How to Disinfect Shoes from the Thrift Store? (Explained!)

I go for the shoes found in the thrift store to provide us with some great products with price value. But the thing to be considered while buying from those stores are the proper selection, quality, and condition. Cleaning becomes a must task if you go for used shoes found in the thrift store.

While buying shoes, people become worried about how to disinfect shoes from the thrift store.

If you have ever cleaned anything, then you’ll surely get to know how to disinfect it in the very same manner. That is to say, used shoes from the thrift store that contains fungi and bacteria can be disinfected by proper cleaning. Anti-bacterial agents should be used to execute both processes in the most efficient way.

How to disinfect shoes from the thrift store? (4 easy Steps)

When you buy a pair of shoes from a thrift store, some special precautions must be noted because the products found in thrift stores come from various sources and are used. So the chances of bacterial infestations become higher in them. So products or shoes bought from the thrift store should be disinfected by a couple of these means:

• Step One: The easiest way to disinfect the shoes is to use anti-bacterial sprays. First, you have to spray the entire inside of your shoes and let them dry before use. In this way, they can be disinfected in the simplest of ways.

• Step Two: The inside of your shoes should be given the topmost priority while cleaning. That is because of fungus and bacteria inside your shoes, which need anti-bacterial sprays, like Clorox, Lysol, etc. These work great as anti-bacterial sprays.

• Step Three: You need to use a soft cloth and dishwasher to clean the outside of the shoes. To remove the scuffs and marks, a magic eraser can also be used.

• Step Four: In the case of the sneakers, you can throw them into the washing machine’s gentle cycle and allow them to clean on their own. In the following way, you can also get rid of the odor of your shoes.

How long will fungus and bacteria live in the shoes?

The existence of these micro-organisms like bacteria and fungi prevails almost everywhere around us. We cannot see them with our naked eyes, but, indeed, we are not living alone as we think. Fungus and bacteria can easily prevail in dark and damp places, which are most prone to dirt.

Those micro-organisms can also prevail in our daily usage items that include even inside our shoes. The duration and period of the bacteria and fungus are:

• Bacteria and fungi remain active and continue their action from 12 to 20 months. They cannot be stopped without taking anti-bacterial precautions against them.
•  The moisture present inside your shoes can trigger the growth of bacteria and fungi. They can also develop from the dead cells inside the boots.
• They secure their places mostly in dirty regions. So if you are the one who doesn’t wash or clean the shoes, then you are more most to bacterial and fungus infestation.
• But the good news is that duration of the fungus can be controlled by taking the required measures. For example, one can use anti-bacterial sprays, detergent, hot water, and a dishwasher to prevent bacteria.

How to clean used shoes?

If you are thinking about the cleaning and grooming of the things that you use, then it is your used shoes that need the most requirements of cleaning. Used shoes are the dwelling places of hundreds of thousands of bacteria and other microbial infestations. The most efficient way to get rid of them is to clean them properly.

The best ways to clean used shoes are as follows:

1. The most traditional and common way of cleaning used shoes is done easily at home using soap or a dishwasher. A piece of cloth and a regular soap along with some water for doing the cleansing are all you need.
2. Detergents are also very much available in the house of all. They are effective against bacterial growth and are best for removing dirt and stains.
3. The stain remover is also made to remove the stubborn marks from your shoes and make them new.
4. An old brush in some water can remove the heavy dirt and mud from your shoes and clean them.
5. The used shoes had gone through dirt and dust, they must be cleaned by any means, whether at home or outside to the cobbler.

How to disinfect used shoes?

Used shoes or shoes from thrift shops are required to be cleaned for the best use. This requirement of cleaning is mostly served to disinfect those shoes. Used shoes are mostly prone to dirt and dust. Even if they don’t look dirty, they still contain bacteria and fungus. So the ways to disinfect the shoes to use them are as follows:

• The easiest way of disinfecting used shoes is available in the market. You can have an anti-bacterial spray to kill the bacteria and fungus in just some minutes. Then the shoes become ready to use after drying.
• Disinfecting bacterial shoes can also be done at home with simple home remedies. Any detergent powder or even regular soap can do the job without any issue.
• The hand disinfecting of the used shoes can be done using a brush or cloth and a dishwasher. In this process, both the inside and outside of the shoes should properly be cleaned.
• Again, the shoes can be disinfected most simply without any effort through the washing machine. One can use some detergents and wash them in the machine with gentle cycles. But, it should be kept in mind that no harsh treatment can be done while washing through the machine.

