The Footwear Laundry Company
The most sustainable pair is the one you already own
Cleaning is the quietest form of sustainability there is. Every pair kept in wear is a pair that stays out of landfill.
Made, worn, thrown
Footwear is built to be replaced. A worn pair is set aside, a new pair is bought, and the cycle continues.
Most trainers are a bonded mix of rubber, foam, textile and adhesive. They are not designed to come apart, which is what makes recycling them so difficult, so the great majority are never recycled at all.
Making a new pair
New everything
Raw materials, manufacture, freight and packaging, before it is ever worn
Caring for the pair you own
A fraction of it
A little water, a little product, and no new materials at all
Nothing we clean has to be made again.
What care actually does
Dirt is not only a matter of appearance. Grit works into the midsole and wears it from the inside. Salt draws moisture out of leather until it cracks. Trapped damp breaks down the adhesives holding a sole in place.
Cleaning removes what is quietly doing the damage. Done properly and often enough, it adds years to a pair rather than months.
Longevity
Removing grit and salt slows the wear that shortens a pair's life.
Condition
Leather kept supple and textile kept open, rather than left to stiffen.
Kept in wear
A pair that looks cared for is a pair that keeps being worn.
Four habits worth keeping
Most of what shortens a pair's life is avoidable, and none of it takes long.
One
Don't leave dirt on
Mud and salt keep working long after the walk home. A brush down the same day prevents most lasting marks.
Two
Let them rest
A pair worn daily never dries out fully. Rotating between two pairs roughly doubles the life of both.
Three
Dry slowly
Radiators and hot air shrink leather and weaken adhesives. Room temperature, away from direct heat, is always better.
Four
Deal with it early
A fresh mark lifts easily. The same mark left for a season sets into the material and often stays.
Our part in it
We are a cleaning service, not a restoration workshop, and we are honest about what cleaning can and cannot achieve. But a pair that looks cared for tends to stay in wear, and that is where the real saving lies.
Every pair that comes through us is one more kept out of landfill, for a while longer.
Begin your serviceMaintain, Protect & Preserve