TOMS are the kind of shoes you reach for without thinking. Light, easy to slip on, and comfortable enough to wear all day. They also pick up dirt fast, and cleaning them the wrong way can shrink the canvas, warp the shape, or leave water stains you cannot undo. The good news is that keeping them fresh is simple once you know what your pair is made of.

To clean TOMS shoes, start by checking the material. For canvas, brush off loose dirt, then hand clean or soak the uppers in lukewarm water with a gentle detergent and let them air dry. For leather, wipe with a damp cloth and mild soap. For suede, skip the water and brush marks away dry. Never use hot water or a dryer.

TOMS come in more materials than most people realize, and the material decides everything about how you clean them. The classic Alpargata is cotton canvas, but the lineup also includes burlap and hemp, smooth leather, synthetic or faux leather, suede, and cozy faux fur. A method that works well on canvas can wreck suede, so it always pays to look before you clean.

Flip the shoe over and read the inside tag, then check TOMS' own care note if your pair came with one. When in doubt, test any cleaner on a hidden spot first, like the inside heel or under the tongue, so you catch any discoloration before it shows on the part everyone sees.

Here is the short version. Canvas can handle water and gentle cleaning. Leather needs less water and a soft touch. Suede wants no water at all, and delicate finishes like faux fur do best with light, careful spot cleaning. Match your method to the material and you are already ahead.

You do not need a complicated kit to clean TOMS. Most of this is already sitting in your kitchen or bathroom.

• Lukewarm water, never hot

• Mild soap or a gentle shoe detergent

• A soft cloth

• A soft brush or an old toothbrush

• Paper towels for stuffing and drying

For canvas and fabric uppers, SneakERASERS SOAK is built for a deep clean and is safe for the kinds of fabric that a sponge should never touch. For quick touch-ups on rubber soles and toe caps, a SneakERASERS sponge does the job with a little water to activate it.

One more thing. Skip the bleach, harsh chemicals, and the dryer. TOMS are gentle shoes, and gentle care is what keeps them looking right wear after wear.

Canvas is the most common TOMS material and the most forgiving to clean. That is good news, because it means you can handle both a quick refresh and a deeper clean right at home, with no special equipment.

Stick with cold to lukewarm water and gentle products. Hot water and rough handling are the fastest ways to ruin canvas TOMS, since heat can shrink the fabric and loosen the adhesive that holds the sole on. Cooler water protects both the shape and the bond.

And remember the golden rule. Swipe, don't scrub. Let the water and the cleaner do the work while you guide them along. Pressing too hard frays the canvas and pushes stains deeper instead of lifting them out. The same gentle approach works for cleaning canvas shoes of almost any kind, from slip-ons to lace-ups.

Some days your TOMS need a fast fix, not a full wash. Start by wiping away loose dirt with a dry cloth so you are not grinding grit into the shoe. Then dampen a SneakERASERS sponge and gently swipe scuffs off the rubber sole, the toe bumper, and any other non-porous spots.

Keep the sponge on the rubber and trim, not the canvas fabric itself. Use the white side first, then follow with the orange side, which clears away any leftover residue and gives you a little extra grip while you work.

This is the fix that lives in your bag, your desk drawer, or your glove box. A quick swipe before a meeting or a night out keeps your TOMS looking sharp between deeper cleans. Canvas slip-ons like Keds respond to the same fast touch-up routine.

When dirt has settled in, give the canvas a real soak. First, pull out the insoles and remove the laces if your pair has them, so every surface gets clean. Loosen any caked-on dirt with a dry brush so the cleaner can reach into the weave of the fabric.

Next, mix SneakERASERS SOAK with lukewarm water and let the canvas uppers soak for two hours or more, or overnight for heavily soiled pairs. Gently work any stubborn spots with a soft brush, then rinse until the water runs clear so no soap dries into the fabric and leaves a mark.

Wash the laces and insoles separately in the same solution while you are at it. This deep soak is exactly the job SOAK was made for, since it cleans fabric safely where a sponge is not the right tool.

Most everyday marks on canvas TOMS come out with lukewarm water, a gentle detergent, and a little patience, but a few stains need a targeted first step before the wash. Here is how to handle the ones people run into most.

For grass and mud, let the spot dry all the way first. Wet mud smears, so brush the dried dirt off with a soft brush, then treat what is left like a normal canvas clean.

For coffee, food, and other set-in stains, blot up whatever you can, then soak the uppers in SneakERASERS SOAK and lukewarm water so the color lifts out of the weave instead of setting deeper. The long soak does the patient work for you, which spares the canvas the hard pressing that frays the fabric and pushes stains further in.

