How to wash white sneakers quickly, cleanly, without streaks or deformations

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Published: 06/13/2021

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More and more often you can find white sneakers in your wardrobe. These shoes are great for everyday wear and sports. When purchasing them, you need to familiarize yourself with how to bleach white sneakers at home so as not to spoil the shoes.

• 1 Manual methods
• 2 Using the washing machine
• 3 How to remove heavy dirt and stains
• 4 Whitening soles
• 5 Proper drying
• 6 Tips for wearing and daily care
• 7 Conclusion

How to easily clean white sneakers

Let's start with the fact that light-colored shoes need to be washed often. The older the dirt, the more difficult it will be to deal with it, and the greater the chance that even high-quality washing will not be effective enough. The second point is the means and technology used. Aggressive bleaches lead to yellowness, as does improper drying after washing.

It won’t take much time to clean white sneakers, the main thing is to follow the basic rules:

1. First you need to clean the sole. If you soak your shoes right away, the upper part will only become dirtier.
2. Use toothpaste with detergent; it has a whitening effect.
3. It is important not only to wash off the dirt, but also to soak the shoes for a few minutes to remove all remnants of the products used.
4. It is necessary to dry your shoes thoroughly. To do this, wrap the sneakers in white napkins and fill them from the inside to maintain their shape. When they dry, there will be white streaks on the paper, but the shoes will remain snow-white.

Why do they turn yellow?

Before you begin removing yellow spots, you need to understand the reason for their appearance. This will prevent their re-formation.

Main risk factors:

1. 
   Drying in the sun. When exposed to ultraviolet light, white fabric may become covered with yellow spots.

2. Poor rinsing of detergent from fabric fibers. After the shoes dry, the powder particles will appear as yellow streaks.
3. Wash in rusty water.
4. Specific reaction of detergent and sneaker soles.
5. Poor quality shoe washing. Dust and dirt appear on white fabric in the form of yellow stains.

Having understood exactly what reason led to the appearance of yellowness on the shoes, you can begin to remove it. You can find out about the rules for washing sneakers here.

Preparatory stage. Cleaning the sole

Take out the laces and soak them with washing powder. You can add any bleach to the water. If you leave the accessory where it goes into the armholes, the fabric will not wash out.

Now let's move on to the sole. The easiest way to wash it from street dirt is under running water, helping yourself with a stiff brush, but in the end the entire bathtub, including towels and toothbrushes, will be splashed with dirt. Therefore, do not be lazy to pick up a bucket, take it to the corridor and place it on a large rag or a layer of newspapers. Clean the soles by lowering the sneakers over the edge of the bucket, but without touching the water.

After washing off the main dirt, you need to bring the sole to whiteness. There are several methods for this:

1. Soaking in a solution of washing powder . It is better to choose a product with whitening granules. You will need a wide basin, a liter of water and 3-4 tablespoons of powder. Place the shoes in the basin, the solution should cover the sole. After 1-2 hours, scrub the sole well with an old toothbrush or a hard sponge.
2. Baking soda based paste . Apply it to the sole and rub well. For the composition to take effect, you will need to wait about 30 minutes, then rub and rinse with water.
3. Acetic acid . You will need a solution of 9% vinegar, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:3. Apply to the surface with a soft cloth and leave until dry.
4. Toothpaste . She doesn't just brush her teeth. To whiten the soles of sneakers, just squeeze a little paste onto an old toothbrush and rub vigorously. Leave for 10 minutes, after which you can repeat the procedure.
5. Vaseline . It helps finish cleaning, whiten stains, and even cover up minor scratches on the soles. To do this, apply Vaseline and gently rub it into the surface.

It is advisable to wipe the soles every time you return home. Then the dirt will not have time to eat into the material, and you will not need to make significant efforts to get your shoes in order.

Returning whiteness: preparation

Black and white sneakers are always in style - comfortable, practical shoes that suit everyone, regardless of age and gender. Frequent wear in dirty weather deteriorates white sneakers - dirt eats into the surface. Whitening sneakers is not easy; two methods are used for this:

• hand cleaning;
• washing machine help.

In difficult situations, shoes are taken to dry cleaning - this is effective, but not profitable. Cleaning with strong chemicals is sometimes more expensive than buying new sports shoes. White rag sneakers can simply be washed with high-quality powder in a washing machine - that’s enough. When washing by hand, use laundry soap. Shoes made from a different material require a different approach to solving the problem.

