Nothing detracts from the charm of a lovely pair of sandals more than noticeable imprints of toes, heels, and feet on the insoles. Such marks on your footwear can project an unkempt, worn-out image if you happen to take off your sandals at the beach or poolside. As for pre-owned sandals, the presence of heel, toe, and foot impressions can adversely impact their value, making it significantly difficult to resell them.
Although they may seem like enduring foot imprints, they are essentially just ingrained dirt and stains. Their removal can pose quite a challenge due to the standard shoe cleaning methods not being quite effective. The main reason behind this is that the dirt has been compacted into the fabric fibers of the insoles over an extended period of time. Fortunately, there is a way around this: with the right materials and roughly 15 minutes of your time, you can likely erase most of these unappealing marks.
Here’s what you’ll require:
A can of spray shoe cleaner (a carpet and upholstery cleaner spray should also suffice)
An old, soft toothbrush that you don’t intend to use ever again
An old washcloth or dishcloth
Guide to Erasing Toe, Foot, and Heel Marks from Sandal Insoles
Initially, ensure to test the cleaner on a discrete area of your sandal insoles to prevent any unforeseen effects.
Next, comprehensively spray the stained insoles with the cleaner. It’s important to make sure they’re visibly saturated but refrain from immersing your sandals entirely in any liquid.
Let the cleaner seep into the sandals for a couple of minutes. However, ensure not to let them dry completely.
Moisten the toothbrush under running water. Vigorously scrub the tarnished insoles with the old toothbrush. Every few minutes, rinse the toothbrush under running water to prevent inadvertently spreading the dirt back onto the shoes.
Once the sandals start to appear clean, gently wipe the scrubbed surfaces with your cloth.
Rinse the toothbrush under running water once again, proceed to scrub the shoes, and then wipe them with the washcloth.
Repeat this process until the cleaning cloth no longer picks up any dirt.
You’ll be astounded by the transformation in your sandals when you’ve finished this process!