To clean Jordan 11s, wipe the patent leather with a barely damp soft cloth or a little foam and buff it dry, clean the ballistic mesh with foam and a soft brush, and blot the midsole. The icy outsole gets a brush and mild soapy water. Keep all of it away from heat while it dries: patent's coating can crack or warp when it gets hot.
SneakerSalt is not affiliated with Nike or Jordan Brand, and since Nike publishes no Jordan 11 or patent care method, this guide works from Nike's general advice and patent-care sources.
What a Jordan 11 is made of
The 1995 design paired patent leather with ballistic mesh, and Nike's own Jordan 11 page still talks about the "patent leather shine". Some colourways use nubuck with the ballistic mesh instead of patent. Underneath is a translucent "icy" outsole.
| Part | Method | Our foam |
|---|---|---|
| Patent leather | Barely damp soft cloth or one pump of foam, wipe, buff dry | Excellent |
| Ballistic mesh | Foam, soft brush, blot | Excellent |
| Nubuck (some colourways) | Dry brush, eraser, light pump, blot | Good, blot only |
| Midsole | Foam, ten seconds, blot | Lifts surface grime |
| Icy outsole | Soft brush, then mild soapy water or foam | Excellent (rubber); lifts dirt, not age yellowing |
| Laces | Foam on a cloth, pull through | Good |
How to clean Jordan 11s, step by step
- Laces out, shape in. A shoe tree or paper inside so the patent doesn't flex while you wipe it.
- Dust everything. A dry soft cloth over the patent, a soft brush over the mesh and the sole. Grit dragged across patent is what scratches it.
- The icy outsole. Soft brush, a little mild soapy water, then a damp cloth to rinse. Do it before the upper so nothing drips onto clean patent.
- The midsole. A pump of foam, ten seconds, blot.
- The mesh. A light pump, a soft brush in small strokes, a blot with a dry cloth.
- The patent. One pump spread thin, or a barely damp cloth. Straight strokes, then buff with a second dry cloth until the shine is even.
- Dry at room temperature. Away from radiators and direct sun.
SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam is rated excellent on patent and on mesh, which covers most of a Jordan 11, and the box has the brush for the mesh and the cloth for the patent. It has no bleach and no solvents. On the patent, use the cloth rather than the brush: patent-care advice says no abrasive brushes. It also works on the icy rubber outsole, where it lifts dirt from the grooves but leaves any yellow that is in the rubber itself.
The patent leather: what helps and what hurts
- Heat. Casadei warns that heat can crack or warp the patent coating. That means no hair dryer to speed up drying, and no leaving them in a hot car.
- Colour transfer. Patent picks up colour from coloured materials it touches, and pale patent shows it first. Store each shoe in its own cloth bag, away from dark denim and other shoes.
- Abrasives. A magic eraser is a fine abrasive, and its maker says not to use it on high-gloss or polished finishes. Keep it off the patent.
- Creases. The patent creases where the shoe bends. Cleaning takes the dirt out of the fold; it doesn't remove the crease.
- Scratches. Scuffs that are rubber or dirt sitting on the coating wipe off. Scratches in the coating itself don't clean out.
Concord, Bred, Cool Grey and other colourways
The method follows the material, not the colourway name, so check what yours is made of. Not every 11 uses patent. If the leather on your pair is soft, with a nap that changes shade under your finger, it's nubuck: dry brush, an eraser on marks, one light pump of foam and a blot, never a wipe. Brush the nap up once dry. The suede and nubuck guide has the details.
Snakeskin-pattern pairs: check the box label for the material. If it says leather, treat it as leather and test an inside spot first. We haven't tested our foam on real exotic skins.
The icy sole and the bottom of Jordan 11s
Clean the translucent outsole with a soft brush and a mild soap solution. For stubborn marks on soles, Nike also suggests toothpaste on an old toothbrush or a damp melamine sponge; on the icy sole, test the melamine somewhere small with light pressure first.
Yellowing is the question everyone asks. Dirt in the grooves comes out and makes the sole look clearer. Yellowing in the material itself does not come out with any cleaner, ours included, and we know of no cleaner that reverses it. The hobbyist "icing" method with peroxide and UV light is backed only by weak sources, and its reported risks are unverified, so we don't recommend it. The yellowed soles guide covers dirt versus age.
Keeping Jordan 11s clean
- Wipe the patent after each wear; it takes seconds while the dirt is fresh.
- Store each shoe in a soft cloth bag, out of the light and away from heat. Avoid plastic bags.
- Keep them out of direct sun for long spells. A bag maker, Chylak, warns that long heat and sun exposure can deform patent and fade its colour.
- No washing machine, no tumble dryer. Nike doesn't recommend either for any shoe.
Questions people actually ask
How do you clean clear bottom Jordans?
A soft brush and mild soapy water, rinsed with a damp cloth. That removes dirt in the grooves. If the sole stays yellow once it's clean, the yellow is in the material and won't wash out.
Can you reverse yellowing rubber?
Not with a cleaner. Surface grime that looks yellow comes off; ageing in the sole itself doesn't, with ours or anyone else's. Methods that claim to reverse it rely on weak evidence.
Can you wash Jordan 11s?
By hand, panel by panel, yes. In a washing machine, no: Nike advises against machines for all its shoes, and the heat of a dryer risks the patent coating.
How do you clean Jordan 11s with household items?
A soft cloth barely damp with water for the patent, a little mild dish soap in warm water on a soft brush for the mesh and the sole, and a dry cloth to buff. Skip bleach and anything gritty.
Patent and mesh are both rated excellent for SneakerSalt Shoe Cleaning Foam: $24, free shipping, and your money back if your 11s don't come up clean.