Before the whitening procedure, you need to clean your white sneakers from dirt. Sports shoes should be kept as clean as possible - debris and pebbles are removed from the soles, black stripes are erased with an eraser. Start the preparatory stage - this is half the success.

1. Wash your laces. If they are dark, then hand washing is sufficient. White and colored items are washed with laundry soap. This type of washing is not always enough for white laces - they are left in a solution of water with an ordinary stain remover.
2. The insoles are removed and washed in any convenient way. You need to dry them naturally - the machine dries out the insoles and they can warp.
3. Brush the soles again using an old toothbrush to remove any debris.
4. Shoes must first be washed in a machine. Use the “shoe” mode. If not, then wash with cold water.
5. You can wash your sports shoes by hand in warm water. Add a little powder to the basin, wash well and rinse several times. There should be no detergent left, otherwise unsightly stains will remain on the fabric.
6. Avoid automatic drying - the shoes should dry themselves.

Cleaning white sneakers is easy if you don't neglect the situation. In complex cases, it is more difficult to cope with the problem. It is the sole that is most susceptible to dirt due to its textured surfaces. White shoes need to be taken care of more carefully - then the sneakers will last you longer and remain stylish for years.

Option 1. Wash by hand

The preparation allowed us to return the sole to its previous appearance, now we move on. If the laces have not yet been removed at this stage, you should do so. We also remove the insoles. They are soaked with the addition of a tablespoon of white vinegar or citric acid. This neutralizes the fungus and removes the unpleasant odor.

Soak

To make the procedure more effective, pour slightly warm water into a basin and completely immerse the sneakers in it. After 30 minutes you can already wash it . Mix the chosen product with a small amount of water.

Wash

Instructions:

1. Using a sponge or toothbrush, cover the entire surface with the cleaning solution. Required inside and outside.
2. Leave for 30 minutes.
3. Rinse well. This is the most important point, because otherwise you cannot do without yellow stains.

Please note that for fabric sneakers the water should be cool or lukewarm. High temperatures will cause shoes to quickly lose their original appearance.

Important information

In order for the process of getting rid of yellow spots to be successful, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

1. 
   You should not rub your sneakers too vigorously, trying to remove yellowness from them. The fabric may not withstand intense exposure and may tear.

2. White shoes should be washed separately from other items so that their surface does not become stained.
3. If you use powder for washing, you must use the “extra rinse” function.
4. In an attempt to quickly dry shoes, you should not place a white pair on a heating radiator. Contact with a heating device will cause yellow discoloration, even after bleaching. For the same reason, the couple is not dried with a hairdryer.

While clothes can be bleached by washing them in hot water, sneakers will not withstand such treatment. Boiling water will cause the sole to crack.

Option 2. Use a washing machine

This is not the best option for shoes; without reservation, it is suitable only for strong, high-quality sneakers made of fabric. Usually in modern cars, in “sport”, “wool”, “delicate” modes, sneakers do not lose either shape or color, but decorative elements may fade, tear off or peel off.

Procedure (laces and insoles have already been removed):

1. Make sure that there are no small stones or sand left inside your shoes.
2. Place a pair in a laundry bag or old pillowcase and tie it to prevent the shoes from falling out while twisting.
3. Additionally, place a towel in the drum - this measure will protect the sole of your sneakers from cracks and the car from unnecessary shocks.
4. Use liquid detergent - it is easier to rinse and does not cause allergies or irritation to your feet.
5. Select a temperature no higher than 40 degrees and minimum spin speed, or wash without it.
6. Start the cycle.
7. Press clean sneakers against the wall, pressing down with a dry terry towel to remove more moisture. Naturally, sneakers should not be twisted or sent wet to a heated towel rail or other heat sources.
8. Dry your sneakers completely on a rack in the fresh air, with special shoe dryers, or at a distance of 20-30 cm from a fan.

Tip: Fix the shape of the sneakers by stuffing them with clean paper towels and change the “filler” every hour - this way the shoes will dry faster and will definitely not become deformed. Socks filled with warm salt are even more effective.

Proper drying

In order not to spoil or deform your sneakers, you need to take a responsible approach to the issue of drying. It is best to hang your shoes to dry. This way the water will flow freely and will not leave streaks on the material.

Author:

Zakharova Nina Afanasyevna

I hope you like my article! If you find any shortcomings, just write to me about it! I am always ready for a conversation and will answer any questions you have, ask them!