So, you’ve bought yourself a pair of New Balance Numeric skate shoes? It’s a darn good sneaker if you ask us. However, you’ll need to maintain your shoes in a proper manner just so they don’t lose their pazazz. In the article below, you’ll find some tips on how to clean your fresh New Balance Numeric skate shoes!
There’s a fair chance you didn’t have the info that New Balance made skate shoes. For all we know, this might be news to you. Therefore, we’ll expand our talk to cover some of the basic info surrounding New Balance skateboarding shoes. As always, stay tuned!
Make sure that your shoes are dry and clamp their soles together to remove any dirt or debris that might be stuck on them. Use an old toothbrush to clean your shoes with a mild dish detergent. Once done, remove the soap with a piece of wet cloth and let your shoes air dry for the next 24 hours.
Reading just the preview’s no way to treat dirty sneakers. That being said, read the whole text!
Table of Contents
What are New Balance Numeric skate shoes?
Before we get into the whole part about cleaning your sneakers, let’s prepare the field by talking about the type of shoes in question. Okay, so what kind of shoe are we talking about when we’re talking about New Balance Numeric skate shoes? (No one expected a Raymond Carver’s story title paraphrase here, but neither did we, here at Go Extreme Sports.)
New Balance Numeric is a shoe series that’s fantastic for your skateboarding endeavors, fellow skaters say. These shoes are pretty versatile and they’re amazing both for technical skateboarding and tackling stair sets and gaps. Since New Balance basically raises the bar with each new Numeric model in terms of technology, you could very well say that most skaters wait for new Numeric shoes like Harry Potter fans used to wait for the sequels to the book. Okay, nothing can beat the Harry Potter craze, but you get what we’re trying to say.
Let’s see if there’s anything else we’d like to mention in the introductory section. Oh, and if you’re curious to know how your feet are supposed to look on a skateboard, click right here.
Does New Balance run small or big?
You’ll be happy to know that New Balance skate shoes run true to size, as they say. Therefore, simply opt for your normal size. Also, keep in mind that once these shoes end up on your front door, you can wear them instantly. In other words, they’re designed to fit at the same moment once you take them out of the box, so there’s no need to break them in or something.
Who’s up for some good ol’ trivia? Let’s see who was on the famous New Balance skate team for 2013’s X Games!
Who’s on the New Balance skate team?
Do names such as Levi Brown or Arto Saari mean anything to you? If that’s so, you’ll want to know that they were on the New Balance skate team for the 2013’s X Games, besides, of course, Tom Karangelov and PJ Ladd.
Also, if you were to take a look at the New Balance web presentation at their site, you’ll notice that there’s a so-called “Meet the team” page. That’s where you’ll find some familiar names of skateboarders that are being sponsored by New Balance. For instance, the first picture you’ll stumble upon is of Tiago Lemos, the famous Brazilian skater!
Okay, now that we’ve remembered the good old days, let’s consider our main topic and find out how to clean New Balance Numeric skate shoes!
How to clean New Balance Numeric skate shoes?
First of all, know that the folks at New Balance don’t recommend you wash your NB sneakers inside the washing machine. That’s a definite NO-NO because certain shoe materials aren’t supposed to come into contact with heat or be submerged in water. So, if that option’s not to be messed around with, how does one exactly clean New Balance Numeric skate shoes?
We’ve divided the ordeal into two bits: preparation + cleaning (even though preparation involves a bit of cleaning itself!
#1 Preparation time
In order to avoid submerging your NB shoes in water and agitate all the dirt and debris that found its place in your shoes’ crevices, first you’ll need to try and remove all that stuff manually. As much as it’s possible, that is. Also, if your NB sneakers are currently all muddy & wet, if everything’s still fresh, you’ll want to use a dry paper towel or some baby wipes to clean your shoes. Afterward, simply let them air dry (avoid using the blowing fan) and remove all the remaining dirt once it’s dry, if possible.
