To clean Air Max 90 sneakers, brush off the dry dirt, give the textile and leather a light pass of foam or Nike's mild soap mix, wipe the foam midsole, and give the visible Air unit nothing harsher than a soft damp cloth. Then air dry at room temperature. The 95, 97, Air Max 1 and Plus follow the same order; what changes is the upper.
Nike publishes no care page for the Air Max line, so its general guide applies; we cover that in our Nike shoes guide. SneakerSalt is not affiliated with Nike.
What each Air Max is made of
These are Nike's own listings. Colourways differ, so check the tongue label for your pair.
| Model | Upper, per Nike | Air | Our foam on the upper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Max 90 | Textile with leather and synthetic overlays, TPU accents; some pairs leather, suede or synthetic leather | Heel unit | Textile and white leather: Excellent. Coloured leather: test first. TPU and synthetic overlays: untested |
| Air Max 95 OG | Synthetic leather and textiles | Heel and forefoot | Excellent; test the synthetic leather first |
| Air Max 97 | Mesh and "synthetic materials" | Full length | Mesh: Excellent. The unnamed synthetic: untested |
| Air Max 1 | Leather, textile and suede, or synthetic leather, suede and mesh | Heel unit | Excellent; test coloured or synthetic leather first. Suede: blot only |
| Air Max Plus | Synthetic with mesh, TPU arch, "fingers" and toe tip, reflective details | Not in the listing | Mesh: Excellent. The synthetic, TPU and reflective trim: untested |
The 90, 95, 97 and 1 sit on a foam midsole and a rubber outsole, with Nike's Waffle tread on the 90 and the 1. Our foam lifts surface grime from both.
How to clean Air Max 90s at home
- Laces out. They're the one part Nike lets through a gentle machine cycle, in a mesh bag.
- Brush it all dry. Nike starts with a soft, dry brush over the outsole, midsole and upper. Pick the grit out of the Waffle pattern before anything wet touches the shoe.
- Textile and leather. Two pumps on one panel, wait ten seconds, then short strokes with the soft brush and a dry cloth. Go panel by panel between the overlays. On coloured leather, try an inside panel first; on an Infrared pair, that means any red overlay that's leather. Keep the pressure light; Nike warns against scrubbing leather too hard.
- TPU accents and synthetic overlays. Not on our tested list, so no foam: a soft cloth wrung out in Nike's mix of warm water and a small amount of mild detergent or dish soap.
- Midsole. Foam along the side, ten seconds, a wipe. Blot any painted section instead of scrubbing it.
- Dry slowly. Paper inside, room temperature, no dryer or heater. Nike notes that many shoes need at least 8 hours.
On the textile, leather and midsole we use our own SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam: pH 7.2, no bleach, no solvents, no rinse, with the brush and cloth in the box.
The Air unit, or "the bubble"
Nike's care guides never mention the Air unit, and its help page explaining Nike Air says nothing about cleaning one. There's no maker instruction, and it isn't on our tested list. The common advice is short: wipe the clear window with a soft damp cloth, keep picks and wire brushes off it, and dry the shoes away from heaters. On a 97 the unit runs heel to toe, so the wipe is longer, not different. A 95 has two windows to do.
Air Max 95, 97, Air Max 1 and Plus
- Air Max 95. Synthetic leather layered over textile. Our table counts synthetic leather with patent and vinyl, rated Excellent after an inside-panel test. Work the layers top down so lifted grime doesn't run onto a finished panel. Black 95s: same method, wiped until the cloth comes away clean.
- Air Max 97. The mesh takes the foam well. Nike doesn't say what the synthetic is, so use the damp cloth and mild mix there. Cleaning 97s with household items? Nike's mix is that recipe, kept weak: Nike says a high concentration of dish soap can discolour shoes or strip natural oils.
- Air Max 1. Do the suede first, while dry: brush one way, then, only if marks remain, one light pump, ten seconds, press a dry cloth on and lift. Stop the foam short of the suede when you clean the panels beside it. More in our suede and nubuck guide.
- Air Max Plus. Foam on the mesh between the fingers, the brush tip to reach in. The synthetic, the TPU and the reflective details get the damp cloth.
- Air Max 270. See how to clean white Air Max 270s.
- Terrascape and others. Find the upper on the label, then clean by material.
White again, and clean for longer
On white 90s most of the grey is surface grime. Yellow from dirt lifts too. Rubber that has been yellowing for years has changed chemically, and no spray reverses that, ours included. Nike's white-shoe guide offers a baking soda and vinegar recipe for white leather; our white leather guide treats baking-soda paste as abrasive, so dab it on with a cloth rather than scrubbing. Creases across the toe box are folds, not dirt, and no cleaner removes them.
Nike's own tip for white pairs is to clean them regularly, before marks turn into tough messes. In practice that's a dry brush once they've dried after a wet walk, and a quick pass on the toe box before a mark sets.
Questions people actually ask
Are Nike Air Max 90 machine washable?
No. Nike does not recommend washing any of its shoes in the washing machine, and it rules out the dryer because the heat can damage them. Only the laces are cleared for a cycle.
How do you clean the mesh on Air Max?
Two pumps of foam or a little of Nike's mild mix, a soft brush in short strokes, then a dry cloth. Clean the surface rather than soaking it, and judge it dry, because damp mesh looks darker.
What can I use to clean my Nike Air Max?
A soft brush, a cloth, and a foam cleaner or warm water with a little mild detergent. Leave out bleach and harsh products, which Nike advises against, and anything abrasive near the Air window.
For the textile, the leather and the midsole of any Air Max: SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam, $24 with a brush and a cloth in the box, free shipping, and a full refund within 30 days if it doesn't clean your pair.
