Like your comfiest jeans or your most washed-to-perfection tee, your favorite sneakers have the potential to feel like an extension of your body. The bad news is, no matter how hard you try, nothing is going to restore your sneakers to box-fresh condition. “You can clean a pair of sneakers and make them look good, but you can’t make them look brand new.” Sneaker Biology 101The first step to a sparkling clean pair of sneakers is taking stock of what kind(s) of material you’re dealing with. In other words, cleaning can't remedy yellow or crumbling midsoles, and putting them in the washing machine will only make things worse.