One of the obvious downsides of owning white shoes…they get dirty and require regular cleaning to make them look decent again.
I'm still learning and before I move up to nicer pairs of kicks, I went for some classics that are also very affordable to use for practice and for now using only home cleaning agents like detergent or bleach.
Cleaning Schedule (Daily & Monthly)
I have a two (2) part cleaning schedule and daily, I wipe down any white shoes I've been wearing to minimize any dirt or grime having a chance to set in and become a stain.
Monthly, I do a deeper clean for any white shoes that I've worn regularly or are starting to look really dirty. A deep clean for me involves removing the laces and cleaning each component of the shoe separately.Cleaning Methods
The laces so far have done okay with just soap & water then a soak in a bleach solution.
For the shoes, depending on the material (leather, pleather, canvas, etc) I usually wash with detergent and water. I try to avoid getting the interior of the shoe wet and focus on the exterior.
I've found toothpaste is mildly abrasive and great on hard leather surfaces like on Adidas Stan Smith. A gentle scrub with toothpaste and can remove a lot of stains.
Results
My results are meh and require more practice and experimentation. For the most part the shoes do look 'cleaner' and are extending the useful life of my white shoes.
Some important takeaways that I've learned is to clean regularly and this helps me become aware and mindful of how some stubborn stains can occur. Let the cleaning agents do the work for you and avoid trying to scrub too hard as you will ruin the shoes and can tear or rip the shoe materials.
I'm going to see how long I can keep these white shoes clean and after a while step up to some professional products to see if there is any difference when I try out new pairs of white shoes.
Before Cleaning
After Cleaning
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