How to clean the white soles of sneakers and sneakers from grass, yellowness and black stripes

General tips and handy tools

Whitening the soles of sneakers at home is a delicate science. The same product can clean some sneakers and ruin others. There are several subtleties and tricks that will help make the cleaning process more competent and easier.

A toothbrush with stiff bristles. It is better to clean the white soles of sneakers with its help. It will have an effective effect on stains and will save more energy.
For white sneakers - a white rag. Colored rags can “give up” their color when exposed to various chemicals. As a result of cleaning, colored stains will appear on the shoes.
Cotton swabs for cleaning hard-to-reach places. You can also use small screwdrivers, wrapping them in a layer of fabric.
Gentle cleaning first. If gentle methods do not help, only then move on to more intense ones. Although it is better to immediately get rid of paint with acetone.
Secure the result with a special shoe polish. For white soles you need white or clear cream. It is applied after cleaning to dry shoes.

Why does the sole turn yellow?

Modern rubber, which is used to make shoes, has one positive property - increased wear resistance. Manufacturers, for whom the quality of the product does not play a significant role, take liberties - replacing good material with synthetics with poor physical properties. This is done to give the shoes additional elasticity and flexibility.

If you do not have the time or opportunity to read the entire article, watch the video on this topic:

In factories, various components are added to the base for the manufacture of rubber soles, thus trying to extend the life of the product.

But over time, as well as under the influence of environmental factors, the original characteristics of the material begin to weaken. First of all, this affects the color of the sole. It takes on an unpleasant dirty yellow tint.

How to prepare crosses for cleaning

To prevent streaks from appearing on your sneakers, you need to prepare your shoes for basic cleaning: rinse thoroughly, remove dirt and stuck stones from the white sole. Follow this procedure:

remove the insoles and laces (they are washed separately);
make a solution of water and soap (30 g of shavings per liter of water);
soak a sponge in the solution, rinse the sole, including hard-to-reach places;
Wipe the sole with a dry cloth and proceed with further cleaning.

Removing stubborn stains

To clean particularly stubborn stains, you can use the following method:

Pour water into a glass, add 25 g of citric acid, stir;
prepare the brush;
put 2 tablespoons of soda into the citric acid solution;
rub the soles with a sizzling solution using a brush;
dilute 2 teaspoons of ammonia in half a glass of water, wipe particularly contaminated areas with this solution;
leave for 15 minutes, then rinse with water.

To wash away old dirt, you should mix solutions of citric acid and ammonia in a basin, then add baking soda and immediately place the sneakers in the basin so that only the sole is immersed. Leave for half an hour. Then remove the shoes and rinse with water.

Machine wash: 4 rules

The washing machine will remove dirt not only from the sole, but also from the entire surface of the sneakers. However, the method is only suitable for good quality rag products. Suede or leather shoes cannot be machine washed. This doesn't just apply to sneakers. For example, leather sandals will lose their shape irrevocably after spinning in a drum. Also, do not put low-quality shoes into the drum - they will come apart in the machine or come apart at the seams. If machine washable, follow these four rules.

Special bag. Use a special bag for washing shoes. This reduces the risk of damaging the drum or the shoes themselves. Alternatively, use a scrap pillowcase or wrap your sneakers in a piece of white fabric and tie it in a knot.
Choosing washing powder. Depending on the color of your sneakers, choose a powder for colored or white laundry. For pure white sneakers, add bleach.
Washing mode. Wash on a sports shoe or delicate cycle at a temperature not exceeding 30°C.
Spin mode. Press at minimum speed.

The machine cleaning method does not greatly affect stubborn dirt and old stains on the white sole. The machine will only refresh the color and remove fresh dirt. The rest will need to be cleaned with additional means.

Prevention

It is better to protect your shoes from dirt in advance, rather than deal with stubborn stains later. To do this, you need to properly care for your sneakers or sneakers.

To do this, it is worth purchasing special care products - colorless cream or water-repellent spray. These products should be used before wearing. Apply spray or cream to the new sole, let the product dry and only then use it for its intended purpose. The treatment must be repeated every 3 days with regular wear.

So, you can preserve the snow-white color of your shoe soles by using special care products. And if contaminants do appear, they can be removed using improvised means or special shampoos.

Household chemicals: which ones will help?

How to make the sole of sneakers white again? Use professional solutions. Make sure that the composition does not contain chlorine - it can leave stains that are difficult to remove. Don't forget to test the product: apply to an inconspicuous area of the sole and leave for at least an hour.

Washing powder

Before cleaning the white soles of sneakers, dilute bleaching detergent in warm water until completely dissolved.

Place the shoes in a basin so that the water covers only the soles.
Leave for three hours.
Scrub the sole vigorously with the solution using an old toothbrush.
Rinse the sole with clean water using a sponge and blot with a dry cloth.

