Decided to tackle my beat-up Black Metallic Air Jordan 5s today. Been sitting in the closet for years looking mad dusty with yellowed soles. Figured it was time to bring ’em back to life.
Getting Stuff Together
First thing – gathered my cleaning weapons. Dug out my trusty shoe cleaner kit, grabbed an old toothbrush, some cotton swabs, and a bowl of warm water. Found my bottle of sole brightening stuff too. Didn’t forget microfiber towels for drying.
Breaking Down The Mess
Started by ripping out the laces and yanking the insoles. Those tongue areas were nasty – stuffed with lint and dirt clumps. Used tweezers to pick out chunks while scrubbing the mesh tongues hard with soapy water. Saw nasty brown water dripping into the bowl. Gross.
Hit the cracked leather next. Black parts weren’t actually too bad after brushing off the grime, but those grey speckles on the sides? Tricky. Gently rubbed each spot with diluted cleaner using cotton swabs – took forever. Almost missed this heel tab glue stain until sunlight hit it right.
Sole War
Those yellowed soles pissed me off most. Slathered on the whitening gel thick like frosting. Wrapped each shoe in cling film real tight. Left ‘em baking on the windowsill all afternoon while the gel worked. Peeked every hour like watching paint dry.
Final Assembly
Rinsed off the sticky gel residue after five hours. Held my breath peeling the film back – soles actually looked icy again! Did a victory dance before relacing with fresh ropes. Popped the insoles back in and stepped back to admire.
End result?
- Black leather looking rich like new
- No more gross yellow on soles
- All stains gone from the netting
- Those signature speckles popping crisp now
Spent six hours total but worth every minute. Just threw ’em on my feet to hit the grocery store. Might buy another pair to restore next weekend.
