After a year of providing service to individuals, Sandeep Gajakas of Mumbai-based The Shoe Laundry is looking at tying up with two five-star hotels and two speciality hospitals as these places maintain high levels of hygiene.

"People who visit these places want to follow prescribed norms and therefore, there are a lot of customers who want to get their sneakers washed," he says.  He has also approached gyms and health clubs.

The Shoe Laundry is a speciality service, which offers a cleaning and repair service for those expensive sports shoes you muddied trekking last week.

Says S R Srinivasan, ex-COO, Voltas air-conditioning and refrigeration group and a Laundry client: "The logic that professional maintenance extends the life of a product holds true for a shoe also."

"People spend thousands on buying sneakers, but not a single rupee is spent to maintain them," says Gajakas.

Today, the Shoe Laundry gets an average of 15-20 pairs of shoes a day. It has just shifted into its new premises at Sion, which has the advantage of catering to customers from all corners of the city.

The cleaning process involves detergents and disinfectants. Every shoe goes through a stitch-by-stitch inspection followed by a hand wash, assisted with a motorised scrubber.

Several rinses later, the shoe is ready to be disinfected, after which it is dried by natural evaporation and ventilation.

"We also do minor repairs, which include replacing insoles and worn out laces, if required," says Gajakas. The major cost component is the pick up and delivery service, which forms almost 50 per cent of the total cost.