Wash And Blot The Uppers
Use the mild solution and a soft-bristled brush, toothbrush, or a soft damp cloth to clean the uppers. Take your time and don’t scrub too hard.
When you’re satisfied with the look, use a dry microfiber towel or soft cloth to blot and lift as much soapy moisture and dirt as possible. Repeat if necessary. Try to avoid drying by rubbing as it can wear down the shoe fabric or spread any remaining small bits of dirt.
Whiten Your Shoes With Dish Soap
Dish soap is another go-to for millions of homemakers. The same qualities that make dish soap so effective at fighting grime and grease on your silverware and eating surfaces make it perfect for breaking up greasy stains on your nice white sneakers. Use this method to attack especially oily spots or to clean dirt off white shoes and make them bright again.
- A bowl of warm water
Apply dish soap to stained spots on your shoes. Dip the toothbrush in warm water, and gently scrub the stains. Re-wet the toothbrush often, and rinse the shoes if needed. Repeat until you eradicate the stains.
Micellar Water Helps Too
Micellar water is traditionally a makeup removing product. However, you can use it for many other creative purposes, cleaning white shoes being one.
There are only two steps to this method. Firstly, pour some micellar water onto a clean cloth. Secondly, rub the cloth on your shoes until theyre clean.
Its that simple. Micellar water is a great hack for white leather, suede, or rubber shoes.
The water absorbs all dirt and leaves a spectacular white finish. Therefore, its an excellent hack for shining white shoes as well.
However, be warned it doesnt work well for deeper stains like oil or ink.
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Get Tough Stains Out With Nail Polish Remover
Not all stains on your canvas shoes are going to be grease or food-based stains, of course. Youll sometimes run across grime that cleaning white shoes with baking soda cant remove.
When you need a little extra cleaning action, give nail polish remover, also called acetone, a shot. Acetone breaks down compounds into components, which makes them easier to clean away.
- Clean cloth or paper towel
- A bowl of warm water
Dip the cotton balls in nail polish remover, and blot the stains. Replace the cotton balls whenever they become stained. Once the stain is out, dip a cloth in warm water, and clean off any lingering acetone.
This recipe will likely be the most successful to get paint off shoes, if you have encountered this problem. It will work on latex, acrylic, and even oil-based paint, most of the time. If some paint remains, you may want to try a commercial product to get the rest of the stain out.
Baking Soda And White Vinegar
You can clean your white canvas shoes with baking soda and white vinegar solution by rubbing the vinegar onto the shoe with a soft cloth. Next, mix one tablespoon of warm water with a spoonful of white vinegar.
Mix them thoroughly to form a paste. Apply the paste to your shoes with the help of a toothbrush.
Use circular motions to remove dirt thoroughly. Leave the shoes for several hours. Then, use a dry brush to remove the dried paste before rinsing with warm water.
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How To Clean White Trainers
Get that box-fresh dazzle in 8 simple steps…
Whatever your personal style, simple white trainers are a shoe-rack staple. They’re comfortable, stylish, and they go with pretty much anything. But let’s be honest: they’re a nightmare to keep clean, especially when the temperamental British weather means the risk of them coming into contact with mud and other mucky splatters is high.
Fortunately after 100 years of testing cleaning methods and products, our GHI experts have a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to keeping things clean. Here are our top tips for keeping white trainers fresh and clean.
Breaking It Down Even Further
Exactly how to clean common sneaker types from canvas to leather .
White Mesh ShoesSince mesh is so delicate, avoid using bleach which can ruin the fabric. Instead, this is a job for a sneaker cleaner or a bit of mild dish soap cut with warm water. Gently brush the cleaner all over your dirty sneakers. Rinse your shoes under cold water when youre done. If theres still discoloring, try spraying the spot with white vinegar before letting it dry in the sun for about an hour.
White Running SneaksFirst, get rid of any dirt, mud, or gunk with a shoe brush or old toothbrush. Then, using a sponge, cloth, or brush, apply a small amount of sneaker cleaner to the dirty parts. With tough stains, keep repeating until theyre gone.
White Canvas KicksEveryones got a pair of beat-up Chuck Taylors, right? Good thing theyre made of a cotton-canvas thats super easy to clean. Just brush it with sneaker cleaner thats mixed with lukewarm water and leave them out to dry. Or, you can create a homemade cleaning paste with baking soda and an equal amount of half water and half hydrogen peroxide. Apply the mixture all over your shoes with a brush and let them sit for four hours. The mixture will have hardened and you can just shake off the hard bits and wipe off any remainder with a soft cloth or paper towel.
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Cleaning Shoes With White Nail Polish
And when all else fails, sometimes covering up a stain can be the best that you can do. If youâve tried everything and a sharp black mark still remains, use white nail polish to cover it up. This is especially effective on soles and faux leather, which naturally have a plastic-like sheen, but may not be effective on canvas fabric.
