With the arrival of spring, it’s time to put your winter shoes in the wardrobe. We swap our boots, ankle boots and other padded pairs for more open and lighter shoes. In the process, we must give pride of place to the famous all-purpose white sneakers. They are essential, summer and winter alike, giving a relaxed and comfortable touch to all who wear them, young and old.

The only problem: their immaculate white often turns gray! Whatever the model, these sneakers have the common defect of getting dirty too quickly. Do not panic, in this article, we will show you a very simple and quick method to  effectively clean your white shoes without resorting to machine washing . And, without damaging them either!

clean white shoes

Cleaning white shoes – Source: spm

How to clean white shoes?

Are you in a hurry and absolutely want to wear your favorite white pair? Ouch, you weren’t paying attention, but she’s in bad shape. No problem: your shoes will be clean in less than a minute! Such is the promise of this particularly effective remedy. Your sneakers will be impeccable.

Once you have gathered all the ingredients in hand, you can move on to cleaning.

What you will need:

  • Bleach drops.
  • Cleansing milk
  • Cotton
  • A microfiber cloth
  • A toothbrush
  • Toothpaste

For those who didn’t know, toothpaste is widely used for cleaning white shoes, thanks in particular to its strong whitening agent. Put toothpaste (not colored) on the toothbrush and rub well on the dirty rubber of the shoes. Wet the microfiber cloth with warm water, which will then be wrung out well before going over the toothpaste paste.

On the other hand, to clean the leather part, just rub a cotton pad with a little cleansing milk and you’re done.

NB  : If the laces are really dirty and you have more time, you can remove them, put them in a bowl with water and drops of bleach. About 15 minutes will be enough. Then wash them with hot water and a little washing machine detergent. Finally, dry them in the sun.

However, if your sneakers are white canvas, it is recommended to use baking soda instead. It is also a powerful cleanser, disinfectant and whitener. To clean the rubber and the laces, you can follow the procedures described above. For the fabric on the other hand, moisten it with a little water and rub gently with baking soda poured on the toothbrush. Let it dry well without removing the baking soda residue. After drying, dust with a dry microfiber cloth.

Here is how to clean your white shoes in a minute, without damaging them and without a washing machine. A very useful tip when you are in a hurry and absolutely want to wear your pair to go out!

Now, if you prefer washing them in the washing machine, here’s how to clean your shoes in the washing machine.

white shoes washing machine

Shoe in the washing machine – Source: spm

How to clean white shoes in the washing machine?

1. Remove all surface dirt debris with a damp cloth. If there is a lot of dust, grass or mud on your shoes, use an old cloth to wipe, without necessarily rubbing, and remove as much dirt as possible.

2. Clean shoe soles with a toothbrush and warm soapy water. Start by taking a small cup and filling it with water. Add 1 tablespoon of dish soap. Dip the toothbrush in the solution. Scrub the soles with the toothbrush. Do it vigorously: the harder you rub, the more dirt you can remove.

3. Rinse the shoes. You need to get rid of any soap residue. To do this, hold your shoes over a tub or sink and rinse the soles of the shoes with water.

4. Remove insoles and laces, if necessary. If your shoes have laces, you should put them in the washing machine separately . There can be a lot of dirt built up in the laces and around the eyelets, so removing them will help the device clean them better.