New Base shoes cleaning

[mw94]

Ok after years of having almost all black leather or plastic leather base shoes.  I have purchased shoes that have a lot of white on the  midsole and parts are kind of a mesh.

 

Old school black shoe polish is not going to work. How do you keep the white clean and the mesh part clean

[wolfe_man]

I use Scrubbing Bubbles on the white part for quick after game clean up.   Then, I'll use shoe cleaner (Kiwi or a shoe store brand) every little bit to really clean them up.  I've heard of others using Murphy's Soap for a quick clean also.  I keep a denture brush and a larger brush in my gear bag.  Once I spray the shoe with cleaner, I sometimes use the brush(es) to get the really tough dirt stains off of my white soles. The denture brush is very handy for getting into the tighter spots.

@MadMax is out your way in the land of the sun and sand - and he uses an air compressor to blow the sand & dust off his mesh parts.  

[834k3r]

I use this stuff and it's fantastic:

https://www.ump-attire.com/Products/SHOE-SHAMPOO/RESTORE-Shoe-Shampoo

[BLarson]

I'm sure someone will tell my why I shouldn't do this, but I just use armorall and a toothbrush and it cleans the white/black/mesh/leather just fine...and puts a shine on it.

[MadMax]

ArmorAll is the worst thing for leather. It is primarily alcohol-based, and when combined with other ingredients, dries leather out so it’s more prone to cracking and degrading in UV. 

Looks grrrrreeeaaattt for the five minutes when you take pictures. 

If you’re going to use anything for shoes, use LeatherLustre (sp?) or CPRforLeather, or if it’s gotta be automotive, Maguiers or Mothers. 

[boyinr]

All I use is LA’s Totally Awesome from Dollar Tree. Diluted  1:5 in a spray bottle from Lowe’s. One $1.25 bottle lasts all season. Hit it with a scrub brush. Wipe with a rag. Good to go. 

[SeeingEyeDog]

My shoe work needs...work. They are clean. They are respectable. But, I ain't blindin' anybody...

@MadMax or @wolfe_man, or anybody else...I'd love to see a video of you walking us through your shoe cleaning procedures.

I am also very much ready for the trend of mesh...to get killed with fire. Whomever thought of putting mesh on an umpire's shoe, whomever still thinks putting mesh on an umpire's shoe is a good idea...ain't never worked a ballgame. Nobody cares about ventilation, light weight and or fashion. Mesh...sucks...to get...clean.

~Dawg

[Stk004]

9 hours ago, 834k3r said:

I use this stuff and it's fantastic:

https://www.ump-attire.com/Products/SHOE-SHAMPOO/RESTORE-Shoe-Shampoo

This is my vote 100%. I usually use water and a brush or rag, but for when I really need to clean them this is what I use. 

[Mad Mike]

Murphy's Oil Soap has worked great for me over the years.

[JSam21]

The Worlds Best Glass Cleaner, brush and rag. For when they are really bad, I bought a brush attachment for my cordless drill. I also have a "mud brush" to get caked in mud and dirt out of the treads. The important thing is to clean them ASAP, especially on fields that have a lot of clay in their mix. Quicker you get it off, the less likely to stain. 

 

If you have portions of the shoe that you are shining, switch to a neutral polish. You will still get a shine, but it won't stain the white portions. 

[ChrisUrbz]

Spray bottle 50/50 liquid laundry soap and water and brush keeps all my white very clean. No shoe polish Leather Luster only which is very easy to clean.

[BCBrad]

https://waltersshoecare.com

I use their gel cleaner, shammy and shining sponge on faux leather plate shoes and fabric upper base shoes. Great products. The gel cleaner does a real great job of cleaning the white rubber trim of your soles. 

https://eucalan.com/shop/delicate-wash/grapefruit/grapefruit-delicate-wash-169-us-floz-500ml

this is the enzyme soap I use for my shoes and caps.

I’m trying the Dawn Spraywash someone posted in another thread on the soles. 
 

my steps:

1. Brush off all mud, grass and dirt with coarse brush

2. wipe off upper with a damp cloth of water and enzyme soap 

3. use small awl to clean out crevices in the sole

4. spray Dawn only on the soles, let soak in 

5. wipe off soles

6. use gel cleaner or if needed, leather cleaner on uppers; follow instructions from website

7. wipe off uppers with shammy

8. Buff upper with sponge

 

[Thunderheads]

On 3/9/2023 at 1:32 AM, Mad Mike said:

Murphy's Oil Soap has worked great for me over the years.

Let's clarify this .....   One cap-full of Murphy's oil soap (or a small 'glug' in a water spray bottle ....fill with water, shake and you're good to go.

[Thunderheads]

On 3/8/2023 at 10:10 PM, SeeingEyeDog said:

My shoe work needs...work. They are clean. They are respectable. But, I ain't blindin' anybody...

@MadMax or @wolfe_man, or anybody else...I'd love to see a video of you walking us through your shoe cleaning procedures.

I am also very much ready for the trend of mesh...to get killed with fire. Whomever thought of putting mesh on an umpire's shoe, whomever still thinks putting mesh on an umpire's shoe is a good idea...ain't never worked a ballgame. Nobody cares about ventilation, light weight and or fashion. Mesh...sucks...to get...clean.

~Dawg

Ok, first ......... I'm hoping that it's really not necessary to make a video of such procedures.  Shoe cleaning posts are MEGA-abundant on this forum.  Plus there's shoe cleaning videos on Ump-Attire's site.

Second, ... mesh on an 'umpiring shoe' ...that's actually interesting because .... actual 'umpiring shoes' (for the field) are very low volume and you have VERY few choices.  Because of this, people look far and wide to find ANY type shoe that would fit the bill, thus, training and/or running.  This is where you truly run into the 'mesh' problem.   Depending on where you are in the country, .... mesh/fabric can work for a lot of people, (and that means VENTILATION ) ....  others not as much, so you can't say 'nobody cares about ventilation, that's just not true.   It all boils down to personal preference.

On super dusty fields, ...fabric can be a MESS .... but I'm not sure it's so bad other than that, especially if taken care of directly after a game.