The Best Ways To Keep Your White Shoes Clean, Depending On The Material

White shoes are a bold choice. They look bright and clean for a few days, but as soon as you start to relax, reality happens. Whether it's mud, dirt, or mysterious scuffs, there always seems to be something to make white shoes look dirty. After a few weeks, you'll start to forget what they looked like to begin with, and over time, you'll settle for a brownish off-white tone. But there's no reason to be so defeated by dirty white shoes. In fact, there are tons of ways to keep your white shoes in like-new condition, no matter what material they're made of.

If you own white shoes, you shouldn't have to choose between wearing them dirty or tossing them out. Every year, about 92 million tonnes of textile waste are thrown out in the world, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. One way to contribute less to the mess is by finding the right methods and techniques to make clothes and shoes last, like learning how to clean and care for garments so you can wear them for longer. That includes white shoes, too!

In a lot of cases, this can be done with materials and supplies you already have at home, like laundry detergent, but you may need to invest in a few things, like a hard-bristle scrub brush. And to whiten shoelaces, you can use an unsuspecting laundry room staple like OxiClean. If shoelaces are too far gone, they're easy to replace, and there are many ways to repurpose shoelaces in your home and garden.

Canvas is a popular casual shoe material that's fairly prone to stains, but luckily, they're really simple to clean. To whiten these, mix two tablespoons of white vinegar in a cup of water and add a tablespoon of baking soda. Then, apply this paste to the shoe with a toothbrush. Rub until the stains lift, and let the shoes air dry (no rinsing required). Once dry, you'll be able to brush the dried paste from the shoes with a cloth or dry brush. If they're really dirty, you can, in most cases, run canvas shoes through the washing machine.

White leather shoes are a statement that can easily be ruined by awkward stains. But luckily, leather isn't an absorbent material like canvas, so it's easy to clean. The best approach is to mix some soap and water and use a cloth to wipe away the stains. For any difficult stains, try using a magic eraser to rub the stain off. Once the stain is gone, add a bit of leather polish to your shoe to give the leather its shine back, and you're done.

Whether it's because you're a vegetarian or because you're on a budget, you might have shoes made of faux leather, also called imitation leather, pleather, or vegan leather. These are actually plastic, which makes them easy to clean. First, remove dry dirt with a dry cloth. Then, with a damp cloth, work on the stains to wipe them away. If they don't lift, add a bit of detergent to the water and use that to work on the stains with a toothbrush or cloth. To keep the shoes protected and white longer, consider using a faux leather conditioner.

Ok, so faux leather is one type of plastic shoe, but there are other, more obvious ones. For example, the famous Crocs and other beach and garden shoes are made of polyethylene vinyl acetate (in short, plastic). To clean these, fill a tub or bucket with dish soap and water. Then, throw the shoes in and scrub with a brush or sponge to remove the stains. For the deeply stained areas, you can use harsher cleaning materials. For example, Bar Keepers Friend can do wonders on stained soles. After a good, thorough rinse, your favorite white plastic shoes will look like new.

Many shoes use rubber for their soles, while some footwear, like flip-flops, is entirely made of the material. The issue with rubber is that it gets scratched, which darkens the overall white appearance of the shoe. To remove these scratch marks, use a wet magic eraser. This will buff away scratches and help brighten the appearance of your white shoes. For regular stains, where the rubber isn't scratched, mix one quart of water with a tablespoon of bleach and work on the stains with a toothbrush.

Suede isn't an easy material to clean, and that's true for any color, not just white. White suede shoes are best suited for careful people who avoid stepping into puddles or running in the rain. Still, if you get them dirty, here's what you should do. First, do not use water. Instead, use a rubber suede brush to remove dirt stains. To tackle stubborn stains, try adding a dash of white vinegar to a cloth and rubbing away the stain very gently. And to prevent further stains, invest in a good suede protecting spray.

Unless you only use them on the treadmill, sneakers are one of the hardest shoes to keep white. Crisp white running shoes look great, but training outdoors exposes them to all sorts of stains. To clean the fabric part of running shoes, which is often made of synthetic mesh, mix a dash of laundry detergent in a bucket of lukewarm water. With a hard-bristle brush, use the mixture to clean the shoe, working in the same direction as the fabric, rather than against it. Then, pat the excess water with a dry towel and let the shoes air-dry.

Whether it's for trail running or streetwear, GORE-TEX shoes are everywhere. Also known as expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, this is a type of waterproof material used in a ton of outerwear. Since this is such a waterproof material, you can clean your shoes easily by running them under the tap. Avoid getting water inside the shoe, unless you have time to let them dry before using them again. And to remove stubborn dirt or mud, use a brush while running the shoe under water. You can even add a dash of detergent to the brush to make the shoes look brand new.