Getting white sneakers and converse shoes to look straight-of-the-box new is a challenge when they stain so easily. But now youâre never short of simple solutions to get them gleaming again.
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Choose your cleaning method depending on the fabric of your shoes
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Detergent and bleach can be effective for cleaning canvas fabric
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Cover marks using white nail varnish for severe stains
Originally published
How To Clean Running Shoes
Your running shoes are probably the dirtiest of the bunch, for obvious reasons . If thats the case, its probably best to give them a bit of a wash, but cleaning your running shoes is a little different to white shoes.
Most of the time, your running shoes will have specific wash instructions on them which you really need to read beforehand because the shoes are designed and made differently.
You can pop your running shoes into the washing machine with cold water and spin cycle but Adidas, Asics and Nike do not recommend cleaning your shoes that way.
Instead, they all suggest that you should clean your shoes manually with a mild detergent mixed with warm water rubbed on with a soft-bristled shoe brush.
They also recommended air drying your running shoes in the shade, not the sun, as that can lead to yellow staining and warping.
Both Adidas and Asics say you can wash your laces and insoles in a delicate bag in the washing machine, but Nike recommends hand washing them too.
Running shoes are more delicate than other shoes so its important you take your time cleaning them and please dont scrub too hard, either. You can use a dry microfibre cloth to blot and lift the soapy moisture and dirt.
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How To Deodorize Shoes
Weve all got that one pair of sneakers or other closed-toe shoes that stink. If youre looking to freshen up shoes, the experts at Arm & Hammer recommend the simple use of baking soda to deodorize shoes, as the baking soda will kill odor-causing bacteria and absorb odors.
Tools and Materials
- Trash can or sink
Step 1: Add the Baking Soda to Each Shoe
Add one to two tablespoons of baking soda to the insole of each shoe. Tilt the shoe back and forth and shake side to side to evenly distribute the powder. Allow the baking soda to sit overnight.
Step 2: Remove the Baking Soda
Tap each shoe over a trash can or sink to remove the remaining baking soda. Some small residue left behind is OK.
How To Clean White Fabric Shoes Or Canvas Shoes
It may take more time than simply tossing your canvas shoes in the washer, but this hand cleaning method yields the best results. To keep your shoes clean, we recommend repeating this process weekly or once a month, depending on how often you wear your white canvas sneakers.
Follow these steps to learn how to clean white canvas shoes:
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How To Clean White Shoes With Toothpaste
Sure, toothpaste whitens your teeth but can it whiten your shoes? Believe it or not, it can. However, youll need to stay away from colored toothpastes, which can stain white shoes even more. The bonus here is that this cleaning agent is gentle you use it in your mouth, after all.
To clean white shoes with toothpaste: Use a non-gel white toothpaste and an old toothbrush. Similar to the method of cleaning white shoes with baking soda, youll apply the toothpaste to your dirty shoes, working in circular motions on your extra-dirty spots. Once you have worked the paste into the fabric of the shoes, let it sit for about ten minutes. Use a damp towel to wipe the toothpaste off your shoe, and repeat the process if necessary.
How To Clean White Tennis Shoes
They often made running shoes and white tennis shoes with mesh, rubber, foam, and other synthetic materials. Since machine washing can be rough on synthetics, you can often make your shoes last longer and stay whiter by hand washing them.
- Take out the insoles and shoelaces, wash them in the sink, and let them air dry.
- Use a toothbrush to remove excess dirt and mud from the shoes, soles, and tongues.
- Add two tablespoons of clothes detergent to a bowl of warm water.
- Scrub stained areas with baking soda and a toothbrush.
- Dip the toothbrush in the bowl and start scrubbing, but be gentle when youre scrubbing a mesh area so you dont rip a thread.
- Scrub off scuffs and stains from the soles with a Magic Eraser.
- Use a clean damp cloth to wipe down the shoes and remove any residue.
- Let the shoes air dry and enjoy that new white shoes feeling once again!
So now you know how to clean white shoes and keep them looking good. Want to learn more about how to get rid of dirt, stains, and germs around the house? Check out our extensive library of DIY cleaning and disinfecting guides. Whether you tackle dirt and germs on your own or let us help out with one of our popular residential cleaning services, The Maids wants every home to be a clean and healthy place. Find out about affordable, flexible house cleaning in your neighborhood when you get your free estimate.
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What To Use To Clean White Shoes
One of the must-haves for cleaning your white shoes is an old toothbrush, which can help you target hard-to-reach smudges. Use it to scrub your white shoes with just warm water and soap, and youll likely make a quick difference in the condition of your shoes. But if that doesnt work, know that a variety of household items such as baking soda, bleach, baby powder, or even toothpaste can all potentially help you get your stained shoes white again.
