Literally just pulled my daughter’s high tops out of the washer. We unlace them and put them in a zippered laundry bag (cheap at most stores that sell Landry soap, look near the clothespins in the cleaning aisle) with the laced. Wash shoes alone with regular soap and a small amount of oxiclean on gentle with an extra rinse, cool water, smallest load. They finished looking very nice and we usually let shoes dry sitting out in the air on a towel for a day or 2 before wearing.
In skincare discussions what you experienced is called “pilling” and it’s the result of putting on a lotion or skin product too soon after another one that was applied too thickly or didn’t have time to absorb fully. The balls are dead skin and the dried lotion or sunscreen that has gotten gummy and stuck to itself like eraser bits. Apply your sunscreen a little bit thinner and rub it in well and it shouldn’t continue to happen.