White sneakers are shoes that will never go out of style and go with the vast majority of outfits. But they have one key drawback: they get dirty very quickly. Even the smallest stain is very visible on white shoes.

Fortunately, there are some quick and easy ways to restore the original look of light-coloured sneakers. OBOZREVATEL tells you how to do it. All you need is an old toothbrush and a few products that can be easily found, if not at home, then in any store.

Preparation

Start by removing the laces. If you have shoe pads, insert them inside. If not, just fill each shoe with a crumpled newspaper or put an old T-shirt inside. Especially if you are cleaning a textile pair. Place a towel or cloth under the sneakers to protect the surface and start the cleaning process by using a brush to remove all dried dirt and residue.

Cleaning textile sneakers

There are special products for the care of textile sports shoes. But you can also use a soap solution based on washing powder or mild soap.

To prepare this solution, mix a tablespoon of soap and warm water in a medium-sized bowl. Take a cloth, moisten it well with water and wring it out, and brush it over the surface of the shoe, making sure to avoid the tongue and lace eyelets.

Next, soak the brush in soapy water and thoroughly clean the entire surface of the shoe. Dip the brush back into the solution as needed. Pay particular attention to recesses, seams and any crevices.

Finally, rinse the shoes under running water to remove any soap residue. If they are not cleaned to the desired condition, use the brush and soap solution again. The main thing is to finish cleaning with a thorough rinse, as poorly rinsed soap can leave yellow stains. That's it, the shoes can be sent out to dry in the open air.

Cleaning leather trainers

If your pair is made of genuine or artificial leather, you can simply wipe it well with a cloth dipped in the soap solution from the previous paragraph. And if the shoes are very dirty, you can also brush them. But if necessary, you can clean them with toothpaste.

Just take any toothpaste and apply a small amount of it to the brush, and then go over the sneakers with this brush. The paste will remove even the most stubborn stains because it contains a fine abrasive. Then you just need to rinse and dry your shoes well.

Cleaning the soles

Regardless of what material the upper of the pair is made of, almost all sneakers have the same rubber sole. The rubber can be cleaned with shoe polish or toothpaste. In both cases, using a toothbrush with sufficiently stiff bristles is the most effective method. First, wipe the sole with a damp cloth and then brush vigorously with the chosen product. However, if the soles of your shoes have particularly stubborn stains, you may want to clean them further with a melamine sponge.

How to clean the laces

Remember how you pulled the laces out of your shoes at the beginning? You need to wash them too. You'll need a soap solution similar to the one you used to clean the shoes themselves. You can use leftovers, for example. Just put the laces in a bowl of solution for half an hour. When they are soaked, go over them with a toothbrush or shoe brush until they are clean. Then rinse them thoroughly under running water and lay them out on a horizontal surface to dry.

Conditioning

Leather sneakers also need to be treated with a shoe cream or wax after washing. It will moisturise the material and protect it from cracking. To do this, use a colourless shoe cream. Take a generous portion of the product on a napkin and wipe the leather surface of the shoe until it is completely covered. When the leather darkens slightly and starts to shine, you have applied enough cream. Leave the pair in this state overnight. In the morning, polish it with a clean brush or cloth. When the darkening and shine disappear, the cleaning can be considered complete.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL told how to wash a swimsuit without damaging it, even if it has a lot of decorative elements.

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