White sneakers are easy to wear but tough to clean
- Timeless, chic, and versatile, white sneakers
are an undeniable wardrobe classic. But a lot of their cool cache relies on keeping them crisp and clean, which isn’t the easiest task. - We polled a group of knowledgeable insiders to get their advice on how to keep our minimalistic footwear looking fresh.
- To clear scuffs and stains off of white leather sneakers, grab a toothbrush and some toothpaste.
- While it may be tempting to toss your white
canvas sneakers in the washing machine, you'll likely end up damaging your shoes. Take the time to hand-wash instead. - No matter how clean you get the shoes
themselves, dirty laces will make them look dingy, so be sure to keep your
white shoelaces as pristine as possible.
A crisp and clean
pair of white sneakers gives any outfit an instant dose of fashion cred in a chill, not-trying-too-hard kind of way. However, while the casual nature of these shoes make them seem pretty low maintenance, anyone who’s tried to keep their kicks clean throughout a full day on-foot knows that there’s a lot of effort involved. INSIDER recently asked a group of fashion professionals and cleaning experts for tips on how to preserve our sneakers' bright white hue, and they gave us a few new ideas.
To remove discoloration from white leather sneakers,
Head to the bathroom and grab a tube of toothpaste.
"Use a toothbrush and toothpaste and just scrub the surface of the sneaker properly. Mix a little sugar with the toothpaste to be more effective while scrubbing out the dirtier corners,"
When picking a toothbrush to use as a shoe-cleaning tool, you want one with soft bristles, so that used brush languishing in your medicine cabinet will totally do the trick.
your toothpaste-cleaning strategy an extra boost, "Try using whitening toothpaste. Using an [old] toothbrush or your finger, dab on a little [whitening] toothpaste, rub it into the trouble spot, then remove it using a cleaning wipe [like a Mr. Clean wipe or a wet Swiffer cloth],"
Always hand-wash your white canvas sneakers.
Tossing your white canvas sneakers in the washing machine with a sizable glug of bleach seems like
a quick and easy way to remove any unsightly dirt. However, the heat and motion of a washing machine cycle can actually cause irreparable damage. "Never wash [white sneakers] in a washing machine. It will destroy the cement bindingand, in some cases, turn your shoes yellow,
Washing canvas sneakers by hand definitely requires a larger time investment, but you'll be
rewarded with good-as-new white shoes.
"Mix ¼ cup
laundry detergent and 2 cups warm water into a large bowl. Dip a brush into the solution and scrub the canvas part of both sides of your shoes in circular motions. Rinse and repeat until the canvas is clean. Next, take care of soles [by dipping] an old toothbrush in a paste of equal parts baking soda and water, and gently rub the soles. Once you are satisfied with the result, rinse the shoes well with cold water to remove any soap residue and let them air-dry."
Don't neglect your white shoelaces.
Here’s an inconvenient truth in the world of white sneakers: even if you scrub the heck out of your shoes and remove every bit of dirt from the uppers and the soles, a set of smudgy and discolored white shoelaces will undo all your hard work. Luckily, cleaning or replacing your shoelaces is an easy and low-cost endeavor. Hand-washing your shoelaces by filling a jar with water and a
few drops of dish soap and letting the laces soak before rinsing and air-drying them add baking soda and bleach to his lace-cleaning solution, but also thinks it’s fine to "throw them in [the washing machine] with your whites."
however, doesn't advise trying to clean your white shoelaces.
Instead, he believes that the right thing to do when your laces get discolored
is "just buy new ones."