An important piece of advice: Never put your white shoes or sneakers in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry, or even in the wash by themselves. Doing this can possibly make the stain and discoloration of white shoes even worse. More importantly, it can cause permanent damage. You may notice tears, loose threads, or a breakdown in your shoes leather or fabrics in short, your shoes may never look the same again after that wash. Our vote: Skip it.
Cleaning White Tennis Shoes With Bleach
This cleaning process is an ideal method for use on white fabric tennis shoes. It is essential to use this cleaning method in an area that has proper ventilation and that you do not overdo it with the bleach.
Applying too much bleach to your shoes while cleaning them could cause them to turn yellow. Following proper shoe care by using these instructions will restore those sneakers to brand new.
Wearing the nitrile gloves to protect your hands from irritation, carefully mix the warm water and bleach in a container. Remove the shoelaces and insoles. Dip the old toothbrush into the bleach solution and gently scrub the shoes in a circular motion as the way to clean white shoes that turned yellow and to loosen grime.
Begin at the fabric and work your way to the soles. Rinse the shoes under a faucet of cold water and allow the shoes to air dry.
Cleaning white shoe strings can be done in a mesh bag in the washer or you can scrub them with the solution above to get them nice and bright again.
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Suede Tennis Shoe Cleaning
The tennis shoe cleaning procedure for suede is a little different than traditional shoe cleaning. Suede is a delicate material that stains easily. Therefore, special measures need to be taken to protect this type of fabric.
Begin by wiping down the shoes with a soft cloth to remove debris and moisture. Using the pink pencil eraser, gently rub any marks on the shoe until the stains are gone.
For stains that remain, dip the soft cloth into the vinegar and gently rub the stains away. Allow the shoes to dry and finish up the process by brushing them with a suede brush to get back their initial texture.
Clean Your Shoes With Baking Soda And Vinegar
The best way to clean white tennis shoes is to use a pantry favorite. Baking soda is an invaluable tool in your DIY cleaning kit. There are plenty of uses for bake soda, from cleaning your teeth to getting the grime off of metal.
When you combine baking soda with the fantastic cleaning power of vinegar, you get a method of cleaning white shoes with baking soda that you cant beat. Try this technique first before moving onto more complicated options.
Fill the container with vinegar. Sprinkle baking soda on the scuffs, and spray the spots with vinegar. Scrub with the toothbrush until the stain is gone. Rinse the shoes in warm water and repeat as required until the stain lifts away.
This solution works particularly well for stubborn stains that other stain removers cant handle. For example, you can get grass stains out of white shoes with this recipe. More than one application may be required.
If your shoes are not only dirty but stinky, too, you can also use this recipe to make a simple yet natural shoe deodorizer spray. Spritz the solution in your shoes and let them air dry outside, preferably in the sun, for several hours. Smells will clear right up.
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How To Clean White Shoes And Get Them Looking Like New Again
Heres how to clean white shoes in just a few simple steps
If youre wondering how to clean white shoes and keep them spotless, you’ve come to the right place. White shoes, whether made of canvas, leather or mesh, look great when new, but they soon build up with dirt and grime when worn. Cleaning these can be an intimidating task some brands can be very expensive and the fear of causing damage puts many off the job.
Although cleaning white shoes may seem tricky to do, its actually very straightforward with a few household products. Here, we will take you through exactly what to do step-by-step so you can get your white shoes gleaming again. Heres how to clean white shoes.
Toothpaste & Old Toothbrush
Use an old toothbrush or the one that is marked as soft and preferably a non-gel white toothpaste, Colgate will work just fine.
Apply toothpaste on a sneakers surface and scrub. Usually, it takes 2-5 minutes to get stains out of white shoes. Some experts suggest you put sneakers with toothpaste on them under direct sunlight to make them whiter even more. But I dont recommend it, some sneakers turn yellow instead.
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I use a cold hairdryer to dry up the paste, it gives me the same effect. Then wipe toothpaste with a cleaning cloth. Even after applying toothpaste only once, you will see that the stains decrease significantly. Repeat the process until your shoes are white as you want them to be.
TIP: You can also use Teeth Whitening Gel and do the same steps.
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How To Get Stains Out Of White Fabric Shoes
Dish soap has uses that go far beyond the kitchen. Liquid soaps come with ingredients to help break down grease, build-up, and stains. It becomes a nearly universal cleaner and is arguably the best way to clean white cloth shoes. Because liquid dish soap is a gentle cleanser, it is safe to clean canvas sneakers like Converse shoes.
Create a soapy mixture in a bowl and wet a soft toothbrush. Grab your shoe and start working the soap in small circles to clean the stain. Repeat until you have a clean white shoe again. Rinse or wipe away excess soap using a damp paper towel.
