:::OFFICIAL SNEAKER CARE/MAINTENANCE POST::: (It's back!)

[Ube]

Can anyone recommend a NTer to go to for sole separation and get the soles back to being icy? I've tried doing the sole separation myself before and it just came out terrible.

 

[skep]

What's up everyone? I need help. These sneakers were wrapped up in plastic wrap and stored away in the box. Apparently it was too close to the heater so it melted onto the patent leather. Does anyone have any idea of how to remove the plastic wrap off of the patent leather? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

dish soap.




kidding



might be worth trying some mild acetone work, but i doubt it.

 

[balldontlie206]

My donor sole finally came in for my 99 sole swap. I let them sit in front of a space heater for a couple hours and it still took some power to break it free from the adhesive. Mind you I'm using a phillips screwdriver for prying the edges and thats it. The rest was all by hand.

Fitted both soles onto the shoe and damn they look dope. The white cement dub zeros had a little darker version of grey on them so I might repaint because it looks off compared to the 99 cement grey color. Logically it makes more sense to paint them now since they aren't glued yet. Idk I'm torn because I wanna wear them already.

 

[ntel]

Is the Mint Boot & Shoe protector safe on Jordan XIs?  I'm concerned about the patent leather.  Thank you.

 

[nikerider]

Been using it for a number of years but I don't use it on the patent, it leaves a film.


For the patent, I use a high quality leather conditioner. My preference is Lexol leather conditioner. (not the cleaner).

It can be purchased in the auto section of Walmart for under 10 bucks.

It's actually recommended by both Rolls Royce and Audi for their leather seats.
If Rolls recommends it you know it's been researched and is a good product.

Also, no film with it, it adsorbs into the leather.

 

[ntel]

Been using it for a number of years but I don't use it on the patent, it leaves a film.


For the patent, I use a high quality leather conditioner. My preference is Lexol leather conditioner. (not the cleaner).

It can be purchased in the auto section of Walmart for under 10 bucks.

It's actually recommended by both Rolls Royce and Audi for their leather seats.
If Rolls recommends it you know it's been researched and is a good product.

Also, no film with it, it adsorbs into the leather.

Repped! Thanks so much, I've been using the spray for years as well!  The film residue is exactly what I was wondering.   I probably won't spray the XIs at all then, I don't trust myself covering the patent while spraying the canvas.  

 

[javyLSU]

 
What's up everyone? I need help. These sneakers were wrapped up in plastic wrap and stored away in the box. Apparently it was too close to the heater so it melted onto the patent leather. Does anyone have any idea of how to remove the plastic wrap off of the patent leather? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I would actually try using an "eraser" that usually comes with the suede/nubuck care kits to get that off. 

I've been able to remove practically anything from all types of materials using this, and it strikes me that the rubber from the eraser would "grab" the plastic...

 

[brando18]

I have some legend blue 11s and the patent leather has some cracks. Can i just have them painted over

 

[aj11fan]

If anyone is at Ross, they have these shoe cleaning kits for the low

 

[nuclear90]

How old is too old for shoes to safely be worn?

I've got some retros from 04/05 that I haven't worn in quite a while. They show some signs of age already. I don't want to wear them and the air go out or anything.

Specifically...
Mars IVs. Paint cracking. Fixed seperations.
Black tongue fire red Vs. Heavy yellowing. Fixed seperations.
Varsity red VIs. Paint cracking.
Steel Xs. Small seperations I've repaired.
Playoff VIIIs. Paint cracking.

All pre-2010 retros of these models.

If they aren't going to hold may be time to offload.

 

[nikerider]

What's up everyone? I need help. These sneakers were wrapped up in plastic wrap and stored away in the box. Apparently it was too close to the heater so it melted onto the patent leather. Does anyone have any idea of how to remove the plastic wrap off of the patent leather? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Just read this.

Perhaps you can use a hair dryer and heat the plastic wrap.

Try it on one small area. first. If you get the plastic hot enough it should become gooey and you should be able to gently scrape it off the patent.
Please be careful not to damage the patent. Also, don't get it so hot the plastic burns. There is a fine line between reaching a point where it's soft
and sticky versus it burning and letting off a nasty odor.

Probably a good idea to do it in a well ventilated area.

It will be a slow process, just heat one small area at a time, scrap off plastic residue and the go onto next section.

Good luck.

 

[nikerider]

How old is too old for shoes to safely be worn?

I've got some retros from 04/05 that I haven't worn in quite a while. They show some signs of age already. I don't want to wear them and the air go out or anything.

Specifically...
Mars IVs. Paint cracking. Fixed seperations.
Black tongue fire red Vs. Heavy yellowing. Fixed seperations.
Varsity red VIs. Paint cracking.
Steel Xs. Small seperations I've repaired.
Playoff VIIIs. Paint cracking.

All pre-2010 retros of these models.

If they aren't going to hold may be time to offload.

First, there is no definitive answer to your question because there are a lot of variables involved such as how they were stored and the recipe that was used for each shoe.

