Care Guide

Cleaning & Care Guide

We get it - some love the look of dirty, worn-in canvas sneakers, others prefer to keep their shoes looking as fresh as possible for as long as possible. For those of you looking to renew your favourite pair, here’s how we recommend cleaning:

White Collective Canvas Sneakers being held above soapy water in a blue bucket.

1. Lukewarm Soapy Water

Using a gentle detergent (we recommend Ecostore in New Zealand & Australia), prepare a bucket or sink with lukewarm water, making sure to get it nice and foamy.

White Collective Canvas sneaker being scrubbed with soapy water.

2. Scrub Gently

Use a soft bristled brush or toothbrush to gently work the suds in to the stains, let sit for several minutes and then rinse thoroughly. Aim to only get the dirty parts of the sneaker wet, trying not to soak the entire surface.

For the rubber soles and sidewall a more aggressive detergent or acetone can be used sparingly to remove difficult stains.

3. Don't Forget Your Laces

Remove them from the sneakers and give them a good swish about in the water. Squeeze any excess liquid out before laying out to dry.

White Collective Canvas sneaker wrapped in damp paper towel.

4. Drying

Now for the slightly unique part - to prevent any stains from appearing while the canvas is drying (particularly on light coloured pairs), we recommend wrapping the damp sneakers in paper towels or toilet tissue and leaving to completely dry in a warm, dry space out of direct sunlight.

Once fully dry, peel away the tissue to reveal crisp, clean sneakers.