How to Clean ASICS Gel-Kayano 14 Without Ruining Them

The first mark on a pair of white Kayano 14s usually turns up within a fortnight, and it is almost always on the midsole. The chunky white foam and the visible GEL windows pick up scuffs from kerbs, bus steps and other people's feet. If you are searching for how to clean ASICS Gel-Kayano 14 without making things worse, the short version is this: treat the shoe as three separate surfaces, use cold water, and never put it in a machine.

This is for anyone who has spent £189.99 to £199.99 on a pair and wants them to look right for more than a season. For the shoe itself, start with our complete UK guide to the Gel-Kayano 14.

Why the Kayano 14 needs a three-surface approach

• The mesh upper. Open weave, so dirt works into the fabric rather than sitting on top. It needs a soft brush and a light lather that lifts grime out, not a wipe that pushes it in.
• The leather and synthetic overlays. They wipe clean easily but do not like being soaked. Too much water and they stiffen, crack at the flex points or lift at the edges.
• The midsole and GEL units. The chunky retro midsole takes the beating and shows it: scuffs, black rubber transfer and gradual yellowing.

Cleaning all three the same way is how people end up with a spotless midsole and a bobbled mesh. Build quality is one of the shoe's strengths, as our honest review of the Kayano 14 covers. Careless cleaning is the quickest way to undo it.

What you need

• A soft-bristled brush (a dedicated trainer brush or a soft, clean washing-up brush)
• An old toothbrush for the midsole grooves and the seams around the GEL windows
• Mild soap (washing-up liquid diluted well, or a purpose-made trainer cleaner)
• Two bowls of cold water, one for cleaning and one clean for rinsing
• Two microfibre cloths, one damp and one dry
• A melamine sponge (magic eraser), for the midsole only
• Newspaper or kitchen paper for stuffing while drying
• Optional: a fabric protector spray suitable for mesh

Cold water throughout. Warm water softens the adhesives and sets stains into mesh.

Step by step: cleaning the upper

1. Take the laces and insoles out. You clean these separately, and it opens the tongue up.
2. Knock off dry dirt first. Bang the soles together outside, then go over the shoe with the dry brush. Wet mud smears, dry mud brushes off, so let muddy shoes dry fully first.
3. Mix a weak solution. A few drops of mild soap in cold water. Light lather, not suds, or you leave a residue that pulls dirt back in.
4. Do the mesh. Dip the soft brush, shake off the excess and work in small circles with light pressure. Rinse the brush in the clean bowl often.
5. Do the overlays. Switch to the damp microfibre cloth and wipe rather than scrub. A little solution on the cloth is fine for stubborn marks, but do not flood the panel.
6. Rinse the mesh, not the shoe. Wring out a clean cloth in clean cold water and go over the mesh to lift the soap out. Repeat until the cloth comes away clean. Never hold the shoe under a tap.
7. Blot. Press the dry cloth into the mesh to pull out as much water as you can, then move on to the midsole.

Midsole and GEL units

This is where the Kayano 14 either looks fresh or looks tired, and it is the surface most people are too gentle with. Start with the toothbrush and the soap solution. Work along the join between midsole and upper, into the grooves and around the GEL windows at heel and forefoot, where dirt collects.

For scuffs and rubber transfer on the flat foam faces, dampen the melamine sponge and rub gently. It works by fine abrasion, so keep it off the mesh, the overlays and any printed logos. A few passes takes off most black marks. Wipe with a damp cloth afterwards.

The GEL windows themselves get the damp cloth only. They scratch, and scratched GEL looks cloudy.

On yellowing: it is oxidation from UV and age, and hard to fully reverse at home. Regular cleaning and keeping the shoes out of direct sun slows it. Do not reach for bleach. It yellows foam faster once dry and wrecks any mesh it touches. If you also own GEL-1130s, the midsole rules are the same and the suede is not, which we cover in our guide to cleaning the ASICS GEL-1130's suede, mesh and white midsole.