It sounds like your main concern is the air max unit and the nitrogen encapsulated bubbles.
We refer to a burst air unit as a “blow-out” .

Do you intend to wear them casually or to play ball in? If you want to ball in them you run a high risk of a blow-out.
Casual use might be acceptable.

I would be most concerned with the shoes that have had sole separation indicating the PU has already started to deteriorate.
The polyurethane (or PU as it's called) is the shock-absorbing material sandwiched between the upper and the outer sole.
When it starts to break down you can bet that a lot more stress is applied to the air unit.
Another factor is your weight. The air unit is subjected to more stress the more you weigh.

In conclusion, your sneakers are already exhibiting signs of stress cracking and in my opinion I would not wear them for anything but casual use.

 

[skep]

How old is too old for shoes to safely be worn?

I've got some retros from 04/05 that I haven't worn in quite a while. They show some signs of age already. I don't want to wear them and the air go out or anything.

Specifically...
Mars IVs. Paint cracking. Fixed seperations.
Black tongue fire red Vs. Heavy yellowing. Fixed seperations.
Varsity red VIs. Paint cracking.
Steel Xs. Small seperations I've repaired.
Playoff VIIIs. Paint cracking.

All pre-2010 retros of these models.

If they aren't going to hold may be time to offload.

First, there is no definitive answer to your question because there are a lot of variables involved such as how they were stored and the recipe that was used for each shoe.

It sounds like your main concern is the air max unit and the nitrogen encapsulated bubbles.
We refer to a burst air unit as a “blow-out” .

Do you intend to wear them casually or to play ball in? If you want to ball in them you run a high risk of a blow-out.
Casual use might be acceptable.

I would be most concerned with the shoes that have had sole separation indicating the PU has already started to deteriorate.
The polyurethane (or PU as it's called) is the shock-absorbing material sandwiched between the upper and the outer sole.
When it starts to break down you can bet that a lot more stress is applied to the air unit.
Another factor is your weight. The air unit is subjected to more stress the more you weigh.

In conclusion, your sneakers are already exhibiting signs of stress cracking and in my opinion I would not wear them for anything but casual use.

in a nutshell, chances are all of those are most likely to deteriorate once you wear them if they have not been worn in a while, and worn regularly.
Of all those, the one that has best chance of holding up may be the 10, but due to the PU midsole on the others, chances are it will crack or turn to dust once worn due to age.
this can be prevented with special storage or normal wear practices, but doesnt sound like either is a factor.

 

[ntel]

in a nutshell, chances are all of those are most likely to deteriorate once you wear them if they have not been worn in a while, and worn regularly.
Of all those, the one that has best chance of holding up may be the 10, but due to the PU midsole on the others, chances are it will crack or turn to dust once worn due to age.
this can be prevented with special storage or normal wear practices, but doesnt sound like either is a factor.

Looking for some education.  Normal wear increases the life of the shoe?  Are deadstocks more at risk of cracking/deflating/dusting than regularly worn pairs?  Is PU used in modern pairs?  Will modern pairs hold up better?  Or does a J have a useful life of let's say 10 years before it's at risk to be worn?  

 

[Sneaker P]

Looking for some education.  Normal wear increases the life of the shoe?  Are deadstocks more at risk of cracking/deflating/dusting than regularly worn pairs?  Is PU used in modern pairs?  Will modern pairs hold up better?  Or does a J have a useful life of let's say 10 years before it's at risk to be worn?  

Wearing your shoes increases their life over a deadstock shoe, but depends on what type of wear.

 

[skep]

Looking for some education.  Normal wear increases the life of the shoe?  Are deadstocks more at risk of cracking/deflating/dusting than regularly worn pairs?  Is PU used in modern pairs?  Will modern pairs hold up better?  Or does a J have a useful life of let's say 10 years before it's at risk to be worn?  

Wearing your shoes increases their life over a deadstock shoe, but depends on what type of wear.

what P said....
normal wear helps to keep the materials active and alive basically. when it sits around unused for years, it becomes stiff and dries out. normal wear helps to prevent this.
to answer your question about newer J's, thats something that I know nothing about. i would HOPE that there were some improvements made, but i would not give Nike and JB too much credit. my guess would be no... itll be the same issue around 2025-2027. time will tell i suppose, unless someone here has more true insight.

 

[buddhashark]

Can anyone give me some advice? I'm moving in a few months and I need to move majority of my shoes out of my house now. I'm packing them in large cardboard boxes (approx. 15/box). My two options are a conditioned storage unit or stashing them at my parent's house where my pops is a heavy smoker.

Questions:
1. Any concern with them being in a smoker's house for 3 months packed in boxes like that? I'm okay with the smell but obviously don't want any yellowing.
2. Has anyone had any issues with storage units? As I said, the space is conditioned but I'm worried about bugs, rats, mice. I've never used storage before. Any concerns?
3. I imagine the shoes will get less airflow being packed up in larger boxes. Should keep older pairs (2003-) out of the larger boxes to prevent crumbling or sole separation issues or should they be fine for 3 months?

Thanks for any input.

