Suede, Canvas or Cloth: 3 Tips for Cleaning White Shoes

It’s essential to take proper care of your white shoes in order to keep them looking their best. Fortunately, with a few simple tips and supplies, you can easily clean your shoes and have them looking like new in no time. Here are three tips for effectively cleaning white shoes.

Prepare Shoes for Cleaning

• Remove laces: The first thing you need to do is remove the laces from the shoes. This will give you better access to all parts of the shoe and make the shoe cleaning process easier.
• Wipe down dirt and debris: Using a damp cloth or rag, wipe down the surface of your shoes to remove any dirt and debris that is present. Additionally, make sure to clean any areas where the laces had been tied.

Clean Shoes with Soap and Water

• Mix mild soap and water: Next, prepare a mixture of mild soap and warm water in a bowl.
• Scrub shoes with a soft cloth: Now, dip the soft cloth you used earlier into the mixture. Gently scrub the entire surface of your shoes using circular motions until all dirt and debris has been removed.
• Rinse shoes with clean water: When you’re finished scrubbing, use a separate cloth dipped into clean water to rinse off the remaining soap residue on your shoes. Make sure that all traces of soap are gone before moving onto the next step.

Whiten Shoes with a Stain Remover

• Apply a specialized cleaning solution: Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned your shoes with soap and water, it’s time to whiten them even further using a specialized cleaning solution designed for white leather shoes (or canvas, depending on your shoe material). Apply an even layer of this solution onto all parts of your shoes using a soft shoe cleaner brush or sponge.
• Allow the solution to sit: Allow the cleaning solution to sit on your shoes for approximately 5 minutes before moving onto the next step.
• Wipe away the solution: Finally, use another damp cloth or rag to wipe away all traces of the cleaning solution from your shoes, taking care not to scrub too hard as this might damage them further.

Final Touches

Let the shoes air dry: After cleaning and whitening your shoes, it’s important to let them air dry completely before wearing or storing them away for later use. A good rule of thumb is to allow them 24 hours before putting them on again post-cleanse.

Condition any leather areas: If your shoes contain any leather components (i.e., tongue or sides), gently apply a moisturizing leather conditioner specifically made for white leather using a soft brush or sponge until all leather areas are properly conditioned and hydrated.

Clean the laces and replace them: Use warm water mixed with mild soap to clean off any dirt that may have accumulated on your laces while they were out of the shoe earlier with paper towels or soft rags until they are completely clean and dry again before replacing them back into their respective shoe eyelet holes once more in order to tie back up your laces as desired upon completion of this entire process once fully dried by now after you’ve repeated this entire process twice over if need be per shoe as necessary in order to achieve desired results in restoring the look, feel, and overall condition of these shoes until both are complete!

Apply a protective coating: Finally, apply a protective coating overtop of each shoe’s material, such as a wax-based protectant specifically made for white leather or canvas, in order to protect against future wear and tear.