Sneakers can often be the staple item in your wardrobe, whether it’s a reliable pair of comfy trainers or the latest Air Jordans. With our sneakers being so important to us, it’s important for the fashion-conscious that we preserve them as much as possible and keep them from getting dirty or damaged – particularly if they’re unique or limited edition.

With this in mind, here are 6 top tips from eBay on how to preserve and protect your shoes.

1. Hand-wash your sneakers
Most sneakers can be hand-washed with cleaners that are most likely around your house.
The way to do this is very simple: just add a small amount of laundry detergent or dish soap to a bowl of water, then use a brush to rub the solution on the sneaker and gently start scrubbing the parts you want to be cleaned.

However, this isn’t a suitable solution for every type of shoe. For example, avoid using this method on suede shoes, as the material is porous and can be damaged as the soap sinks in. The first step is always to look at your shoe’s labels to check if certain substances should not be used.

2. Never use your toothbrush to clean your shoes
When cleaning shoes, many might think a toothbrush can get a cleaner finish, but in actual fact, this can be very harmful to the material, particularly on anything soft and easily scratched. Instead, we advise that you invest in specific tools for the job – often inexpensive and easy to use.

There are three main tools that’ll help you get a good finish on your trainers: a hard brush for leather, a soft brush for suede or canvas, and a microfibre cloth to get a clean wipe at the end.

Because leather is a bit tougher, it can generally take a hard brush that’ll clear out dirt from all the cracks and set it up for a good polish when you’re done.

Suede and canvas, on the other hand, are easily damaged if you press too hard, and it’s important to be careful – so a softer brush gets the job done without as much risk to the material.

Fabio Fabregas, a sneaker collector, suggests gently using a wet handkerchief to clean suede sneakers.

“A microfibre cloth is great for both, though we recommend getting a separate cloth for each type of shoe so you don’t accidentally spread leftover polish from leather to canvas where it might be tough to remove.'”

3. Avoid putting your white sneakers in the washing machine
In pursuit of that perfect white finish, people often put their trainers in the washing machine. While it might work for older shoes that have taken a heavy beating and where you just want a bit of cleanliness, in many cases it might actually damage the materials.

It’s a much better idea to hand-wash your shoes if you can. If you really need to put them into the washing machine, make sure you put them in a machine-washable bag to protect the materials from getting knocked about or torn.

4. You don’t need to buy new laces, clean your current ones
If you have white or light-coloured laces, you’re probably aware of how tough they are to keep clean.

To get that bright colour back into them, you can either put them in the washing machine inside a lingerie bag to protect them, or for a more delicate solution, you can hand-wash them by letting them sit in a bowl of hot water, baking soda, and dishwasher liquid for about five minutes. Then you can use a small brush to scrub them carefully and remove any dirt or marks.

5. Be conscious of how you store your sneakers
It’s one thing to clean your sneakers, but you also need to make sure you protect them when they’re not in use. The easiest way to damage your shoes is to just leave them anywhere in your house.

To protect them from gathering dust, sunlight damage, or general wear and tear, it can be a good idea to keep them in a decent space like the box they came in. This will prevent them from getting knocked about or stained by anything around the house.

Johnny, a professional sneaker photographer, adds: “Keep your sneaker collection in a space that is not susceptible to high humidity, as it may affect the soles of sneakers over a long period of time. Some people in countries where humidity is an issue, shrink wrap or dehumidify their rooms to counter this”

6. Be cautious but not immoderate
Cleaning your shoes is a very important step to preserving your shoes, but doing it every day will have the opposite effect, in that being overzealous will actually cause damage!

Aim to clean your shoes lightly when you find they’ve been dirtied – such as by gently wiping off marks or shaking off dirt – and save bigger cleans for when they actually need it, or once every so often. That way you’ll protect the material and keep your trainers in good condition.

That said, it’s important to keep on top of any messes. Jason Angsuvarn, the founder of Jason Markk, advises “tending to stains as quickly as possible by blotting them with a microfibre towel dampened with cold water and using a soft brush to remove the top layer of dust and dirt, then using a microfibre towel to dab it clean and leaving it to air dry.”

If you follow the tips above, your shoes will stay clean and of good quality for longer – so you can continue to wear them throughout the year.