How to take care of white sneakers

White sneakers or sneakers are a spectacular, but demanding wardrobe item. Untidy, scratched or yellowed, they make just as repulsive an impression as new ones are pleasing to the eye. How to care for them to preserve the beauty of their white color for a long time?

Caring for white sneakers

If the surface is simply shiny or has acquired a stale appearance, textile sneakers should be washed by hand. Dilute a solution of any detergent or just soap in warm water, dip the sneakers, and then use a soapy toothbrush to treat all the worn-out areas. Rinse thoroughly in several waters.

You should not leave sneakers in water even for 5 minutes - this can negatively affect the fit of the upper and sole. The wet treatment should be carried out as quickly as possible, and then the shoes should be left to dry. To dry faster, sneakers are stuffed with gauze, and then taken out - it will absorb excess moisture. The laces are washed separately and also by hand.

IMPORTANT. Do not wash cloth sneakers in the washing machine.This will negatively affect the condition of the fabric, the attachment of the upper to the sole, and the sole itself. The idea of ​​washing the laces in the machine will not be successful either - most likely, after drying, you will find rusty streaks from the ends on the surface of the lace. Laces should also only be washed by hand.

Caring for white sneakers made of natural or artificial leather is no different from caring for any leather shoes - timely washing, treatment with transparent wax or lubricants.

Removing stains from fabric

You can remove stains from the surface of rag sneakers in the same way as from regular fabrics. Grease stains are sprinkled with salt or chalk and ironed through paper - this is not always convenient due to the complex shape of the shoes. Therefore, greasy stains are often dissolved using dishwashing detergents. A good way is to wash in alkaline hair shampoo.

You can use bleach. We are talking only about bleaches for clothes; you should not use products for plumbing. Since any effective clothing bleach will still destroy fabric, it should only be used in diluted form. Use 5 parts water to 1 part bleach. Wet a toothbrush in this solution and treat the desired areas of the shoes. Thoroughly rinse any remaining bleach in cool water, changing the bleach several times.

Optical brighteners can be used not in the specified proportion, but according to the instructions given on the package.

ADVICE. Difficult to remove stains can be covered with decor. Sports shoes with bright applications (for example, Khokhloma-style flowers) are in fashion today. You can order an applique patch service at a studio or do it yourself.

Recipes for removing stains from white fabric sneakers or sneakers:

1. Dilute 2 parts vinegar with 1 part water, mix, rub into the top of the sneakers, leave for a quarter of an hour. Rinse shoes thoroughly. Repeat if necessary.
2. 1 part baking soda and 1 part dishwashing detergent are rubbed evenly into the surface of the shoe. Leave for 5 minutes, rinse with water.
3. 3 parts vinegar + 1 part washing powder + 0.5 parts hydrogen peroxide. Apply the mixture to the desired areas, rubbing in movements, and immediately rinse well with water. The mixture is quite aggressive.
4. Whitening soap. Wet the sneakers, rub soap on the desired areas, brush thoroughly with a toothbrush so that the soap saturates the fabric fibers well, and rinse with warm water several times.
5. Toothpaste. It's great for tarnished silver items, and can be a source of renewed whiteness for white sneakers. Apply a sausage of paste to a dry toothbrush and rub dry shoes in the right places. Carefully wipe off any remaining paste with a damp sponge.

Removing stains from skin

Most stains are easier to remove from skin; this material has good repellent properties. Stains can be easily removed by regular washing or wiping with a damp cloth. Paint stains can be removed using a solvent. To maintain a snow-white surface, the following homemade leather stain removers are used:

1. Potato starch 1 part + milk 1 part. Apply the mixture to the surface of the sneakers, then rinse thoroughly with water or wipe with a damp cloth.
2. Makeup remover. This could be micellar water or milk. Use a cotton pad soaked in milk to wipe the desired areas.
3. Lemon juice. Dampen a cotton cloth or cotton pad with fresh lemon juice and wipe the desired areas. Rinse well with water.
4. Black stripes that remain on the skin when rubbing against rubber can be easily removed using a regular school eraser.

How to paint over scratches on white leather

You can paint over scratches on the surface of white leather:

1. White nail polish. You just need to choose a tone-on-tone shade, otherwise the stain will be noticeable and untidy.
2. Acrylic paint for painting. Use a thin brush to go over the scratch. The shade should also be similar.
3. There is a special paint for leather shoes, for example, from Tarrago. It is not cheap, but it is intended for professional leather coloring, the result will be excellent - even a very old pair can be turned into snow-white. The paint is available in shoe stores and specialty stores.

ADVICE. The easiest way to remove scratches from white leather sneakers is to take them to a shoe repair shop. Craftsmen who deal with white shoes quite often can usually afford various types of professional paints.

How to care for your soles

The soles of white sneakers are a separate care item. A yellowed, scuffed sole will ruin the appearance of even perfectly white sneakers. To maintain its appearance, use the following recommendations:

1. To clean the soles, use a stiff brush and tooth powder. Possibly bleaching soap, but you will have to make an effort to thoroughly clean the sole.
2. Wipe yellowed soles with cotton pads soaked in nail polish remover, or you can use strong chlorine-containing clothing bleach.
3. You can bleach the soles with pure lemon juice. Wet a toothbrush into the juice and scrub the surface thoroughly. Then rinse with cool water.
4. To clean the soles effortlessly and as efficiently as possible, you can soak your sneakers.Pour a small layer of water mixed with bleach (oxygen) into the bottom of a suitable rectangular container. The height of the water should be such that the solution does not touch the top of the shoe. Leave the pair in the liquid overnight - in the morning the sole will shine white.

Care tips for maintaining perfect whites

It is worth following a number of recommendations to ensure that your shoes remain as impressively snow-white:

1. Do not store white sneakers in a place exposed to direct sunlight. They will quickly turn yellow.
2. They should also not be stored in a place where shoes may become covered in dust. The white color will take on a difficult to remove grayish tint.
3. For storage, place clean (only clean) shoes in a bag made of breathable material and put them in a cool and dark place.
4. When washing, you can regularly use a light optical brightener.

Before using any homemade recipe, it is worth testing it on an inconspicuous piece of white leather or fabric. In the future, if you have already proven products, caring for white shoes will no longer cause any particular difficulties.