So, how should one clean dirt and various debris that’s on NB skate shoes once they’re dry? Once again, here’s a 2-step solution:
- Step #1: Clap your soles together. That’s probably the easiest shoe cleaning method ever. Anyway, it will help you loosen the dirt, while some of it will most probably fall off.
- Step #2: Grab that old toothbrush you’ve saved for who-knows-what or a paintbrush and try to remove as much dirt & debris as possible.
Now that you’ve gone through all those steps (there are only two of them…), it’s time you begin cleaning (officially).
#2 It’s cleaning time
Okay, so it’s time you “really” start cleaning your New Balance Numeric skate shoes. Anyway, you can utilize the old toothbrush from the previous segment or a light bristle brush and a mild detergent. You can use both the dishwashing or laundry detergent, but you’ll have to make sure that it’s completely free of dye since you don’t want to stain your trusty skate shoes. Simply scrub the shoes with either the toothbrush or the light bristle brush.
Once you’re done with the scrubbing part, you’ll want to use a piece of damp cloth to wipe ’em clean and free of detergent. The moment you notice your shoes don’t have any detergent on them, allow them to air dry for the next 24 hours or so. In order to prevent your shoes from smelling, utilize some shoe deodorizer in a spray.
We’ll repeat once again: don’t put your shoes in the washing machine, as certain materials NB shoes are made from shouldn’t be exposed to extreme heat or be submerged in water. Speaking of washing shoes, here’s one for the climbers: an article about how to wash Scarpa climbing shoes.
Okay, now that we’ve got that covered, let’s see if there’s any other info concerning skate shoes we’d like to mention.
How to increase the lifespan of your skate shoes?
Here we’ll show you just how you’ll enhance the durability of your skate shoes just so you don’t have to spend too much money buying a new pair every month or so. So, how does one care for their skate shoes? Check out these useful tips!
#1 Utilize colorless shoe polish (if you’re sporting leather shoes)
That’s right, you’ll want to use colorless shoe polish. Also, keep in mind that using shoe polish on wet shoes is to be avoided. Oh, and another thing: using too much shoe polish ain’t good since the leather can get all clogged up. Therefore, it will lose the ability to breathe.
Speaking of leather shoes, make sure you store them in a well-ventilated area so they’re allowed to breathe freely.
#2 Opt for suede shoes rather than canvas
Most skaters would recommend you opt for leather or suede shoes. Your upper, heel, and nose areas should be made out of suede. Why’s suede so special? Well, where leather shoes feel a bit stiffer – suede shoes don’t. Also, they’ve usually got stronger, more durable stitching and take lace exposure into account.
What brands make suede shoes? Here are a few of them: Adidas, Emerica, Etnies, and DC.
#3 Sand down your new grip
So, you’ve got yourself a new deck? Most probably, the first you’ll notice is the pretty rough grip. Of course, the grip tape is supposed to be grippy and there’s nothing wrong with that. It will tear your shoes apart at a certain moment, that’s for sure. However, you’re able to postpone that event by buying a less-grippy grip tape or by sanding down certain parts of it.
All in all: by slightly reducing the friction, you’ll prolong the lifespan of your skate shoes. Now, if you’re wondering whether sandpaper is good for your grip tape, consider the link we’ve highlighted.
#4 Keep your shoes away from heat
As we’ve already mentioned, (extreme) heat won’t do anything good to your skate shoes. Therefore, you should store them away from any (potential) heat sources. For instance, once you’ve done with the cleanup don’t leave them next to central heating and avoid drying them with a blowing fan.
Speaking of heat, here’s why some skateboarders microwave their shoes.
The bottom of the skate shoe
Excuse the corny last-paragraph title. Anyway, folks, this was all on the subject of how to clean your New Balance Numeric skate shoes! Hopefully, you’ve had a good time reading this one. Also, we hope that you’ll utilize all the tips and tricks we’ve mentioned today in order to make your skateboarding shoes last a long time. For more tips and info on skateboarding-related subjects and themes, please click right here.
