Sneakercleanik’s Gerald Explains How He Cleans Midsoles with SOLEQUAKE

Sneakercleanik co-founder Gerald is a bona fide pro when it comes to cleaning and restoring rare and beloved sneakers. Always looking to up his game, he’s put SOLEQUAKE’s German-engineered Powerful Midsole Cleaner to the test, and discovered a few new things about how to treat a filthy midsole in the process. Do your midsoles need a scrub? Trust us – you don’t need to be a pro to get great results.

A cleaner for the midsole – what was your first thought when you heard of this concept?
I’m always curious when there’s a new, innovative and promising cleaning solution. Is the product as good as advertised? Does it really get rid of the dirt? Could it make my job easier? I couldn’t wait to try Powerful Midsole Cleaner for myself to answer those questions.

And what is your impression after working with SOLEQUAKE?
I was excited right after the first use! There was a real ‘wow‘ effect, despite the fact that I have had a lot of cleaners going through my workshop. With the right handling, the cleaner worked without any problems, and created great results!

What is important when using it? Do you have any tips from a specialist's perspective?
As a specialist, I know it is important to read the manual first. The product carries a clear description, and the usage is easy: spray it on the midsole, let it work for at least 60 seconds, pick up the dirt with a cloth. With extreme dirt, just rinse the cloth or sponge and repeat the process.

Which sneaker models did you test the midsole cleaner on?
Of course the cleaner should only be applied to the midsole, but there will always be a few spatters on the upper, which can create problems with aggressive cleaners. I didn’t know how SOLEQUAKE would react on the upper, so I started out with shoes made mostly out of mesh. There were no issues with UltraBOOSTs and Yeezys. Then came some leather Air Jordan 1s – there were no problems with those, either. So I ventured onto shoes with velour and nubuck leathers. Again, there were no complaints.

In my testing, I paid most attention to a diversity of midsoles, and cleaned materials like EVA, rubber, poro and BOOST. All the results were convincing. With BOOST though, it’s about how well the midsole gets sealed before wearing the shoes. Otherwise, dirt can really eat into that material.

For which type of sneakers would you recommend the SOLEQUAKE midsole cleaner the most?
In my opinion, the cleaner works with all kinds of midsoles. Even with printed midsoles like on the ASICS GEL-Lyte III ‘Miami‘ or ‘Knicks‘. The colours neither changed or faded, which can be a problem with many other cleaners. I was also surprised by the good results with Chucks and Vans.

SOLEQUAKE is water-based, pH-adjusted and biodegradable. How important are such aspects in your daily work – and for you personally?
To be honest, in the past I have used everything from acetone to benzine just to get perfect results. With the toxic vapors of the solvents, you naturally start to worry about your own health at some point. It does make me feel better at work if I don‘t have these bad smells in my nose all the time.

What do you like most about SOLEQUAKE in comparison to other cleaners?
What I particularly like about the SOLEQUAKE Powerful Midsole Cleaner is the idea behind it: the ‘micro earthquakes‘ – the dirt kind of gets blasted away. I‘m curious to see if there’s more to come. With a product so convincing, we at Sneakercleanik would be happy to see a whole range of such innovative and environmentally friendly products.

You can find out more about the Powerful Midsole Cleaner here. Does your rotation need some TLC? SOLEQUAKE can be picked up directly from their webstore.