Bleach for clothes

To prepare the solution, follow the instructions on the product label.
Proceed by analogy with washing powder.
Make sure that the substance does not touch the edging of the fabric part of the shoe.
Do not work without gloves - bleaches are very aggressive for the skin of your hands.

Stain remover

Apply the product only to contaminated areas.
Rub in with a brush and leave for the period of time specified in the instructions.
Rinse with clean water.
Repeat the steps until completely cleansed.

Dishwashing gel

Apply the product to the brush or directly to the sole.
Rub vigorously over the entire surface of the rubber.
Pay special attention to hard-to-reach places.
Rinse with clean water.

This method will help remove only fresh dirt and stains. It is better to take a transparent or white gel that does not contain chlorine.

Laundry soap

Soak the soap.
Rub the brush on the soap and start working on the sole.
Lather the brush as needed to ensure that the product reaches all areas.
Repeat the procedure until the result
Rinse.

Methods that are rarely used

A washing machine is the easiest, but essentially the most useless way to clean shoes. Sneakers and sneakers are loaded into the machine in a disassembled state: without insoles, laces and other removable parts. The washing mode should be selected delicate with the lowest number of revolutions. After the procedure, the shoes are dried naturally or using special shoe dryers. Drying with a hairdryer or near a radiator is strictly prohibited: this leads to deformation. It is unlikely that you will wear “chewed” sneakers after this.

Disadvantage: it is almost impossible to bleach shoes to their original condition.

The eraser is the strangest and most tedious method. However, it works, meaning you will get white soles without using any water. The disadvantages include the amount of time you have to spend on whitening. And your hands will require care after this. One pair of shoes requires a fairly large eraser, but if the sole is grooved, you will have to use small pieces that can whiten the thinnest and smallest grooves.

How to clean white soles on sneakers: traditional methods

How to whiten yellowed soles of sneakers and get rid of stubborn stains using folk remedies? “Grandma’s” methods can have a strong and sometimes even aggressive effect, so do not forget to test the product before the procedure.

Eraser

Take a large white elastic band so that it is comfortable to hold in your hands.
Lay down an old newspaper or rag - there will be a lot of dirty “pellets” from the eraser.
Cut the rectangular eraser diagonally to use a sharp angle to reach hidden areas on the sole.
Rub vigorously until desired result.

A harmless but labor-intensive way to clean shoes without washing. Using an eraser, you can “erase” the gray tint, as well as remove some other dirt.

Toothpaste

Apply the paste to the white sole and rub vigorously with a stiff toothbrush.
Leave for 20 minutes and rub again.
Rinse off with clean water.
Repeat several times until desired effect.

Whitening toothpaste is a popular and affordable way to whiten your sneakers. The method is safe not only for white rubber soles, but also for fabric sneakers.

Video on the topic

Baking soda

Dampen the sole with a damp cloth.
Thoroughly rub the soda over it with a brush.
To enhance the effect, add a little lemon juice to the soda.
The result here will depend on the duration and intensity of the procedure.
Rinse the baking soda off your soles.

Baking soda works well with stubborn dust and black streaks, can lighten old stains and will also help with the problem of how to remove grass marks from the soles of sneakers.

To wash or not to wash

Unfortunately, not all shoes can be washed, much less machine washed. If your sneakers have a genuine leather upper, then not only should they be washed, but they shouldn’t get too wet. Water causes the skin to become rough, unsightly and, as a rule, wears out quickly. Such shoes can only be updated by dry cleaning.

It's another matter if the top of the shoe is made of leatherette. These sneakers can be safely wetted and cleaned in a basin with soapy water, but you should still avoid machine washing. Although you will find many recommendations on the Internet on how to wash faux leather items in a washing machine, you must understand that this is not a material that can be treated this way. A few machine washes and then you simply won’t recognize your clothes, naturally, in a bad way.

We also do not recommend machine washing textile shoes that have some defects or are fairly worn. Even small abrasions after high-speed revolutions in the machine can turn into holes. It is best to wash these sneakers by hand.

Another very important point is how the soles were glued or sewn to your shoes. There is no point in washing cheap Chinese sneakers by machine. Firstly, they can quickly tear, and secondly, the soles can come off. If the glue composition was of poor quality, then it is better not to wet such sneakers for a long time. As a rule, quality is judged by their appearance, when the soles are glued sloppily (glue sticks out, etc.) and by the strong specific smell of chemicals that emanates from the shoes even at a distance.

Shoes with glued decorative elements, genuine leather inserts, etc. Jewelry is best processed by hand. After rotation in the machine drum, small or glued parts may come off.

