We're Grateful For Nike Dunks

The Grateful Dead Nike Dunk Low was one of the hottest releases of 2020. The Grateful Dead Dunks were inspired by the Grateful Dead Bears, which were featured on the album History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One  in 1973.

Three colorways of the Grateful Dead Nike Dunks released to the public; an orange pair, yellow pair, and the green pair which we’re going to be cleaning today. The Grateful Dead Nike Dunk Low features a mixture of suede and faux-fur, similar to what you’d find on a teddy bear which makes this a pretty tough clean. 

We picked up the green pair on the used market for around 1k, but brand new pairs are fetching 1.5k from sneakerheads and Grateful Dead enthusiasts alike. This shoe is too expensive to mess up…there’s no way we can afford to leave this pair looking so dirty. 

With all of the uncertainty surrounding how these tricky materials are going to clean up, we’re going to be cleaning the Grateful Dead Nike Dunks with the RESHOEVN8R Deep Clean Signature Bundle. 

Let’s hope this works! (Spoiler alert…it does. We never had a doubt…RESHOEVN8R is the best sneaker cleaner on the market.) 

Cleaning Difficult Materials With RESHOEVN8R

Jonny started the cleaning of the Grateful Dead Nike Dunks as he always does, removing the shoelaces and inserting the Adjustable Shoe Tree. Then, he used the Dry Suede Kit to clean up the suede material BEFORE we introduce water and Sneaker Cleaning Solution into the equation. 

The Dry Suede Kit is a two-piece suede cleaning tandem. Jonny used the suede eraser to clean up the stains on the suede, and the brush to dry brush the loose dirt and sediment off of the material. 

Now we can go ahead and clean the rest of the sneaker with RESHOEVN8R Sneaker Cleaning Solution and the Three Brushes. Jonny used Soft Bristle Brush to clean the uppers, the Medium Bristle Brush to scrub the midsoles, and the Stiff Bristle Brush to attack the outsole. 

Luckily the Grateful Dead Dunks are made from some really good quality materials. Jonny didn’t experience any color bleeding from the suede which was initially a big concern as we game planned how to appropriately tackle this cleaning. 

Crunchy suede? No way!

Sure the sneakers are clean now, but the suede in particular is looking extremely ashy and feels pretty crunchy. No one likes crunchy suede, especially the Brass Bristle Brush from RESHOEVN8R…it HATES crunchy suede so much that it makes suede soft and nappy for a living.

Jonny used the Brass Bristle Brush to brush the suede back and forth until soft and nappy. Most often this process doesn’t take too long, but for whatever reason the suede on the Grateful Dead Nike Dunk was stubborn. In the end, the suede gave up the fight and the Brass Bristle Brush was able to come out on top…our suede is buttery soft once again! 

The last step in this deep clean of the Grateful Dead Nike Dunks is to give the suede a misting of RESHOEVN8R Mink Oil. Our Mink Oil reconditions leathers and suedes, and brings back color on faded suede and nubuck materials. Jonny sprayed a few coats of Mink Oil directly onto the suede, and rubbed it into the material with the RESHOEVN8R Horsehair Brush. 

Now our suede is buttery soft AND vibrant. 

Rock On! 

All that’s left is to lace them and rock out to some Grateful Dead! 

Would you wear any of the Grateful Dead Nike Dunks? They’re pretty out there as far as design and colors go, but is the story behind them enough to make you pick them up? Head over to Youtube and let us know in the comments! 

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