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How much do you love your shoes? Taking care of your shoes is part of owning a good-looking pair. While it may come as a surprise, you should wash your shoes every two weeks to keep them looking like new. Washing is only part of the up keeping process. Experts recommend spot-cleaning your shoes whenever visible marks appear, conducting occasional deep cleaning to prevent yellowing, and polishing to preserve the shine. All of these should be done according to the material your shoes are made of.
The variety of shoe cleaner products is vast and varied, which makes it difficult to know which product you should use. To help, we’ve compiled a list of the highest-ranking shoe cleaners of 2024. You’ll also find a helpful buyer's guide below for a worry-free shopping experience.
Comparing the Finest Shoe Cleaner of 2024
Gold Standard Shoe Cleaner Kit Limited Edition — Best Overall
The Gold Standard Shoe Cleaner Kit Limited Edition is the perfect all-inclusive shoe cleaning kit for all your footwear needs. The kit features 6 sneaker wipes, a brush, a shoe protector spray, a sneaker cleaning solution, and a microfiber towel, keeping your shoes in amazing condition and extending their lifetime. The water-resistant spray makes water bead up and roll off your shoes while the cleaning solution offers a powerful clean on a host of different shoe materials, such as suede, mesh, nylon, canvas, leather, or nubuck. This kit is perfect for traveling and is giftable for birthdays, holidays, or even just because.
Pros
- Versatile across different materials
- Water-resistant spray fights moisture
- Powerful cleansing action
Cons
- Small bottle sizes
Pink Miracle Shoe Cleaner — Classic Brand
Pink Miracle Shoe Cleaner has been a weapon for both home and professional shoe cleaning services for years. The pink concentrate inside this bottle contains saddle soap, soothing oils, and conditioners. It works on all sorts of materials including canvas, suede, washable leather, vinyl, cloth, and nubuck. A small quantity of the concentrated solution goes a long way, and it’s completely non-toxic! The strong formula is tough on grime but extremely gentle on your shoes. While this shoe cleaner may be designed to address filth, it’s also suitable for anyone who wants to clean their shoes quickly and effectively. Plus, this shoe lather comes with a scrubbing brush for efficient stain removal.
Pros
- Quickly and efficiently cleans shoes
- Strong, non-toxic formula
- Works on most shoe materials
Cons
- May cause discoloration
Grandma's Secret Shoe Cleaner — Budget Friendly
Our next pick is a versatile shoe cleaning product that works on a variety of shoe materials, as well as on clothes and bags. The Grandma's Secret Sneaker Cleaner comes as a small spray bottle that makes it easy to apply. The formula is free of abrasives and harsh chemicals allowing it to tackle stains and stubborn dirt without ruining the material or color of your shoes. You can use it to clean boots, sporting shoes, clogs, ballet shoes, and sandals. This amazing sneaker cleaner is equally effective on white shoes, too. As an added bonus, this shoe cleaner can remove grease, grass stains, grime, and dirt with little to no effort.
Pros
- Simple and easy to apply
- Features a non-abrasive formula
- Comes in a portable bottle
Cons
- Scrubbing brush is sold separately
Angelus Shoe Cleaner — Best for Sneakers
While Angelus may be known for making amazing paints, its shoe cleaner is also an equally amazing and popular product. The Angelus Shoe Cleaner not only works on a huge variety of materials, it also does a quick job of cleaning them. The cleaner is formulated using non-toxic ingredients so there is no risk in using it. This shoe cleanser is strong enough to be used on Gore-Tex, leather, rubber, suede, vinyl and canvas. You can use it to clean the sidewalls and soles, too. This shoe cleaner also does a great job of cleaning your other belongings such as jackets, purses, and wallets.
Pros
- Restores old shoes to like-new appearance
- Tackles a variety of stains
- Comes at an affordable price
Cons
- Directions for use are very specific
Jason Markk Shoe Cleaner — Best Shoe Cleaner Kit
Jason Markk is the world's most trusted shoe care brand and the Jason Markk Shoe Cleaning Kit contains a premium cleaner that is natural, biodegradable, and safe on all colors and materials. This shoe cleaner kit comes with two scrubbing brushes for different shoe materials, a quick wipe for hard-to-remove stains, a premium microfiber towel for buffing and a repel spray for creating a waterproof barrier. You can use this kit to clean sturdy materials like canvas, cloth, and mesh as well as delicate materials like suede, nubuck, and leather. With this high-quality, gentle shoe cleaner, you’ll be able to remove the toughest grime from your favorite pair of shoes.
