How to Clean adidas Sambas Without Ruining Them

The Samba is a mixed-material shoe — suede overlays, a leather or synthetic base, a gum rubber sole — and each part wants to be cleaned differently. That's the whole reason people wreck them: one method applied to all three.

Here's the order that works. For other materials and other models, we have a general guide to cleaning sneakers covering white, canvas and suede.

Never put them in the washing machine

Start here because it's the mistake that can't be undone. A machine cycle soaks the suede, which stiffens and mats the nap permanently, and the tumbling cracks the midsole and loosens the adhesive holding the sole on.

The same goes for a dryer, a radiator, or a hair dryer. Heat is what kills the glue.

Step one: let it dry

If they're muddy, do nothing. Wet dirt on suede spreads and drives into the nap; dry dirt sits on top and brushes off.

Leave them somewhere with airflow, not heat, until the mud is fully dry and crumbling. This is the step everyone skips and it does more work than everything after it.

Step two: brush the suede

Use a suede brush — brass or nylon bristles. Brush in one direction rather than scrubbing back and forth, which just relocates the dirt.

For a scuff that won't lift, a suede eraser takes it off. For a shiny patch where the nap has been crushed flat, brush it briskly to raise the fibers again.

Step three: the leather and synthetic panels

Damp microfiber cloth, a drop of mild soap, wipe, then dry straight away. Don't let water sit on the stripes or the heel patch — the edges are where water gets underneath and lifts the material.

Step four: the gum sole

Gum rubber yellows with age and picks up grey scuffing from pavement. A melamine sponge takes the scuffs off in seconds.

Work on the rubber only. Melamine is a fine abrasive and it will strip the nap off suede if you let it wander above the sole line. Go slowly around the edge.

Step five: laces and drying

Pull the laces out and hand-wash them separately in warm soapy water — they hold more dirt than anything else on the shoe and they're the cheapest part to replace if they don't come clean.

Stuff the shoes with paper towel or newspaper to hold their shape, and let them dry away from direct heat and sunlight. Sun fades suede.

How do you keep white Sambas white?

Protect them before the first wear rather than cleaning them after. A suede and fabric protector spray gives you a window where spills bead instead of soaking in, and it needs reapplying every few months.

Then clean little and often. Ten seconds with a brush after a few wears beats an hour of work once they look bad, and suede that's been left dirty for months doesn't fully come back.

What about the ones you can't fix?

Deep dye transfer — from wet denim onto a light suede — is usually permanent. So is a crushed toe box crease. Cleaning solves dirt, not structural wear.

More Samba reading

See our Samba sizing guide, the Samba colorways guide, how to style Samba outfits, and how to spot fake Sambas. Not sure the Samba is the right silhouette? Samba vs Gazelle vs Spezial.

Browse the Sambas collection when it's time to replace them.

— Anthony from West Coast Deals