How to clean your Converse sneakers to avoid damage with tricks that don’t work

White Converse sneakers never go out of style, but over time the color turns a bit yellow due to the use of aggressive chemicals. What makes white Converse special is that you can pair them with any look, making it impossible to throw them away before trying anything to salvage them, even throwing them in the washing machine overnight. If this is your case, don’t worry, there is a very simple way to clean white Converse following a few easy steps that will leave them as good as new.

White Converse get very dirty and very fast, so much so that sometimes they hardly ever return to their original whiteness. Since the demand for this type of sneakers has not stopped growing, we have prepared a series of steps that will help you keep your white Converse in perfect condition. On the Internet there are different tricks that claim to be effective for cleaning the shoes and also to remove some odors caused by use or storage. However, there is no commercial product as effective as the homemade one.

How do you wash Converse sneakers?

A shoe that never goes out of fashion and looks great in almost any style of clothing is the Converse All Star white sneakers, which, to this day, still does not diminish its great popularity in Spain. They go with everything, you can wear them to go for a walk, exercise and even work with them, as they are casual and provide comfort and freshness. However, the disadvantage is that the fabric gets dirty very quickly and it is almost impossible to restore them to their original shine.

Luckily it’s an “almost”. The truth is that there are some techniques to clean white converse and make them look impeccable. Keep reading this article and learn how to wash them and prevent them from yellowing over time.

1. The first thing you need to do to get your white converse clean and shiny is to remove the laces and shake them very well to remove the accumulated dirt and grime from the soles.
2. Then, remove the surface dirt located on the rubber with a damp cloth to remove the dust.
3. Once this is done, mix water and neutral soap or bleaching detergent in a bowl and rub the fabric with a toothbrush or clothes brush.
4. If there are any stains that are impossible to remove with this mixture, dilute a little ammonia with soapy water and again scrub the stains with the brush.
5. Leave to act for one hour.
6. Wash as usual (avoiding getting water inside).
7. You can also put them in the washing machine for a quicker and easier process, removing the laces and insoles, with a short washing program, cold water and minimum spin. This is not the most advisable thing to do, as it may cause the shoes to deteriorate faster.
8. Finally, leave them to dry in the open air and in the shade.

Clean white Converse with baking soda and lemon juice

The benefits of baking soda are endless (no, our grandmother was not exaggerating). One of them is that works as an effective surface whitener, and if combined with other elements, such as lemon or vinegar, the results are really incredible. This is a simple, safe, and efficient procedure for toremove stains from white sneakers and restore the neatness that makes them so eye-catching. In addition, this mixture is non-toxic and will not damage the condition of the tissue in any way. These are the steps:

1. Place 100 ml of water, 50 ml of lemon juice and two tablespoons of baking sodain a spray bottle.
2. Mix very well and spray the dirtiest areas of the fabric and the sole of the shoe.
3. Let the action of the baking soda and citrus take effect.
4. Then, scrub hard to remove as much dirt as you can and rinse with enough water to remove all the mixture.
5. Allow to air dry (do not leave in direct sunlight).

How to wash white Converse with vinegar and baking soda?

As mentioned above, baking soda is a cleanser par excellence and an infallible ally of hundreds of natural remedies for health, food and cleaning. As with lemon, you can also mix it with vinegar and clean them inside, outside and on the sole as follows:

1. Mix 50 ml of vinegar and two tablespoons of baking soda with a little water to form a paste.
2. With a brush (toothbrush, shoe brush or clothes brush) rub the dirty parts and wait for 45 minutes for the preparation to take effect.
3. Finally, rinse with water and dry the excess water with a cloth.
4. Allow to air dry.

How to wash white fabric sneakers so that they do not turn yellow?

It is essential that you wash and thoroughly clean your converse (especially the white ones) frequently to keep them white and spotless, but, in addition to that, it is vital that you do it so that, with the passage of time, they do not acquire a yellowish and dull tone. One of the most recommended alternatives by users on the web is to use coarse salt to remove severe stains:

1. With the help of a slightly damp soft-bristled toothbrush, scrub the parts stained with coarse salt (on the inside and outside) and also the soles.
2. Let them soak for a stronger effect.
3. Then, wash with water and powder detergent and scrub again with the toothbrush to remove the dirt.
4. Rinse with plenty of lukewarm water (trying to wash only the outside, without completely soaking the inside of the shoes) and dry with an absorbent cloth to dry faster.
5. Let them dry overnight in the open air.

Steps to clean white Converse without much effort

No matter where you go, white Converse are the first choice and as we already mentioned you can combine them with any style. This is really the main reason why they wear out and get dirty very quickly. It is not enough that they are white, they are also the favorite sneakers of any person and the use is constant if not daily. Don’t worry if your favorite shoes are visibly deteriorated or have lost their original whiteness, follow the steps below to turn dirty, stained white Converse into ones that look like new.

Step 1 to remove stains

The first thing you should do before cleaning your white Converse sneakers is to shake off all the dust and dirt residue on the soles. Especially if they have been stored for a long time waiting for some solution to recover them completely and leave aside the option of throwing them away.

Step 2

Remove surface dirt from the fabric or soles with a wet wipe, such as a baby wipe. Of course, there is no need to spend an entire package trying to clean them because that is not the intention.

Step 3

Start removing the sticky dirt from the fabric of the white Converse sneakers with the neutral soap and water mixture. Moisten first with a little water, you don’t need to put them in a bathtub. With the help of an old toothbrush or toothbrush, start to remove the dirt stuck to the fabric of the shoes.

Step 4

After removing the stains left by the dust, proceed with the more difficult ones. To the previous mixture add a little ammonia and brush again until you remove as much as you can. Ammonia effectively helps to remove dirt stuck to both the fabric of the shoes and the soles.

Step 5

This step is not highly recommended by the manufacturer, as it has consequences on the shoes. But if you want to clean them in depth you can put them in the washing machine, in a short program with cold water and a gentle spin. Do not forget to remove the laces and insoles.

Step 6

Let them dry in the sun with a little talcum powder to make them perfectly white. Do not try to put them in the dryer, as they may shrink or deteriorate.

How to remove yellow stains from Converse?

We only need 1 part of baking soda to 1.5 parts of detergent, we can also replace the detergent with vinegar. The first thing to do is to remove the laces to be able to clean the sneakers properly.

What we do with the solution is to apply it with a cloth so that they are perfect as in the photo that I show you above.