Pros
- Comes as a complete kit
- Simple and easy to use
- Has a lasting effect
Cons
- Small quantity for the price
Crep Protect Shoe Cleaner — Travel-Friendly Option
A reliable name in the shoe cleaner market, the Crep Protect Shoe Cleaner is designed for sneakerheads who travel a lot. This shoe cleaner kit contains a cleaning solution, scrubbing brush, and a microfiber cloth all neatly packed inside a compact, zip-up case. The cleaning solution is 98% natural and contains coconut extracts and jojoba. The brush has over 17,000 hog hair bristles that are soft and short enough to give you satisfactory cleaning results. Plus, the ultra-soft microfiber cloth is highly absorbent so you can trust it when cleaning delicate materials.
Pros
- Reliable brand that can be trusted
- Made from natural ingredients
- Suitable for delicate materials
Cons
- More expensive than other options
Buying Guide: Shoe Cleaner
The shoe cleaner market is huge. If you don’t know what to look for, you might feel overwhelmed, or you might purchase random shoe cleaning products that do little to nothing for your footwear. To make sure this doesn’t happen to you, we’ve put together the following buying guide, which identifies what to look for in a shoe cleaner. Let’s take a look!
What Are the Different Types of Shoe Cleaners?
Below, we go over the types of shoe cleaning products. From creamy formulas to liquids and instant cleaning wipes, here's what you should know about the different kinds of shoe cleaners.
Shoe cream
Shoe creams are thick formulas that are rich in pigments and contain a small amount of wax. They are shoe shiners that add color to help your shoes retain their original finish and shine. Shoe creams can mask scratches and even out faded color. While you can’t polish it into high shine, sheo creams leave behind an attractive matte finish. Using a shoe cream is a great way to enhance the color of your leather shoes.
Shoe polish
Shoe polish gives your shoes a shiny, polished look. The main ingredient in shoe polishes is wax, which you first layer on the outer surface of your shoe and then buff to high shine for a spotless finish. The end result is the sort of finish that you’d expect to see from the old shoe-shine stands. Shoe polish can help your shoes retain a like-new appearance
Shoe cleaner solutions
While creams and polishes are useful for leather shoes, shoe cleaner solutions are targeted towards more casual footwear like sneakers. These are foaming liquids rich in cleaning agents that assist in removing dirt and grime buildup on your shoes. If you don't like the ones available on the market, you can create a shoe cleaning solution at home with a few simple ingredients that are readily available in your pantry.
Shoe cleaning wipes
This cleaning product is a smart way of cleaning your shoes every day. Just like baby wipes, shoe cleaning wipes are soaked in cleaning agents that help remove dirt. These tend to be single-use products that you can discard once you’re done wiping your shoes. These wipes work amazingly well on leather boots, sneakers, suede footwear, and canvas shoes.
What To Consider When Choosing a Shoe Cleaner
Here’s what you should consider when looking for a quality shoe cleaner:
Ingredients
Being cleaning products, many shoe cleaners include quite a few toxic chemicals that can cause allergies or other harmful effects if ingested. You don't want to be using such a risky product on your shoes, so it's important to check the list of ingredients before buying a shoe cleaner. Look for an option that’s made using natural ingredients, which are gentle not just on your hands, but also on your shoes.
Application
Nobody wants to spend hours cleaning their shoes, so it's important to find a fast-acting cleaner. That said, you should also pay close attention to the instructions and how easy the product is to apply. Spray-on cleaners are the easiest to apply and wipes are also very easy to use. We recommend carefully considering the type of shoes you want to clean before settling on any specific shoe cleaner product.
Quantity
The amount of product inside the container is another important factor that you should carefully consider before finalizing your purchase. If you want to clean a lot of shoes, you’ll want a large quantity of the cleaner to clean them all at once. The quantity of the product depends on the number of shoes you have and on how frequently you clean them.
Versatility
Shoes come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. There are leather shoes, suede shoes, and a huge variety of sneakers made out of the canvas, mesh, and nubuck. While you could buy dedicated cleaners for each pair, we recommend investing in a versatile shoe cleaner that can work on a variety of shoes regardless of the material, size, or shape.
A shoe cleaner may do an excellent job of cleaning your shoes, but its value increases if you can also use it to clean other things like clothes and bags.
Accessories
Some shoe cleaners are sold individually and others are sold as a part of a shoe cleaning kit. Depending on the type of shoes you’re purchasing it for, choose a shoe cleaning kit that comes with a bristle brush, conditioner, shoe protector, and other similar accessories for well-rounded shoe maintenance.
