Hot Tip: Use Magic Eraser to Restore Old Converse

In Mindy Kaling's recent memoir she writes briefly of men she's dated and the dirty, dingy Converse sneakers they tend to proudly wear and never replace. She says something to the effect of, "Come on guys, they're a $40 purchase and you are an adult. Let's maybe consider replacing them."

Apologies for the messy paraphrase but my Kindle is out of batteries (score 1 for books, 0 for e-readers/me remembering to charge anything).

Anyways, I was definitely implicated in that line. I was probably wearing my dirtiest, dankest gray-on-gray Chucks at the moment I read it. Then I called my sister to talk about the book and she immediately said, "Did you read that part about the dirty Converse? Spot on!" I purchased a new pair—the navy ones above—shortly thereafter, and they immediately became as dirty as my old ones.

But we both recently learned a hot tip to lengthen the life of your beloved Chucks!

Tip: Use a Magic Eraser to clean your Converse. This weekend found my sis and I sitting on my floor, scrubbing our sneaks with a choose-a-size Magic Eraser I'd picked up to clean my computer keyboard.

Simply wet the Eraser, wring it out, and buff. It took neither time nor elbow grease. The result really is magical!



And a second tip: insoles, because, really, walking around in worn-out canvas sneakers has the comfort and support equivalent of strapping a cardboard box to your feet.