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How to wash white soles on shoes: the easiest ways
Shoes with light soles look impressive, but they need to be carefully looked after. We share tips on how to easily whiten the sole from stains, gray or green traces of grass and other dirt.
Sneakers and trainers have long passed from sports shoes to universal shoes that can be worn all year round. And wet weather is not a reason to refuse comfortable shoes. And since the white color of the sole has been at the peak of popularity for several seasons, you need to be able to get rid of the dirt that is treacherously visible after every walk. You will not wear sneakers to dry cleaning if you can easily clean your shoes yourself at home.
What you need to know about white soles before you start bleaching them?
First, the shoes must be cleaned of dust and dirt. Use warm water. Sneakers and sneakers, the upper part of which is made of textiles, leatherette or other synthetic material, are machine washed using a special wash cycle. If the shoes cannot be immersed in soapy water, then wash off the dirt gently with a wet rag or with a sponge and soapy foam.
Before you start cleaning the white sole, evaluate what it is made of. Porous material is more difficult to bleach. More bleaching options for rubberized outsole. In any case, test the product on a small area of the sole first.
With the help of masking tape we make a “border” with the top of the shoe so that accidental splashes or drops do not spoil the base material.
Bleaching your shoes will involve mechanical cleaning and chemical exposure, so wear gloves and an apron.
You need to dry your shoes after cleaning on the balcony, in the fresh air. Fill your shoes with newspapers, they will absorb excess internal moisture and help keep in shape. Do not dry your sneakers or trainers in front of radiators or with a hair dryer.
Do you like white shoes or shoes with white soles? Spray it with a water repellent spray.
Start bleaching your soles with simpler and more gentle products. And if they fail, move on to more aggressive chemical solutions.
How to wash white soles?
There are many ways to give your sneakers, slip-ons, boat shoes or trainers a fresh look. Which one suits your pair of shoes depends on the degree of soiling. But it is known that different types of stains may require different means: traces of grass can be removed with citric acid, and yellowness on a white sole can be removed with a simple toothpaste and a hard toothbrush.
11 ways to whiten the sole of a sneaker
Toothpaste or tooth powder – the simplest of the available means. Soak a brush in water, put some powder on it, or squeeze toothpaste out of a tube and scrub the darkened surface. After that, wipe the sole with a wet rag so that no white, cloudy streaks remain. This method is excellent for whitening the soles of the gray plaque that appears on used shoes.
Laundry Bleaching Powder It also cleans up dirt and gives a fresh look to shoes. An alternative is dishwashing liquid. How should I clean white soles on sneakers or sneakers? You can use the powder in the same way as with toothpaste: apply to the brush and carefully rub the wet surface of the sole. Or you can dissolve washing powder in hot water, pour a little soap solution into a basin and put on sneakers. Make sure that the water is no higher than the edge of the sole. After about 20 minutes, rub with a brush with a paste and rinse with clean water.
Soda, as an abrasive substance, it is also able to whiten white soles and remove yellowness. Using a wet cloth, apply the baking soda gruel to the surface, leave it on for 15 minutes, then rub the dirty areas. You can use a brush and rub the stained surface. Make sure that the cleaning agent does not get on the top of the shoe, especially if it is made of suede, textiles or nubuck.
Hydrogen peroxide. Sold in a pharmacy, easily removes stains from grass, gray tint on white soles. You need to pour a liter of water into a basin, add 100 ml of peroxide and put shoes there so that the top is not immersed in the solution. After an hour or two, rinse the sole and dry.
School eraser. Wipe the dust off the shoes with a damp cloth; if black stains or “streaks” remain on the white sole, remove them with a regular white washing eraser. At the same time, the shoes must be dry.
Melamine sponge. The cleaning principle is the same as with the eraser. Rub the white sole, the dust will roll, and the yellowness, the spots will become noticeably lighter.
White… Radical, suitable for white shoes. Mix whiteness with a little water, pour into a basin and place a pair of shoes in there so that the solution does not exceed the level of the sole.
Lemon acid. Gives white light to shoes that have yellowed from wear, and also removes stains from dirt such as green grass. The recipe is simple: add a few drops of water to citric acid, apply gruel to the soiled areas of the sole and wait a while. After the procedure, rinse the cleaned surface.
Nail polish remover not suitable for every material. You need to be careful with it and check on a small area of the sole with a cotton swab dipped in acetone. Removes stained stains, traces of bitumen, whitens the surface of the sole. May discolor or dissolve if splashed on top of shoes. Therefore, be careful in your work.
Bleach “Whiteness”. The product, the main active ingredient of which is sodium hypochlorite, is considered too aggressive, you need to work with it with gloves and very carefully. But be sure to try the action on a small area of the sole, because on some types of material after chlorine bleach, yellowness may remain. And accidental splashes will immediately discolor the textiles of the shoes. After processing the soles, thoroughly remove any bleach residues. But it works for sure – a pair of shoes will be as good as new. Alternatively, oxygen bleach or stain remover.
Acrylic paint. If you can’t remove stains or an unpleasant greyish-yellow tint on the white sole of your sneakers, paint over it with white acrylic paint.