How can you clean dirty white sneakers and make them look white again? Getting your dirty white shoes to look new and white once again can be easy following our tips. White sneakers and tennis shoes look great but keeping them clean can be a challenge. We will show you some common cleaning methods and some that are not so common. We suggest trying the easiest ways to clean your shoes first.
I need help cleaning my white Jordans. The white polish doesn’t work very well. What are some easy ways to really get them white again?
ALL PURPOSE CLEANER
Get a toothbrush and something similar to 409 cleaner. Spray the shoes with the multi-purpose cleaner and scrub the dirty areas using the toothbrush. Get a towel to wipe off any excess cleaner as you clean. Keep the toothbrush wet with the cleaner and keep scrubbing the whole shoe until clean and white. You can also try using concentrated DAWN dish soap with a toothbrush. Dawn breaks down grease and will not stain your shoes.
WATERED DOWN BLEACH
This method works very well if done correctly. Wear some rubber gloves when working with bleach. Also, do not use bleach near carpet or clothing as it will discolor everything it touches. Use a toothbrush and dip it into some warm watered down bleach. Use the brush to clean away the dark stains. This is a very effective way if you have a 2 color shoe where you don’t want to get the other color any lighter.
TOOTHPASTE
Use a non-gel white toothpaste. Apply the toothpaste to your dirty shoe using a toothbrush. Use the toothbrush to work the paste into the dirty spots on your shoe. Once it is worked into the shoe, let it sit on your shoe for about 10 minutes. Then take a damp towel and wipe the toothpaste off of your shoe. Repeat this as many times as needed to get your white shoes white.
DISHWASHER
Empty your dishwasher so that nothing is in it. Run the kitchen faucet next to the dishwasher on hot water to get the water that will be going into the dishwasher hot. Add in your normal dish washing detergent and put your shoes on the top rack facing downward. Run the dishwasher as normal. Once the dishwasher is finished with the wash cycle, take your wet shoes out and place them in the sun. If this is not possible you can put them into the dryer. If you do this, add a couple large dry towels into the dryer with your shoes to minimize the shoes from banging around.
WASHING MACHINE
Spray your dirty white shoes with either a carpet cleaning spray or a washing machine stain removing spray. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and then put them into the washing machine on the shortest washing cycle using hot water. Doing this will really clean your shoes and make them look new. Your shoes will shrink a little bit so use this method as a last resort.
Below are some videos containing information on how to get your white shoes white.
How to clean your white shoes to look new again
How to clean white canvas shoes (Converse and Vans)
Cleaning your white shoes with baby powder
How to clean white shoes using baking soda and toothbrush
Same thing with mine
I have to try this. I have been doing the watered bleach approach for a long time now but the white sneakers do not look as white as before. It looks clean about 90% but I noticed some yellow blotches around the sneakers, especially if it’s canvass.
Awesome Guide!