes are clean before applying a protector. Investing in a leather or suede protector will save you money in the long run, as the price of new school shoes far outweighs the cost of the protector. Plus, it’s not too late to start using this if you haven’t before, just make sure to clean the surface of the shoe before you begin."
Use your child’s rubber to remove scuff marks
"It's not uncommon for children’s school shoes to become scuffed or scratched after days of running and playing during each school day. These might appear to be the most difficult part of the shoe to repair but there’s plenty of easy ways that only require our cupboard essentials.
"For small scuff marks, particularly on suede or leather and black school shoes, we’d recommend borrowing your child’s rubber from their pencil case. Using small circular movements, gently apply the rubber to the affected area to polish any scuff marks, rubbing away any debris with a clean cloth once completed.
"For areas that have seen more damage, grab your baking soda from the kitchen and mix 1-2 tablespoons with enough warm water to create a paste consistency. Once the paste is ready, apply to a cloth and gently rub over the affected area. Once you’re happy with the surface, use a damp cloth to go over the area and remove any excess paste.”
Use a small brush to target tough dirt stains
"Before starting on the smaller details, make sure that you’ve wiped over the shoe with a mild disinfectant and a damp cloth. For mud and grit stains, take a shoe brush or an old toothbrush and begin to gently sweep away any dirt, starting at the sole of the shoe. Often, there’s small stones stuck within the grooves, so don’t be afraid to apply more pressure here.
"Using small circular motions, move onto the front of the shoe to lift any remaining grease or grit, making sure to have a damp cloth to hand to wipe away any of the excess."
Freshen up the inside of the shoe using mild soap and water
“A lot of people tend to focus on the overall appearance of school shoes and forget to clean the inside, which is crazy when you think about the fact that they’re being worn for at least 6 hours per day, 5 days a week.
"Since children do a lot of running and walking in their school shoes, it can cause their feet to sweat and in turn, cause the shoes to lose their freshness. One way to tackle this is to apply a mild soap, such as washing up liquid, to a damp cloth and work it into the inner shoe. It’s important not to saturate the shoe when doing this, so make sure to ring out the cloth fully before starting and air dry the shoes for at least 24 hours before re-wearing."
Put the laces in with your next laundry load
"One very simple tip, if the shoes have laces, is to fully remove them from both shoes, soak the laces in warm soapy water for a few minutes, then squeeze the dirt and muck out. Once this is done, put them in the washing machine with your next load. Not only will this deep clean the parts of the laces that you once couldn't’ access, it’ll give the shoes a moment to breathe."
Use your tweezers to remove dirt from Velcro
"Many school shoes have Velcro fastenings because they’re child-friendly and easy to use, but the deliberately sticky material can be tricky to keep clean. After a long week at school, Velcro fastenings can become gathered with dust, hair, string, grass and other fiddly items.
"One way to remove these is to grab your tweezers and pick out the obvious pieces of dirt, before using a comb or old toothbrush to remove any further dust or debris. Alternatively use a small wire brush to rub dirt away from Velcro."
A full guide to check if your child's school shoes still fit is available here.
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