How to Clean White Sneakers

Easily paired with dresses and jeans alike, white sneakers are the go-to shoe all year round. There’s nothing quite like a brand-new pair of stylish, snowy-white kicks to take you on your adventures. They’re perfect, pristine, and ready to take on the world! Until you inevitably ruin them with mud, dirt, and the surrounding environment, that is.

Since white sneakers never go out of style, you probably have a pair or three in your collection at all times. If so, you know how filthy they can get and how hard it is to clean them. Although the worn, ragged look may be a part of their charm, your wardrobe staple could do with an occasional scrubbing, and Twitter user Sarah Tracey has just the sneaker-cleaning hack for you.

Sarah Tracey posted her tips on how to clean white sneakers on Twitter with a before-and-after pic of her Chucks, and her post went viral once people saw the amazing results of her cleaning job..

How did she restore a dirty pair of sneakers to their former glory?

To begin with, take out the laces and rinse your shoes. Next, make a solution of 1 part baking soda and 1 ½ part laundry detergent, and scrub it into your shoes with a toothbrush. Let them sit for a while before rinsing them again. Finally, give them a spin in the washing machine using a cold-water cycle. Once out of the washer, dust your shoes with baby powder and leave them to dry.

The comments under her tweet featured praise, as well as other advice on how to clean white sneakers. Some recipes, for example, included a peroxide blend or chemical bleach.

Tragically, washing machines can be tough on the structure of canvas sneakers, so many hesitate to pop their precious shoes into the drum. You can protect them by placing them in a wash bag or pillowcase and using a delicate setting. To avoid it altogether, some cleaning experts recommend a different method. First, make a paste with baking soda and vinegar and scrub them. Next, rinse them, and then let air dry.

If you happen to love white so much that most of your wardrobe features mostly this classic, elegant color, check out this article on how to make white clothes white again.

What are your thoughts on Sarah’s hack? Do you prefer your shoes ragged or clean? How do you clean your white sneakers? Share your tips in the comments — other readers might find them useful.

Valerie

I am an English major with a love of languages and fiction, and with an incurable travel bug. In my free time, I read fantasy, drink copious amounts of coffee, and like to go see movies. Culinary art means everything to me. My main hypostasis is the taster, though. The music school has taught me to appreciate the symphony of airy meringues, to create harmonious overtures of light snacks, hard rock of meat, fish, and vegetables on the grill. Choir classes have accustomed me to hear and feel the people nearby and create perfect harmonies of sounds.