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Ways to Keep Your White Sneakers Looking Brand New

Yes, you can keep your white sneakers looking brand new—even if you wear them out.

By Skunk UzekiPublished 6 years ago 4 min read
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One thing that I rarely ever do, as a sneakerhead, is wear white sneakers. They are pretty and often have a nice variety of different looks that they can accomplish. It's easy to see why white sneakers are popular, but as a person who tends to wander around in grimy areas, it's not always a good match for me.

White sneakers are dirt, dust, and grime magnets. So, they don't often stay white. If anything, white sneakers are almost always yellow shortly after and that can be a bummer.

That being said, you don't necessarily have to give up white sneakers just because you live in NYC or anything like that. There are ways to keep your white sneakers looking brand new for longer than ever—including these tips below.

Truth be told, if you have a major rip or tear in your shoes, there's not much you can do to fix it. However, there may be a couple of ways to keep your white sneakers looking brand new for a short amount of time while you save up money for a new pair.

A quick dab of white nail polish will cover up scratches pretty well and keep the leather's surface from tearing more. It's like that old life hack for making your stockings last longer, except it just lets you save up for new sneaker trends.

If you do get stains and scuffs, wipe them away ASAP.

If you're looking for ways to keep your white sneakers looking brand new despite having experienced a scuff on the shoes, acting fast tends to be the fastest way to make sure things work out in your favor.

The moment that you have a scuff or a spill on your shoes, grab a rag and wipe it away. We suggest using a damp cloth with a dollop of soap to get rid of the scuff.

A lot of the ways to keep your white sneakers looking brand new focus on prevention, if you haven't noticed.

Prevention is king, and thankfully, the sneaker community has used their imagination and innovation to create a pretty awesome invention. Sneaker protection spray works by making the material on your sneakers scuff-proof and less prone to having water soak through it.

If you aren't ready to splurge for specialized sneaker protectant, all-around shoe protectant like the one from Kiwi will work wonders. Shoe protectants of all kinds are out there, so if you have suede sneakers, you can still use protectant to keep them white.

Toss your laces in the washing machine, or replace them regularly.

Most people would never guess, but shoelaces are totally machine washable. Shoelaces count as part of your sneaker too, and people will notice if your sneakers are snow white while your laces are light yellow.

Cleaning shoelaces is easy. Just pop them in the wash with the rest of your clothing. If you notice frayed shoelaces, make a point to replace your shoelaces. That way, your sneakers remain looking white as ever.

The cleaning product industry has made a lot ways to keep your white sneakers looking brand new. A lot of major sneakerheads suggest using a Magic Eraser to get rid of more difficult stains on shoes. If you don't have one, you might want to get one. We've also heard pretty good things about Mr. Clean Wipes, if you're not a Magic Eraser kind of person.

Either way, the fact that Mr. Clean's clothing and shoes are always so white totally makes sense now. He's just using his own products.

Don't wear them in muddy or dusty areas.

One of the easiest ways to keep your white sneakers looking brand new is to use common sense. Mud, dust, and water do not bode well for white shoes. They stain the materials and make it harder for sneakers to look pristine, even after using cleaning materials.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, folks. If you want to keep your sneakers looking fly, make a point of staying away from mud, dust, and sand.

The easiest ways to keep white sneakers looking brand new all tend to involve cleaning supplies. If you're doing laundry as part of your spring cleaning meditation, you already have the supplies necessary to keep those snowy white canvas sneakers looking like they just got grabbed off the store shelves.

A simple stain remover pen, just like the ones you use on your shirts, is ideal for lifting spot stains off sneakers. Leather sneakers, on the other hand, do best with white shoe polish.

Use an old toothbrush to reach those hard little niches.

If you know how to clean soccer cleats properly, you probably already knew this trick. One of the easiest ways to keep white sneakers looking brand new is to gently scrub them with a toothbrush using a mix of warm water and soap.

Stepping on an oil slick is no longer the death sentence it once was for your white sneaks. Gentle shampoo, like the stuff you wash a baby's hair with, is a surprisingly good way to get rid of oil stains.

Obviously, this has to be done carefully if you're talking about leather shoes. Don't wet the entire sneaker, unless you're okay with having shoes that don't feel good or are okay with leather sneakers that sustain way too much damage.

Finally, store your shoes away from direct sunlight.

Sun does NOT do good things to shoes. The UV rays can make white sneakers turn yellow and also can cause shoes to just decay. While looking up ways to keep your white sneakers looking brand new often means cleaning them, you should keep an eye out for good storage practices.

Putting your shoes in a closet is a way better option—and if you live in a humid area, I suggest stuffing them with newspaper to avoid bacteria growth. After all, sneakers can't really appear brand new if they're filled with bacteria.

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About the Creator

Skunk Uzeki

Skunk Uzeki is an androgynous pothead and a hard partier. When they aren't drinking and causing trouble, they're writing articles about the fun times they have.

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