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Hey guys I have a question for suede sneakers... Do you store them in their original box against one another (as they come) or with the sole facing down?
Thanks
Thanks
How do you store your sneakers?
- Thread in 'Jordan Brand' Thread starter Started by johnandrew07,
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the shoes will age regardless of how you store them... it does help to keep the shoes in the OG box though...i left all my 11s in my closet which is very dark and left the door shut at all times but my cool greys and concords have yellowed... nothing too bad but still noticable... and some shoes that are older and i havent worn in a while have sole seperation....
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“Poly (ester) urethanes and poly (ether) urethanes, which are widely used for long-term applications, like sneakers, have been shown to degrade under hydrolytic conditions and in oxidative environment respectively. In addition, ESC of polyurethanes (environmental stress cracking) is also another important way of polyurethane degradation. Degradation can lead to significant changes in the polymer mechanical properties, surface chemistry, and structure, leading to malfunction.”
That’s right, the two things that make human life possible—water and air—are killing our shoes. Their role in degrading polyurethane can be attributed to the chemical processes of hydrolysis (in the presence of moisture) and oxidation (in the presence of oxygen). Simply put, the humidity in the air, and, yes, even the air itself, seeps into the PU and, slowly but surely, breaks it into itty-bitty sticky pieces. Both mechanisms—hydrolysis and oxidation—are accelerated in foam polyurethane. Both of these mechanisms are also accelerated at higher temperatures, and oxidation is further accelerated by light. Mold growth is another degradation mechanism. This is a fairly common phenomenon.
Water in the air, oxygen in the air, mold spores and gaseous pollution in the air, light, high temperatures, not to mention temperature fluctuations—it turns out Earth is an extremely hostile environment for foam PU which most of our Nike and Jordan's are made from.
Therefore, when Nike outsourced production to Vietnam, Indonesia and Southern China in the late 80's they did us wrong. They knew in advance that the higher temperatures and humidity conditions present in those countries would accelerate the degradation of the PU in the sneakers.
Knowing when a shoe was manufactured and how it was stored is only part of the equation that determines its longevity. The big unknown for collectors is the proprietary chemical formulations used in the manufacturing process. It turns out that adding polyester to the secret sauce (not unusual) speeds up the “degradation mechanism.”
Point taken. Which is one reason why the 1985 Air Jordan 1 “Breds” are coveted, the midsoles are made of rubber instead of polyurethane.
Tim Ray Blake, a Stanford chemist who studies biodegradable polymers, says the only scientific method to prolong the life of your sneakers is to place the shoes in an airtight steel vessel filled with argon. Yeah, science!
“The PU would not degrade because argon gas has an extremely low chemical reactivity,” This is an old trick scientists use when they want to prevent an important lab sample (or their tuna sandwiches) from being degraded by undesirable chemical reactions, which frequently happen to be oxidation and hydrolysis.
Now you have the scientific answer on how to prolong the life of your sneakers - airtight steel vessel filled with argon gas
Class dismissed
That’s right, the two things that make human life possible—water and air—are killing our shoes. Their role in degrading polyurethane can be attributed to the chemical processes of hydrolysis (in the presence of moisture) and oxidation (in the presence of oxygen). Simply put, the humidity in the air, and, yes, even the air itself, seeps into the PU and, slowly but surely, breaks it into itty-bitty sticky pieces. Both mechanisms—hydrolysis and oxidation—are accelerated in foam polyurethane. Both of these mechanisms are also accelerated at higher temperatures, and oxidation is further accelerated by light. Mold growth is another degradation mechanism. This is a fairly common phenomenon.
Water in the air, oxygen in the air, mold spores and gaseous pollution in the air, light, high temperatures, not to mention temperature fluctuations—it turns out Earth is an extremely hostile environment for foam PU which most of our Nike and Jordan's are made from.
Therefore, when Nike outsourced production to Vietnam, Indonesia and Southern China in the late 80's they did us wrong. They knew in advance that the higher temperatures and humidity conditions present in those countries would accelerate the degradation of the PU in the sneakers.
Knowing when a shoe was manufactured and how it was stored is only part of the equation that determines its longevity. The big unknown for collectors is the proprietary chemical formulations used in the manufacturing process. It turns out that adding polyester to the secret sauce (not unusual) speeds up the “degradation mechanism.”
Point taken. Which is one reason why the 1985 Air Jordan 1 “Breds” are coveted, the midsoles are made of rubber instead of polyurethane.
Tim Ray Blake, a Stanford chemist who studies biodegradable polymers, says the only scientific method to prolong the life of your sneakers is to place the shoes in an airtight steel vessel filled with argon. Yeah, science!
“The PU would not degrade because argon gas has an extremely low chemical reactivity,” This is an old trick scientists use when they want to prevent an important lab sample (or their tuna sandwiches) from being degraded by undesirable chemical reactions, which frequently happen to be oxidation and hydrolysis.
Now you have the scientific answer on how to prolong the life of your sneakers - airtight steel vessel filled with argon gas
Class dismissed
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Nice!
It would be interesting to see how Argon gas could be applied specifically to the use of sneaker storage.
Once the seal was broken, you'd have to displace the oxygen (with argon) inside the container once you put shoes back for storage.
It would be interesting to see how Argon gas could be applied specifically to the use of sneaker storage.
Once the seal was broken, you'd have to displace the oxygen (with argon) inside the container once you put shoes back for storage.
rbk93
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I don't own many shoes to begin with, so in their original box.
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I keep all my shoes in their box and have them stacked up in the closet. I used to store them in plastic bags inside their box but not anymore. Majority of my kicks are old. Like 10 years or older so I don't worry about crumbling but I haven't had any issues so far. I always wear my kicks,
NowForeverAlways
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I put all mine in the moisture resistant 3m bags in the og box with all the paper taken out.
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How has that worked for you? Do you seal them? The 3M moisture resistant pouches can create a micro-atmosphere inside of the bag which can't escape (if sealed). The intent of those bags are for electronics which obviously aren't shoes but more importantly don't require the same care. There is really no inherent use for them in sneakers despite what shoelebrity pushes them aside from filtering UV which I'm sure no one exposes their stash to direct sunlight.
What isn't emphasized enough is the importance of controlling the environment of the room. If you have a temp-controlled room, LED lights and UV film on the windows you could store your shoes in the middle of the floor with only dust to worry about.