Laces and insoles

Laces go into the soap solution for twenty minutes, then a rub between your fingers, a rinse and a hang to dry. Grey-gone white laces are usually cheaper to replace than rescue, and you will find replacements and shoe care bits in our accessories collection.

Insoles get a wipe with the damp cloth and a little soap, then a dry cloth, then air. Do not soak them, and do not put them back until both insole and shoe are bone dry. That is where the smell starts.

Drying without warping them

This is the step people rush, and it does the most damage.

• Stuff each shoe firmly with scrunched newspaper or kitchen paper. It draws moisture out and holds the toe box shape while the upper is soft.
• Leave the tongue pulled up and forward so air gets in.
• Room temperature, indoors, out of direct sun. Near an open window is ideal.
• Overnight at minimum. Twenty-four hours if you rinsed thoroughly.

Never dry them on a radiator, with a hairdryer or in a tumble dryer. Heat shrinks mesh, curls the overlays and softens the sole adhesive.

How often to clean them and how to prevent the worst of it

A damp-cloth wipe of the midsole every week or two, before marks set, keeps a white pair looking new far longer than a heavy clean every three months. Rubber transfer that is a day old comes off with a cloth. After a month it needs the sponge. Do the full routine whenever the mesh looks dull rather than white, roughly every four to six weeks with regular wear, more often through a British winter.

Once the shoes are clean and completely dry, a fabric protector spray on the mesh is worth doing. Two light coats, held at a distance, avoiding the GEL windows. It will not make the shoe waterproof but rain and spills bead off rather than soaking in. Reapply after every couple of cleans.

Colourway notes: White Ivory, Fjord Grey and White Light Navy

All three colourways we stock share the same construction, but they show dirt very differently. Our colourway comparison of the Fjord Grey, White Light Navy and White Ivory covers how they look on foot. Here is how they behave dirty.

What not to do

• No washing machine. Even on a cold, delicate cycle the drum knocks the overlays about and the spin stresses the glue at the sole.
• No dishwasher. Heat, harsh detergent and a jet of water.
• No tumble dryer, radiator or hairdryer. Heat is the enemy.
• No bleach or bathroom sprays. They yellow foam, strip colour from mesh and dry out leather.
• No magic eraser on the upper. On mesh it fluffs the weave. On overlays it takes the finish off.
• No hot water. Cold every time.
• Do not wear them damp. Damp mesh stretches and attracts dirt.

GEL-NYC owners, the suede on those needs a different approach again. We have a separate guide to cleaning the GEL-NYC's suede, leather and cream upper.

Quick answers

Can I put ASICS Gel-Kayano 14 in the washing machine?

We would not. The overlays, the sole glue and the GEL units all suffer in a drum. Hand cleaning takes twenty minutes and carries none of the risk.

How do I get scuffs off the white midsole?

Soap solution and an old toothbrush first, then a damp melamine sponge on the flat foam faces. Wipe the GEL windows with a cloth only, as they scratch.

How do I stop the midsole going yellow?

Clean marks off promptly, store the shoes out of direct sunlight and never use bleach. Yellowing is oxidation and is far easier to slow than reverse.

How long do they take to dry?

Overnight as a minimum, twenty-four hours if you rinsed thoroughly. Stuff them with paper and keep them away from heat.

Keep them looking new, or start with a fresh pair

A pair that gets a weekly midsole wipe and a proper clean every month or so will look sharp for years. If yours are past saving, browse the current range in our ASICS trainers collection. All three colourways are stocked in men's UK sizing, with free UK delivery over £100, same day dispatch before 2PM, and Klarna and Clearpay at checkout. Laces, care kits and the rest are in our accessories range.

Keep reading

• The complete UK guide to the ASICS Gel-Kayano 14
• Fjord Grey vs White Light Navy vs White Ivory: which Kayano 14 colourway to pick
• How to clean the ASICS GEL-1130
• How to clean the ASICS GEL-NYC
• Eight outfits that work with the Gel-Kayano 14