How to wash white sneakers made of fabric (rag) from dirt and stains, how to clean the soles without washing: tips and tricks

Sneakers are considered the most comfortable shoes for both sports and everyday wear. But if they are white and rag, they require special care because they quickly get dirty. So you will have to wash them often.

We’ll figure out how to do this in order to preserve the original appearance of the shoes for as long as possible.

How to wash white sneakers made of fabric (rag) from dirt, how to clean them without washing? Tips and recommendations are in the article.

Is it possible?

Before you start washing white rag sneakers, you should understand which way is best to do it - by hand or by machine. The first option is more economical and safer for shoes, the second is less labor-intensive.

As a rule, sports shoes made of fabric, unlike leather ones, are not as durable. In this regard, most manufacturers recommend hand washing.

Despite the fact that you will then have to spend a lot of time and effort, there is a higher chance that your favorite sneakers will be safe.

Cleaning textile shoes in a washing machine should be done as a last resort and with extreme caution so as not to spoil their appearance.

It all depends on the quality - if it is low, then the sole may come off and the shape may change, not for the better. Read more about the rules for washing sneakers here.

Caring for white sneakers

Sneakers can be either fabric or leather. Care measures also depend on the material. The differences lie in the bleaching products used and how to wash white sneakers:

fabric shoes can be washed using a machine, but leather shoes do not tolerate strong wetness and can crack and become deformed when drying;
for leather sneakers you need to use special sponges and soft fabrics to avoid scratching the surface;
textile shoes require hard brushes to clean deeply embedded dirt;
Small abrasions and scratches on the surface of leather shoes can be easily masked with special creams, whereas this cannot be done with fabric sneakers.

It is important to remove stains and dirt immediately after they appear.
After a few days, it will be much more difficult to get rid of the defects. Proper care of white sneakers is not too difficult. However, it allows you to maintain a neat appearance and extend its service life.

In the washing machine

Before loading sneakers into the washing machine, they are prepared accordingly:

Clean the sole from dirt. An unnecessary toothbrush is suitable for this. If the dirt is small, then wipe the shoes from below with a damp cloth and rinse under the tap.
If any persistent stains are found, remove them using a stain remover or some improvised means.
Take out the laces and insoles. They are usually washed separately.
Place the sneakers in a special washing bag and load them into the washing machine.

Then pour washing powder (it is preferable to take children's powder - it has no additives) into the appropriate compartment, or better yet, pour in liquid detergent. In the first case, you will still need to pour conditioner into the other compartment so that the powder residues are washed out well.

Set the appropriate “Sports Shoes” mode (some machines have it) . If this is not available, the “For Delicates” and “Hand Wash” programs will serve as an alternative.

The optimal temperature is from 30 to 35 ᵒС. In this case, spinning and drying are not needed - they are turned off.

Along with the sneakers, 1-2 old towels are loaded into the drum of the washing machine to fill the voids. This will protect the drum from damage and the shoes from deformation.

We use a bag

In order not to break the washing machine or spoil textile shoes, you need to use special bags. Just don’t confuse them with similar ones, but for things.

A few recommendations for choosing a bag for washing shoes:

Made of fairly dense material, but with good water permeability.
A thin bag will not last long and will tear after just a few washes. If it is mesh, then the holes should be small so that if the small decor comes off, it does not fall out.
The presence of strong seams. There should be no threads sticking out on the sides.
The presence of hard or foam inserts. In the second case, they must be evenly distributed over the entire area of the product.

Cleaning insoles

If the insoles are not very dirty, then just wash them under cool water and soap. When products are dirty, it is best to treat them with soda or alcohol.

Washing sneakers in a machine, of course, is always risky, but it is quite possible and frees up almost an hour of time. And yet you will have to prepare the Converse and wash the soles manually. Leather or faux leather sneakers just need to be wiped with a damp cloth from time to time and lubricated with glycerin or a special impregnation 1-2 times a season. Suede requires only dry cleaning, and a couple of times a season - wet cleaning (with foam, but without water, using a damp brush or steam cleaner). And your shoes will tell everyone that you know a lot about style.

Handwash

Cleaning white textile sneakers manually guarantees a good result, but subject to a number of conditions.

You can use different products for washing:

dry or liquid (powders, gels, shampoos);
lemon juice;
soda;
table vinegar.

Since white sneakers get dirty more than dark ones, regular washing powder does not always help. It removes most of the dirt, but yellow stains and stubborn stains sometimes remain.

To avoid such consequences, it is recommended to combine washing powder with vinegar or citric acid (for 100 g of powder, 3 tablespoons of vinegar/acid + a little water is enough). Only when working with these products do you wear rubber gloves to protect your skin.

Further actions will be as follows:

The resulting slurry is applied to all shoes, including the sole.
After waiting for half an hour, start cleaning the sneakers with a stiff brush.
At the end of the procedure, wash the shoes under running water.
Place the sneakers in fresh air to dry.

It is convenient to wash the laces in the following way: wrap it around your fist, moisten it with water, lather it with laundry soap and begin to rub it with a toothbrush. Or you can spin them in the washing machine.

Just don’t put them together with colored things so that they don’t paint over them. It is also advisable to place the laces in a bag, otherwise the tips may come off , which can damage the drum.

It is important to rinse your shoes thoroughly so that no detergent remains in the fabric. Otherwise, yellow streaks will remain.

