How to clean white sneakers
How to clean white leather sneakers
How to clean white leather sneakers and what you need: sneakers / Mr. Clean Magic Eraser / Old towel or cleaning rag /
Have you ever spent a ton of money on white leather sneakers, only to watch them get disgustingly dirty? Oh yeah-been there! While it is impossible to make a pair of white sneakers look brand new, forever after, it is possible to keep them clean and looking presentable. Or shall we say, less disgusting and gross?
I purchased these beautiful Gucci sneakers last summer so that I would have something fabulous to wear on my feet at New York Fashion Week in September. They turned into my workhorse sneakers at fashion week, and since then, I wear them multiple times per week. They are really comfortable! Normally I keep my white leather sneakers clean on a regular basis, but this fall season has been hectic, and I have fallen behind on my shoe care. Hence, here are my beautiful sneakers in a very, very dirty state. Time to clean them!
It is really easy to clean white leather sneakers, and keep them clean throughout their life in your wardrobe. So, without further ado, here are my easy steps on how to clean white sneakers.
How to clean white sneakers step 1: The Wipe Down
The first step in cleaning your white leather sneakers is to wipe them down. Take an old towel, rag or cleaning rag and wet it. Squeeze out any excess water, and use it to wipe down your sneakers. Keep a second towel handy so you can quickly wipe off the water from your sneakers. Since they are leather, you don’t want them to soak in water. Wipe or pat them dry. This should work better on the leather, or faux leather, than the soles. The soles are harder to clean. It also takes off the top layer of dirt, allowing you to get to the deep dirt in step two. Which brings us to. . .
How to clean white sneakers step 2: A super secret magic tool!
OK, if you are a Mom, you own tons of Magic Erasers. If not, here is a tip, keep multiple Magic Erasers around your home. You will find they are the handiest cleaning product on the market. I started using Mr. Clean Magic Erasers when my kids were toddlers. It wiped crayons off the walls-yes, we had that-and I also found it cleaned any type of mark off the wall without hurting the paint. Loved it!
So, since then, I have been using my Magic Erasers on pretty much anything white for the past fifteen years. It is easy to use to clean your white leather sneakers too. Also, if your sneakers are not leather, it works too!
Take a Magic Eraser, wet it, and squeeze out any excess water. Use one side to rub on the leather, the other side to rub on the sole. The soles will be very dirty. I only clean the sides, not underneath the shoe. I know some people will clean the underneath, I am not those people. The Magic Eraser will work on the sides, and bottom; so if you choose to clean the underneath of your shoes, this will work for you too.
Gently rub the Magic Eraser on the leather. Keep your dry towel handy to rub off excess water from the leather. The leather, or faux leather, will clean quickly, and easily. When it comes to the soles, it will take some scrubbing; and some time. It took me twenty minutes to clean the sides of my sneakers’ soles. Keep in mind, the pair of sneakers pictured in this post are platform. Your sneakers might not take as long if they are normal height. There will be dirty water dripping from your shoes, make sure you have something underneath you, or clean them outside like I do. Also, keep your dry towel handy to wipe off the extra, dripping water.
There you have it! Those are the easy steps you take for cleaning white leather sneakers. Here are a few tools you might need to help you get started:
I recommend cleaning your shoes often, instead of waiting until they are very dirty, like I did. If you wear them all the time, try to clean them every week. It will only take a few minutes. If you wait, it will be a big job, like it was for me. I plan to clean them once a week now that they are clean!
I learned shoe repair when I worked in a shoe store shortly after graduating college. If you have any shoe care, or repair questions, feel free to ask!
Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO
Cathy