How to clean shoes with sanitizer spray?

As one of the most required materials to be cleaned, shoes secure the top list among those materials. Shoe sanitizer spray is one way of cleaning out the shoes before making them dirt-free and disinfectant. The methods of cleaning shoes using a shoe sanitizer spray are mentioned below:

• Cleaning shoes can be fun and easy with a shoe sanitizer spray. It is efficient and also easy to be used for cleaning as well as disinfecting the shoes properly.
• Firstly, soap and water should be used to wipe off the debris from the shoes.
• Secondly, the shoes should be allowed for some minutes to dry.
• Then a shoe sanitizer spray should be sprinkled throughout the soles of the shoes. The sprayed solution should be wiped down all over the place properly.
• The solutions should also be allowed to dry. And here you are left with cleaning up the shoes effectively and most eligibly.

Things should be considered Before buying shoes.

There are some major differences buying between new and used shoes from the thrift store. In brand new shoes, you don’t need to consider many other additional things to choose the used ones. The things that you needed to be reminded of before buying shoes, especially from the thrift store, are given below:

• Old shoes are more prone to bacterial attacks. They are the ones that can remain in the dirtiest state and are not eligible for use.
• So, one of the essential things to buy and use the used shoes is to clean them well and disinfect them.
• Before buying the shoes, they should be checked well, whether they are in their usable condition or not.
• Damaged shoes are prevailing at the thrift store. So you can never be assured of their quality and condition. So, it’s always compulsory to check for yourself before buying shoes.
• One can have a great pair of quality shoes at a cheaper rate from those shops if they follow the proper buying rules. The inside and outside of the boots should properly be checked. The appropriate size for your frame should be ensured, and one can even engage in bargaining.

Handy Hints: If you interested to know more guides about shoes, visit our other article about Can You Wash Converse In The Washing Machine?

Can you clean your shoes with alcohol?

Yes, alcohol can also be one of the prime ingredients of cleaning your shoes in the way you want and the result you look. Alcohol is the topmost ingredient you’ll be looking for when it comes to cleaning and disinfecting things.

Your shoes can be cleaned with alcohol as mentioned in the below sections:

1. Rubbing alcohol:

Rubbing alcohol is one of the great things for cleaning your shoes. This alcohol is specially made for cleansing the shoes as well as disinfecting them. Rubbing alcohol can be used by taking it in a small cotton ball and wiping it throughout the shoes. Besides this, many other alcohols present in different forms can also be used for cleaning.

2. Anti-bacterial mechanism of alcohol:

Alcohol contains the kind of mechanism that reacts with bacteria and fungi and kills them. Alcohol has the property to interrupt the actions of the bacteria through a special kind of mechanism.

During this mechanism, nascent oxygen, which is also known as active oxygen, is formed. This nascent oxygen reacts with the bacteria to kill them and turns colorful substances into colorless.

3. Alcohol in other cleansing agents:

The role of alcohol in cleaning is immense as it is present almost in every other cleansing agent. Alcohol is the prime ingredient in most cleansing agents for cleaning and disinfecting bacteria. So undoubtedly, alcohol is one of the best ingredients to clean thrift store shoes.

FAQ about How to Disinfect Shoes from the Thrift Store

Our verdict on How to Disinfect Shoes from the Thrift Store

Curiously, dirt and dust give life to bacteria and infections. They can only be prevented using taking proper cleaning measures. That’s why we need to know how to disinfect shoes from the thrift store.

And thus, the disinfection of the shoes that are especially found in the thrift store is also done by cleaning them. So, if you ever think of buying shoes from the thrift store, pre-plan the cleaning session in the first place.

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