'Sneakers look brand new': Save your soles with these No. 1 bestselling sponges

Have you ever noticed that sneaker soles — the part of your shoe that spends all its time on the filthy ground — almost always seem to be white? And when you buy a new pair of gleaming Nikes, they're usually smudged before they even make it out the door on their maiden voyage. You can clean them with vinegar, but who wants to walk around smelling like a house salad? Amazon's No. 1 bestselling shoe cleaner is one of the most efficient ways to get your soles white again. These pre-moistened, dual-sided sponges easily tackle pesky scuff marks and dirt, and they're just over $1 each.

A gentle rub is all you need for maximum cleaning power. And if the sponges begin to dry while you're buffing, simply add a bit of water to reactivate them. Before you know it, you'll be glowing up, whether you're running errands or jogging around the neighborhood.

SneakErasers are the brainchild of college roommates-turned-entrepreneurs who realized the hard way how critical clean sneakers are when you’re pitching million-dollar ideas to C-suites. (Yes, you can now pitch in sneakers — another reason you should keep them clean.) From humble beginnings in a garage sprang this mighty sponge, which made it to Shark Tank and is now the No. 1 bestselling shoe cleaner on Amazon.

These doodads have over 7,500 five-star fans who say they leave their kicks looking "like brand new," and more than 10,000 have been sold in the last month.

"I was expecting this to be another hyped product that did not live up to its name and marketing," said this skeptic. "Wow, I was wrong. ... I have used it now on seven sneakers and shoes and it works extremely well. I've only tried it around the edges of white or light brown shoes, but each time it was amazing how much dirt it took off. One pair of shoes, I used a small towel with soap and water first. Then I used this product and got even more off. What I also like is it's easy to carry and there's not soap and messy liquid that I have to deal with. I'm definitely bringing several on upcoming trips as they're so easy to use and store."

"These things are the truth," said another footloose fan. "I wet the sponge, poured some baking soda on it and started wiping. When I say my mouth was wide open because this shoe had been sitting in my garage for dang near three months with THICK dried up mud and it was coming RIGHT off. Y'all, I cleaned my shoes in 16 minutes. SIXTEEN MINUTES! I used one sponge for each shoe and I didn't even do a thorough cleaning, but it cleaned it enough to where you couldn't really tell it was ever dirty."

"I didn't expect this to work," said another reviewer (and converted skeptic). "But it does — unexpectedly well. Will definitely purchase again. The instructions say to use it gently to avoid disintegration, but my experience was that it dissolved anyway. However, my shoes were pretty soiled. I think once you get the shoes clean it should be a breeze maintaining a fresh look with this product and they probably won't dissolve as fast. Definitely keep the sponge super wet."

A final shopper said these work better on a "newer pair of shoes" but aren't as effective on older pairs where the stains may have settled in a bit longer.

If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.