For oil or grease, dab the spot and sprinkle a little baking soda to pull the oil up before you clean. Give it a few minutes, brush it away, then soak as usual.

Rinse until the water runs clear each time, and let the shoes air dry before you judge the result, since canvas almost always looks darker while it is still wet.

Not every pair of TOMS is canvas. Leather, synthetic, and suede all need less water and more care, and the method shifts with each one. Rush them and you risk stains, cracks, or a warped shape that no cleaner can fix.

Test a hidden area first, every single time, and never soak leather or suede. These materials do not bounce back from a full dunk the way canvas does.

It also helps to be honest about what any cleaner can and cannot do here, so let's take the three one at a time.

For leather and faux leather, wipe the surface with a damp cloth, lukewarm water, and a little mild soap. Dry it right away with a clean, soft cloth instead of letting it sit wet. Once the leather is dry, follow up with a proper leather conditioner to keep it supple and prevent cracking down the road.

A SneakERASERS sponge can help lift a scuff on leather, but use it lightly and only on the mark itself. It is not a leather conditioner, so think of it as a spot fix rather than a full-care step.

Whatever you do, do not oversaturate the material, and keep it away from heat while it dries. Direct heat can crack leather and warp synthetics, and that kind of damage does not come back.

Suede plays by one firm rule. Keep it dry. Instead of water, brush dry dirt away with a suede brush, working in a single direction to lift the dust out of the nap. For scuffs and set-in marks, lift them with a suede eraser or a gentle pass of a nail file.

SneakERASERS sponges and SOAK are not made for suede, so set those aside for this material. Reach for a dedicated suede and leather protector instead, which is designed to guard the surface without staining it.

Better yet, protect suede before you ever wear it. A pre-treatment spray helps spills bead up and roll off instead of soaking in, which saves you the stress of a stain you cannot lift later.

TOMS are often worn sockless, which feels great in summer but sets the stage for smell. It comes from bacteria feeding on the sweat your feet leave behind, as the Cleveland Clinic explains, and warm, damp shoes are exactly where that bacteria thrives.

To freshen them up, sprinkle baking soda inside and let it sit overnight, then tap it out in the morning. Air the shoes out between wears, rotate between a couple of pairs so each one fully dries, and give them a full deodorizing clean with SneakERASERS SOAK when they need a real reset.

Prevention helps just as much as any cleanup. Slip on no-show socks, dust your feet or the insoles with foot powder, and make sure each pair is completely dry before you put it back on.

How you dry TOMS matters just as much as how you clean them. Air dry only, away from direct sun, radiators, and heat vents. The dryer is off limits too, since heat can shrink canvas and damage the soles and insoles in a single cycle.

Stuff the shoes with paper towels to help them hold their shape and pull moisture from the inside out. Swap the towels once they get damp, and give the shoes a full 24 hours before you decide they are dry. The same drying rules apply to most canvas sneakers, so it is a habit worth keeping.

Drying times shift with humidity, so a muggy day means a longer wait. Make sure your TOMS are bone-dry before you wear them, because leftover moisture is exactly what invites odor right back in.

Still have questions? Here are quick answers to the questions we hear most.

TOMS recommends machine washing only if your specific pair is labeled machine washable. The safer route is hand cleaning or a SOAK soak. If you decide to use the machine anyway, wash in cold water on a gentle cycle, place the shoes in a laundry bag, and air dry only. The real risk is heat and agitation, which can misshape the canvas and weaken the bond that holds the sole on.

For white canvas, reach for SneakERASERS SOAK and a soft brush, and skip the bleach, which can yellow the fabric over time. To keep the rubber sole and toe cap bright, swipe them with a damp SneakERASERS sponge. The best trick for white TOMS is prevention. Clean small marks early, and store them away from dust and direct sun.

Give them a quick touch-up whenever you spot a scuff, and a deeper clean every few weeks if you wear them most days. Regular care keeps odor and stains from setting in, which is far easier than lifting them out later. A little gentle upkeep goes a long way toward making your favorite pair last.

Cleaning TOMS comes down to one habit. Match the method to the material, then keep everything gentle. Swipe, don't scrub, air dry every time, and test anything new on a hidden spot first. Do that, and your favorite pair will look good far longer than it would with a rushed, one-size-fits-all wash.

When you are ready to clean, SneakERASERS SOAK handles the deep canvas jobs, and a SneakERASERS sponge keeps your soles and toe caps sharp between washes. It is the same easy approach that has cleaned more than six million shoes and earned a spot on Shark Tank, made simple enough to do at your kitchen sink or on your way out the door. Keep a SneakERASERS Shoe Cleaning Kit within reach, and your favorite TOMS stay ready for whatever the day brings.