Available means

There are many available products that can be used to clean white shoes.

Ammonia

Before working with this product, you should wear rubber gloves and a protective mask. To clean your shoes, do the following:

mix ammonia in equal proportions with water;
moisten a clean cloth in the solution and treat the contaminated areas;
wash shoes by hand using powder;
leave to dry.

Lemon

Lemon will help clean leather sneakers. To do this, squeeze out the juice of one fruit and mix it in equal parts with water. Wipe the shoes with a cotton pad soaked in the resulting mixture. Then it needs to be dried naturally. Lemon not only removes stubborn stains, but also helps refresh the material.

Chlorinated bleach

If yellow spots or stains appear on your shoes, you can use chlorinated bleach. It should be mixed with water in a ratio of 1:10. Then soak the product in the resulting solution and leave for half an hour. Then you can carry out cleansing procedures.

Lemon juice and baking soda

This is a universal remedy that helps remove the most difficult stains. To do this you should do the following:

to make the product, you should mix 2 large spoons of soda and lemon juice to get a paste;
treat contaminated areas with the composition and leave for 20 minutes;
clean shoes from the composition with a clean napkin;
wash the sneakers.

Vinegar + peroxide + powder

It is recommended to mix these components in equal proportions. Treat dirty areas with the prepared mixture. They should be moistened first. After 10 minutes, the sneakers should be rinsed.

What to do if the dirt is deeply ingrained?

When the dirt is so strong that standard washing cannot cope with it, then they resort to the following method:

Mix shampoo or washing powder, table vinegar and citric acid (juice) in a ratio of 3:2:1. You should get a homogeneous mass.
The resulting composition is applied to the fabric surface of the sneaker and wait for 20 minutes.
After the allotted time has passed, begin cleaning with a brush, then rinse under the tap.
Load into the washing machine and run on manual mode.

How to clean the sole of cloth sneakers?

As for cleaning the soles, use one of the suggested means:

Stationery eraser . Apply it to the moistened sole and wipe it with a dry cloth.
Acetone. Dip a cotton pad into it and begin removing stains.
Lemon juice . The rubber is treated and after a quarter of an hour it will become snow-white again.
Petrolatum. The best remedy for yellow spots. Apply the juice locally to the stains and wipe with a dry cloth after 15-20 minutes.
Medical alcohol . Soak a cotton swab in it and wipe away dirty stains from the white sole.
Laundry soap . Rub the bottom and edge with it, then bring it completely clean by brushing with a toothbrush.
Petrol. Apply the liquid to problem areas using cotton wool, without touching the tissue. After 10-15 minutes, use any stain remover.

Dry cleaning

You can remove minor stains from fabric sneakers by dry cleaning.

To do this, first treat the surfaces of the light-colored pair with a dry, stiff brush to remove dust and dirt. Then the brush is moistened and tooth powder is collected. Wipe the inside and outside. After 45 minutes, take a dry sponge and remove all remaining dirt.

Dry brushing with toothpaste. If the shoes are white, then take them without colored inclusions. Place a small amount on a moistened sponge and process. When finishing the procedure, wipe with a dry flannel or terry cloth.

Fabric sneakers can be removed from minor stains by dry cleaning

How to dry?

If your sneakers turn yellow after washing, the reason may be:

improper drying;
remaining powder in the fabric that was poorly washed;
rinsing shoes in very cold or hot water;
incorrectly selected detergent;
low quality product.

The first option is the most common. To return the shoes to their original snow-white appearance, rinse them again in cool water and dry them properly.

The latter means the following: they attach the sneakers with clothespins to a rope and leave them hanging to dry so that the water can drain freely. It is ideal if the shoes are dried on the street or balcony, but not in the sun .

It is unacceptable to dry white textile sneakers on heating appliances. They will dry quickly, but the result is unlikely to please you. Sneakers without rubber tips can be stuffed with white paper to maintain their shape.

Drying

To prevent washed sneakers from becoming deformed, drying is carried out at room conditions. First, the shoes are left in a sink or basin to allow the water to drain.

Then, in order to preserve the shape, the internal volume is stuffed with crumpled white or gray paper. It is not recommended to use newspaper, as printed text may stain the fabric.

It is dangerous to place shoes on hot heating appliances, as they are easily deformed and the soles come off. If you need to speed up the drying process, then in the winter season a terry towel folded in half is placed on the radiator, and the products are placed on it.

How to dry sneakers

In what cases should you contact a dry cleaner?

You shouldn’t try to clean your favorite white sneakers on your own in every possible way if the dirt is very ingrained and doesn’t come off the first time. In any case, there will be one outcome - the item will have to be thrown away.

It is more rational to go to a dry cleaner, where professionals will competently approach the process of cleaning shoes and return them to their original appearance.

The cost of such a dry cleaning service depends on the degree of contamination of the shoes, the type of material and other aspects, but on average it is 1000-1500 rubles.

Tips and prohibitions

To make white sneakers easier to wash, you should follow a number of tips:

try to wipe their shoes with a damp cloth after each return from a street walk;
do not wear white shoes in slush and rain;
Before using this or that product, it is advisable to check its effect on the fabric by applying it to a separate area;
liquid products are applied to the cloth surface only with a white cloth;
When cleaning textile sneakers, do not use oil-based products (gasoline, kerosene).