Skecher's Twinkle Toes - How to Clean?

One good thing to know about Skechers Twinkle Toes is that the electronics are encased in rubber and embedded in the heal (Googled how to change battery to learn that tidbit.), so you don't have to worry about shorting them through washing. The things to worry about are the rhinestones, laces, shiny taffeta, tulle, or other artsy flourishes. To protect those things, here is what I would do.

To begin with, I would fully immerse and swirl the shoes around in warm-hot water to loosen and displace most of the urine. I agree with the Mom who suggested soaking them in an enzyme spray for pet accidents, as those are designed to be color-safe on carpets. I would completely saturate the shoes with it, let sit for 20 minutes, and rinse with warm water (Personally, I would avoid Oxyclean, as some bad internet advice once caused me to ruin a few shirts I tried to stain-treat with it.).

You can quit there and dry them in the sun, but if you think they could use a good overall cleaning, here is a great tip: Wash them in the dishwasher! It works wonders on shoes, hats, baseball caps, and anything else you want to clean/sanitize without agitating in the washing machine. I use a product called Pink Miracle Tennis Shoe Cleaner (found on Amazon) to clean the really dirty parts (soles, bumpers), and I put them on the top rack for a spin through the dishwasher. Use whatever setting you are comfortable with. They will come out clean and sanitized and with rhinestones intact.

I showered my daughters with shampoo. They dried and still light up. The old pair I put in the washer tore up right after so I would not do that again.
The velcro seperated from the fabric which is a first. Many of the rhinestones fell off as well.

Try hand washing with detergent and Oxy Clean or bleach for colors, let them soak for a while to get the smell out. You might have to do it twice. Dry in the sun, not dryer. Been there , done that with pee pee accident in kids shoes, lol. I have washed Twinkle Toes in the washer in a tied pillowcase on extra gentle but they weren't brand spanking new so I wasn't too concerned if they wore a little. You are going to lose some of the rhinestones anyway from wear and tear. I have noticed in the past that Sketchers don't hold up as well as I thought they would.

If it was me, I would just wash them. Yeah, you might loose the light up ability but everything else should be fine. I don't think there is any other real good way to get rid of pee smell.

i put all of our tennis shoes in the washer including those with lights...and im sure ive done our twinkle toes before. wash with towels or a full load to keep them from hitting the wall too often. either air dry aterwards or put in garment bag and hang over the door of the dryer and dry with the rest o the clothes. if you still dont want to do that just soak them in water with some of your detergent. it wont get it out all the way im sure but it should get the smell out and urine is sanitary i understand anyways.

I know this is an old question but i just wanted to give an answer for moms looking today in the present. My daughter also had an accident but after looking on the internet for a while i decided my best choice was to wash them with a load of Towels (to prevent them from knocking onto the side of the machine) They came out great they smell amazing (i use ALL detergent with oxyclean already in it and snuggle softener) the lights all still work i am air drying them so not to aggravate the lights or potentially shrink the material.
I hope this helps moms now and in the future. I know looking at out dated information can be frustrating.

Hi C.,

I would have said baby wipes because they do wonders for dirty shoes. But for your needs maybe try that spray cleaner used to clean rugs after a puppy accident. That way you can control how wet to get them and there will not be any smell once they are clean and dry.

My daughter has Twinkle Toes too - I understand how important it is to salvage them...lol :)

Good luck,
L.

I would use a combination of just a drop of detergent (dish or laundry), a little Oxi clean or similar (baking soda will work too) and some vinegar - after it fizzes, mix well and use a toothbrush w/just a little of the mixture on the nastier parts of the shoes, follow w/a clean cloth w/a little mixture then wipe down with a dry cloth. That should clean and disinfect them and the vinegar should take away any smell. Good luck!

hand wash them in Woolite