Are you obsessed with your white sneakers like us?
So comfy, convenient and casually stylish they're the fashion staple we can't love enough! But how annoying is it when they can look grubby after just one fun day out or even after just a little scuff? Whether your white sneakers are made from canvas, leather or mesh here's some some handy hacks that will restore your fashion fav's to their clean, bright & non ‘pongy’ selves in no time!
What you need:
- Stain Savvy - stain removal sticks
- Bucket, basin or sink filled with some water
- Bleach free natural laundry liquid with fragrance (ideally biodegradable and antibacterial like Signature Laundry Liquid or Bikini Savvy
- Laundry bristle brush
- A couple of small towels or pieces of cloth.
First things first before getting into the nitty gritty is to remove your laces and your innersoles. This makes the cleaning and drying process so much easier.
Next, grab one of your Stain Savvy, stain remover sticks and your shoes and dampen both with some water. Rub the stain stick directly onto the stains and work into a lather. Keep dipping the stain stick into the water and rubbing on the shoe in any grubby areas. Be sure to go right down the rubber sides. While Stain Savvy is really effective on stains it's still gentle on leather, mesh or fabric so feel free to really use it liberally. Don't forget to pay particular attention to the seam areas.
Once done, give your shoe a rinse and inspect your handy work. If needed, reapply the stain stick to any stubborn stains, working it and using water to lather until you can see the stain has been removed (be persistent!). We recommend using a soft bristled brush to help to scrub those particularly stubborn areas or for the mesh/fabric uppers etc.
photo credit @wiebkembg
Tackling the inside:
By now, you should have successfully removed the surface stains from the upper of your shoes and it’s time to tackle the inside of your shoes. Inside your sneakers are subjected to a lot of wear & tear and can harbour bacteria, sweat and ‘pong’ particularly if you wear your shoes without socks!
Start by pouring some water into a basin or bucket and then add a capful of your favourite laundry liquid. Note: It’s important that you avoid any laundry liquids that contain bleach because overtime the bleach can cause the white to turn yellow. We recommend using a eco-friendly, highly effective and biodegradable laundry liquid detergent such as: Swim Savvy or our Signature Laundry Liquid. Swim Savvy in essence is an active wear wash with built in antimicrobial and antibacterial properties which combat sweat, mould, and odour. Alternatively our Signature Laundry Liquid is super concentrated, tough on grime, biodegradable and is infused with our unisex fresh (naturally derived) fragrance so it will clean plus leave a fabulous scent!
Simply add 1 capful to about 4 litres of water (more if you want more fragrance) Submerge your shoes and swish around. You could even use your soft bristle brush again to really get in there. Now’s the time to add in your shoelaces and agitate, you can also use the Stain Savvy on these if they are extra dirty and your soft bristle brush for stubborn stains *
Time to dry them:
Once you’re sure you have thoroughly cleaned them, rinse with cold running water, grab your small towels and roll them up and stuff into each shoe so they keep their shape as they dry.
We suggest leaving your freshly washed shoes either inside in a well-ventilated area or better still outside in the sunshine. The sun will quicken the drying process and help with the deodorising as the sun kills enzymes.
Remember:
This cleaning process can pretty much be used on any sneakers or runners, however if you are washing coloured canvas shoes we don’t suggest drying them in the direct sunshine as the sun may fade their colour.
A final hack, you know how the laces can tend to be really tricky to get white again? If you've washed your shoes and they’re now looking all sparkly and new again but your laces are looking a bit ‘how’s your father’ then why not just simly by some cheap new white laces. By threading these through it will make even really old shoes look like a younger more glamorous version of their former self!
Hope this helps and happy washing!
