Among various baseball gear, cleats are one of those with whom they are very emotionally attached. Like the other gaming gear, your shoes need proper care and maintenance. Four types of cleats are made for baseball players: metal cleats, molded cleats, Turf cleats, and interchangeable cleats.
Whatever type you are using does not matter; you need to keep them in a well-maintained condition. That’s you must learn how to clean baseball cleats on your own, if you are serious about the sport.
A well-maintained cleats can easily boost your performance a lot. If the spikes of your cleats are free from dirt and debris, they can offer you a better grip. As a result, chasing a flying ball will be easier for you, and you can very easily change your running direction if needed.
So cleaning the shoes is a very important task for every baseball player, and we hope our detailed research and guidance for the people concerned with properly cleaning their baseball cleats will help them a lot.
Why Proper Methods of Cleaning a Baseball Cleat is Important?
Cleaning your baseball cleats by using proper methods is very necessary. It has a lot of benefits. Such as it can increase the lifespan of the cleats, can make them comfortable, and they can fit on your feet very easily; your field movement and overall performance will be improved a lot.
Besides these, you will get better hygiene, almost new-like feelings, better smell, and better grip, and overall it can reduce the risk of injuries.
- Pre-cleaning preparation: You need to make some pre-cleaning preparations before you start to clean your baseball cleats.
- Remove the laces: Laces of your baseball shoes got very dirty. So first, you need to remove all the lashes and clean the holes carefully. And then, you need to remove the insoles.
- Remove any excess dirt or debris: To remove most of the dirt and debris that are fixed on the outer section of the cleats, you just need to clap your cleats together. It will shake off most of the mud and dirt. Then take a cloth or a smooth brush and gently scrub your cleat.
- Check for any damage: Before moving farther, you need to check whether there is any damage on the cleats. You must search for any visible holes, tears, or loose threads. If you spot any, you need to repair it first.
How to Clean Baseball Cleats (A Step By Step Guide)
Choosing the proper cleaning method is very crucial. Else there may be some minor glitches. Cleats cleaned in a proper way can boost your overall performance a lot. Here we are mentioning the proper steps to learn how to clean baseball cleats effectively.
Tools and materials needed:
To clean a baseball cleat properly and effectively, you must arrange the tools and materials below.
- Soft-bristled brush: You can consider any brush with soft bristles; for example, a shoe brush, a toothbrush, etc. But having soft bristles is a must. It will gently remove dirt and debris from the surface of the cleats without leaving any scratches or damage.
- Mild soap or detergent: You can easily find this type of soap in stores; these are specially designed for shoes. These detergents or shops don’t make very strong bonding. So they can’t leave any chemical impact on the finishing of the cleats’ outfits.
- Warm water: It will be used to mix the mild soap and to rinse the cleats.
- Clean microfiber cloth: a clean microfiber cloth is also very necessary. It will be used to wipe down the soap or cleaning solutions. This type of cloth is gentle on the surface of the cleats and absorbs moisture more than regular clothes.
- cleaner: In some extreme cases, when there is a lot of dirt and stains, you may need help from a specialized cleaner. These liquids are specially made for cleaning sports equipment.
- Waterproofing spray: This type of spray is used for further protection and doesn’t let the mud or debris stick to the shoe’s surface very easily. These sprays protect the cleats from water and stains.
Cleaning the exterior of the cleats
- First, you need to fill a bucket with slightly warm water. Now take your cleats and submerge the bottom of them for at least 2 minutes. It will automatically dissolve most of the dirt stuck to the cleats’ surface.
- Take an old toothbrush or a scrubbing brush with soft bristles. Now gently clean the bottom and sides. Always put a special effort into the areas that are around the spikes. These areas usually get very dirty as, most of the time, they are contacted with the ground. And after cleaning these areas, the cleats can offer better stability and grip to you. So your movement will be safer and easier.
- Now take a wet cloth and start to scrub all the cleat spikes. Be careful while doing it because metallic cleat spikes can hurt your finger. You have to remove all the mud and grass that are stuck there. It also helps in increasing the grip of the cleats.
- Now look for any sandy patches. These can easily be swept off with a damp cloth. If not, apply a mild detergent or soap to the surface and clean it with a wet cloth. Check carefully and ensure there is no muddy patch on the surface of your cleats.
- Now, after scrubbing the entire boot, you need to immerse them in clean, warm water.
- If there are still some stains on your cleats after cleaning with warm water, then you need to arrange a Tide pen or other stain remover. These can easily remove them.
- At last, you need to rinse the cleats well with warm water to clean all the dirt from them and leave it to air dry.
Cleaning the interior of the cleats
To clean the interior of the cleats, you need to follow some simple steps:
- First, you need to look for whether your cleats’ insoles are removable. If removable, then take it off.
- If you have non-removable cleats, you must scrub the interiors with a soft brush or toothbrush. Here you need to pay special attention to those areas where too much dirt is present or have a build-up of sweat. For cleats with removable insoles, you also need to do it after removing them.
- After scrubbing the inside of the cleats well, take a damp microfiber cloth and clean the entire inside wall.
- You must apply mild detergent or soap if the dirt is not revived. If there is a bad smell, the detergent will swap off. For extremely bad odor, you need to use specialized shoe cleaners.
- Now leave them under open air and make sure they are completely dry before using them the next time.
Cleaning The Insoles and Laces
Cleaning the insoles and lances effectively is very easy. You just need to place them inside a pillowcase and run them through the washing machine.
Drying the cleats
After cleaning, proper drying of the cleats is a must. If not done properly, there are high chances of getting bad order after cleaning. It is good to air dry the cleats in such places where no direct sunlight appears. If you can, wrap the cleats with some newspaper. It will help them to retain their actual shape.
Maintaining the cleanliness of the cleats
- First, you need to apply a waterproofing spray to maintain the cleanliness of the cleats. The benefits of it we have mentioned above in this article.
- After cleaning, you need to store the cleats in a dry place. If you don’t store the cleats properly, it can ruin your efforts.
- Regular brushing is also important. It can simply remove all the dirt or debris from your cleats.
Can you wash your cleats in the washing machine?
No, washing cleats in the machines is not a wise idea. It can have a bad impact on the finishing and shape of the cleats. But you can clean the lances and the insoles in the washing machine. But here, you also need a cover to remain intact, such as a pillow cover, cotton bag, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can you wash metal cleats in the washer?
It is not a wise idea to wash metal cleats in the washer. The metal cleats can heavily damage the parts of the machine. The chances of damage are very high on the drum of the machine. The heat and the heavy detergents usually used in the machines can easily damage the color of the cleats.
How can I make my cleats white again?
To whiten your cleats again, you need to use some components. The easiest way is to apply toothpaste. You can also consider a mixture of baking soda and water or white vinegar and water or purchase a specialized cleat cleaner for this purpose.
How do you get the smell out of baseball cleats?
To treat bad odor from baseball cleats, you can wash them thoroughly with a mild detergent. There are some chemical sprays for this purpose. You can consider them and easily find them in the local stores.
How often should you wash your cleats?
It is good to thoroughly wash your cleats after every use. If you aren’t able to do that, you need to wash them once a week, and from time to time, brushing is very important.
Conclusion
However, regularly cleaning your baseball cleats is very important to keep them in good condition. So that these can easily boost your performance. From time to time, brushing and scrubbing are very important.
But for heavily dirty cleats, you need to follow the methods mentioned above. And while cleaning metal spikes, please be cautious.