Well, the last thing, unfortunately, is not a rare situation today with cheap textile colored shoes. We also do not recommend washing it in a machine, because the top of the brightly colored fabric can simply fade or fade. Why? Cheap textile production does not include such an important process as fixing the dye in the fabric fibers. During the first wash, and even more so at high temperatures, the colors will “float”.

4 more options

Acids and active substances will help whiten rubber soles on sneakers and sneakers with minimal time and effort. The method of application is the same: apply, rub with a toothbrush, rinse with clean water. Don't forget to wear rubber gloves and a cotton-gauze bandage, and also cover the table surface when working with particularly aggressive cleaners. The substances listed here have approximately the same effect on pollution. Choose based on availability here and now from four options.

Lemon acid. Sold in grocery stores, diluted according to the manufacturer's instructions. You can use freshly squeezed lemon juice instead.
Acetone. It will especially help with stains from linden and poplar buds. You can use nail polish remover containing acetone. Without it, the effect will be lower.
Acetic acid. It is not used in its pure form, but is diluted with water in a ratio of three parts water to one part vinegar.
Washing powder, vinegar and peroxide. The mixture will help get rid of yellowness on the soles of sneakers. Mix bleach laundry detergent, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in a 3:2:1 ratio. It will help lighten stains from poplar buds.

If no substance removes the dirt on the soles of your shoes, try to disguise it - paint over it with special white paint. Acrylic or fabric paint is suitable. Apply with a soft brush, as hard bristles can leave grooves and distribute the paint unevenly.

How to keep shoes white and protect them from dirt

To maintain the results of cleaning white soles for as long as possible, just follow some simple recommendations.

Store sneakers and sneakers away from direct sunlight.
After returning from a walk, wipe your shoes from dirt and dust with a damp soft cloth or sponge, let them dry, and then treat them with a special colorless cream, which will serve as a kind of protection for the soles.
The soles should be cleaned at least as often as the uppers of the shoes. This will prevent cracking and the formation of hopeless stains.
To prevent the formation of cracks, you can treat the sole with a special silicone gel, which has a water-repellent effect.
Protective water-repellent impregnations should be applied regularly and only to clean and dry shoes.
And, of course, you need to wear shoes carefully, avoiding dirt and puddles.

These simple tips will help keep your favorite shoes clean and looking good for a long time.

Drying rules

When drying shoes, you need to follow the rules, especially if the sneakers have been completely washed.

Temperature conditions. Dry at room temperature. Do not leave sneakers on a radiator, near a heater or in the sun. The shoes may become deformed and a yellowish tint will appear that cannot be cleaned.
We remove the water. Use laces to hang the boots upright to drain any remaining liquid.
Keeping the shape. Fill the sneakers with crumpled paper - this will help maintain their shape and dry faster.

The choice of a specific product before washing the white soles of sneakers will depend on your cleaning experience. The more effort you put in, the better the result will be. Especially for old stains. And the best way to keep sneakers in perfect condition for a long time is mandatory care after each wear.

General care for sneakers

Shoes require special care. Otherwise, it won't last as long as it could. Here is a list of recommendations:

It is better to put your sneakers in a place where the sun does not hit.
After returning home from a walk, you need to do a light cleaning with a damp cloth. To make dirt stick less, you can use a special cream. It is usually sold in shoe stores.
The soles should be washed regularly to remove dirt and also to avoid cracks.
For prevention, you can treat the surface with a water-repellent gel.
Impregnation, as a rule, is applied only to shoes, which are first cleaned of various contaminants and then dried.

Take care of your shoes to extend their life.
When wearing, you should be careful to avoid exposure to moisture and dirt. Then your favorite pair of sneakers will last for many years, and their appearance will delight you with its neatness and novelty.

Melamine sponge

The easiest way to keep your shoes in good condition is to use a melamine sponge.

This product has won the hearts of many housewives; it can replace many household chemicals used to remove dirt from wallpaper, cabinets, bathtubs and toilets.

How to clean the sole?

The melamine sponge is easy to use. It must be wetted with cool water and squeezed out. Then wipe the contaminated areas of the sneakers with the tip of the bar, this will be more economical.

Of course, a melamine sponge cannot give a perfectly white color, but the sneakers will be clean.

Washing powder

A solution of washing powder is excellent for light soiling. It is able to wash white shoes from dust and dirt. The main thing is to use it with whitening particles.

To lighten a rubber sole or fabric, take twice as much washing powder as for washing heavily soiled clothes and soak the sneakers in it.

The liquid should cover all problem areas that need bleaching. The sneakers are left in the solution for 30 minutes.

Then the dirt is removed with a shoe cleaning brush. After this, you can rinse the sneakers with water several times to remove any remaining detergent.

This white sole cleaner may leave streaks on the material that will only become visible after drying. You may need another wash to return the sneakers to their original appearance.