 

[nuclear90]

First, there is no definitive answer to your question because there are a lot of variables involved such as how they were stored and the recipe that was used for each shoe.

It sounds like your main concern is the air max unit and the nitrogen encapsulated bubbles.
We refer to a burst air unit as a “blow-out” .

Do you intend to wear them casually or to play ball in? If you want to ball in them you run a high risk of a blow-out.
Casual use might be acceptable.

I would be most concerned with the shoes that have had sole separation indicating the PU has already started to deteriorate.
The polyurethane (or PU as it's called) is the shock-absorbing material sandwiched between the upper and the outer sole.
When it starts to break down you can bet that a lot more stress is applied to the air unit.
Another factor is your weight. The air unit is subjected to more stress the more you weigh.

In conclusion, your sneakers are already exhibiting signs of stress cracking and in my opinion I would not wear them for anything but casual use.

in a nutshell, chances are all of those are most likely to deteriorate once you wear them if they have not been worn in a while, and worn regularly.
Of all those, the one that has best chance of holding up may be the 10, but due to the PU midsole on the others, chances are it will crack or turn to dust once worn due to age.
this can be prevented with special storage or normal wear practices, but doesnt sound like either is a factor.

Appreciate the knowledge from both of you.

They would only be worn for casual wear. I'm a big guy at 250 lbs.

The VIIIs and Xs were bought new from the store so I know how they were kept.

The Xs were bought new but about a year after release in a private sale.

The IVs and Vs were bought used to begin with. Wore them a good bit back then but they haven't seen much wear the last 5 years.

It seems like I may just need to try to unload them. Everything retros again eventually. I was away from sneakers for a few years so missed out on several of these being released again.

 

[thatboyup2some]

For the 2016 Banned 1s, how do you clean the red leather? I used Armor All leather wipes and it seems like the wipes were turning red. At first I thought I was rubbing too hard but even when I use very little pressure the paint from the shoe still seems to come off. I don't have this problem with any other Jordan 1 so I'm guessing its because of the leather quality on the red parts of the Banned 1s. How should I clean them?

 

[skep]

Appreciate the knowledge from both of you.

They would only be worn for casual wear. I'm a big guy at 250 lbs.

The VIIIs and Xs were bought new from the store so I know how they were kept.

The Xs were bought new but about a year after release in a private sale.

The IVs and Vs were bought used to begin with. Wore them a good bit back then but they haven't seen much wear the last 5 years.

It seems like I may just need to try to unload them. Everything retros again eventually. I was away from sneakers for a few years so missed out on several of these being released again.

id def suggest just unloading. no need to hold on to em if you dont have a strong emotional connection to them and not worrried about missing htem and regretting in the future.

 

[skep]

Can anyone give me some advice? I'm moving in a few months and I need to move majority of my shoes out of my house now. I'm packing them in large cardboard boxes (approx. 15/box). My two options are a conditioned storage unit or stashing them at my parent's house where my pops is a heavy smoker.

Questions:
1. Any concern with them being in a smoker's house for 3 months packed in boxes like that? I'm okay with the smell but obviously don't want any yellowing.
2. Has anyone had any issues with storage units? As I said, the space is conditioned but I'm worried about bugs, rats, mice. I've never used storage before. Any concerns?
3. I imagine the shoes will get less airflow being packed up in larger boxes. Should keep older pairs (2003-) out of the larger boxes to prevent crumbling or sole separation issues or should they be fine for 3 months?

Thanks for any input.

for 3 months, i would personally bag each pair of shoes to prevent any exposure to air, and maybe even go there and spend a couple hours maybe once a month to open em all up and let em breath. but i think that 3 months of "suffocation" would not do harm, or would do less harm than the exposure to smoke. being in their box, inside a large box will not do enough to avoid that smell. another option may be to wrap each box in saran wrap, or wrap that outer large box to seal it off.
if you want to go to storage, dont go to a hole in the wall place, spend a few bucks extra and get a decent spot, conditioned like you said, and i would hope infestation should not be a large concern.

 

[Gordonson]

Anyone have any experience with having their suede sneakers redyed by a restorer? I could use some recommendations for the Toro Bravo Vs I just dug up.

 

[pmpdaddyrobford]

Anyone have any experience with having their suede sneakers redyed by a restorer? I could use some recommendations for the Toro Bravo Vs I just dug up.

it's probably one of the easier restoration jobs imo
Red suede dye+paint brush and tape if you want.

If you look at videos on YouTube you'll see its really that simple

 

[wavylo413]

Any advice would be great.


My mother's house burned down yesterday. Thank god she got our landlord and a toddler out in time. I was able to get in what's left of the house this morning and grab only 2 boxes. Prada sneakers and my Reebok answers.

My question is how do I go about dealing with the heavy smoke smell?

 

[catchntds]

This is a massive thread if anyone can help or point me in the right direction: Any suggestions on how to clean/what products to use on quality leather such as Common Project Achilles? Also what product would you recommend on cleaning outsoles? Lastly what's the best stain and water protector for suede and leather shoes? I recently moved and don't have any of my old cleaning supplies and i dont remember what i used lmao