How do you clean white converse without turning them yellow

White Converse are an all-season wardrobe staple. The perfect shoe to slip on with almost any outfit for a chic everyday look.

Unfortunately, white Chucks stain easily and can quickly look scruffy without proper care.

Don’t stress, white Converse shoes are easy to clean. You can handwash stains using either toothpaste or baking soda. Continue reading for our top tips on cleaning Chucks and keeping them spotless!

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What You Should Know Before Cleaning Your Converse Shoes

You should always remove the laces before cleaning a pair of shoes. This will make it easier for you to clean around the eyelets and tongues of the shoe.

If your laces need a scrub too, you can clean them separately.

How to Wash Converse in the Washer?

Converse strongly recommend against using a washer for their shoes. If you would still prefer to use a washer, follow these tips to protect your shoes.

1. Rinse First

Excess dirt on your Chucks can clog up the washer. So, it’s best to rinse your shoes under warm water before putting them in the machine.

2. Use a Laundry Bag

Shoes can be damaged by the zippers and embellishments on other items in the wash. By placing your shoes in a laundry mesh bag, you can protect them from snags.

It’s worth using mesh bags even if you’re only washing your shoes in the washer. Otherwise, your shoes may catch on the metal edges inside the drum.

You can find mesh bags in a range of different sizes on Amazon.

Remember to remove the laces before placing the shoes in a mesh bag. This will stop the laces from blocking the eyelets and tongues of your shoes from being washed.

We will cover how to wash the laces separately later in this guide.

3. Use a Mild Detergent

Avoid using strong detergents or stain removers on your Converse shoes. Strong detergents, especially those that contain bleach, can turn your Chucks yellow.

Instead, use a mild detergent that is recommended for delicates.

4. Select a Cool Cycle.

Set your washer to a gentle cycle at the lowest temperature. Washing on a higher heat can loosen the glue and darken the brightness of your Chucks.

5. Air-Dry.

Once the cycle is finished, hang your Converse to dry. Never use the dryer as the heat will damage your shoes.

You can maintain the shape of your shoes by filling them with paper towels. Avoid drying your shoes in direct sunlight as this can cause discolouration.

How to Handwash White Converse Shoes?

Handwashing your Converse is far safer than using a washer. Your shoes won’t be exposed to too much heat and you won’t risk snags during a spin.

To handwash, make a cleaning solution using washing-up liquid, toothpaste, and baking soda. You’ll also need water, a sponge, an old toothbrush, a cloth and paper towels.

Instructions

Use the sponge with room-temperature water to sponge off excess dirt.
Mix together 50g each of toothpaste, baking soda, and washing-up liquid.
Add water to form a thick paste.
Apply the paste to your Converse using the toothbrush.
Scrub your shoes with the toothbrush.
Wipe away any dirt with your cloth as you clean.
Rinse your shoes under lukewarm water.
Fill your shoes with paper towels to maintain their shape whilst drying.
Hang your Converse to dry, avoiding direct sunlight.

After handwashing, you may notice some stains remain. To treat these you can use baking soda or toothpaste as a spot-on stain remover.

How to Wash Converse with Baking Soda?

If stains are still visible after handwashing your Chucks, you can try using a baking soda paste. Baking soda is a mild abrasive and makes a great spot-on stain remover.

You can make a baking soda paste using white vinegar and water. You’ll also need an old toothbrush and a cloth for this method.

Instructions:

Remove the laces. We’ll walk you through cleaning the laces after.
Mix together baking soda, white vinegar and warm water into a paste-like consistency.
Fill a sink or tub with cool water.
Submerge your Converse in the water.
Apply the paste to the stained areas of your shoes using an old toothbrush.
Rinse away the paste using lukewarm water and a cloth.
Fill your shoes with paper towels to maintain their shape whilst drying.
Hang your Converse to dry, avoiding direct sunlight.

If the stains are still slightly visible after drying, you can repeat this process.

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How to Wash Converse with Toothpaste?

After handwashing your Chucks, you can use toothpaste as a spot-on stain remover. When using toothpaste make sure to select a paste product rather than a gel.

Avoid using coloured toothpaste as the dye will stain the material. You’ll also need something to apply the toothpaste to the stains.

An old toothbrush or scrubbing brush would work well.

Instructions:

Remove the laces. We’ll walk you through cleaning the laces after.
Using a toothbrush apply the toothpaste on the stained areas of your Converse. Be generous, you can’t use too much!
Leave to soak for 15 minutes.
Rinse your shoes under lukewarm water.
Fill your shoes with paper towels to maintain their shape whilst drying.
Hang your Converse to dry, avoiding direct sunlight.

If the stains are still slightly visible after drying, you can repeat this process.

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How to Wash Converse Laces?

Now you’ve got spotless shoes, you’ll need to clean the laces to match! You can wash your laces by soaking them in a homemade cleaning solution for a few hours.

You’ll need washing-up liquid, toothpaste, baking soda, and warm water.

Instructions:

If you haven’t already, remove the laces from your shoes. Place them in a tub or basin you don’t need access to for a few hours.
Mix together 50ml each of washing up liquid, toothpaste, and baking soda.
Add 200ml of warm water.
Pour the solution into the tub or basin containing the laces.
Leave the laces to soak for around three hours.
Rinse your laces under lukewarm water.
Hang to air-dry.

How to Clean the Rubber or Sole on White Sneakers?

The rubber soles of Converse trainers can get dirty quickly. You can keep them in tip-top condition using acetone.

Converse soles are made from rubber, making acetone a safe solution to use on them. But, do NOT use acetone on the canvas of your shoes as this can cause discolouration.

Acetone is a powerful cleaning solution that is often also used as a nail polish remover. Make sure to buy pure acetone with no added ingredients.

You can find acetone at your local chemist or order it online from Amazon. To clean rubber soles with acetone you’ll also need some clean cloths.

Instructions

Pour acetone onto a clean cloth.
Wipe down the soaks with the acetone-soaked cloth.
Wet another cloth with water.
Wipe away the acetone from the soles of your Converse.
Leave to air-dry.

How to Clean White Converse Without Turning Them Yellow?

You may have experienced your white Converse turning yellow before. This usually occurs due to incorrect cleaning methods being used on the canvas of the shoes.

The bad news, yellow stains can be almost impossible to remove. The good news, you can prevent this from happening again by avoiding the following cleaning mistakes:

Do NOT use bleach on canvas.

Yellow stains are often caused by products containing bleach. Whilst the rubber soles and laces can cope with harsh chemicals, the canvas is more delicate.

Avoid using bleach solutions and instead opt for baking soda paste or toothpaste.

Ensure water is clean.

Dirty or cloudy water can cause yellowing of the canvas of your Converse shoes. Always use fresh water when cleaning your shoes.

If you are unsure of the quality of water in your area, use freshly filtered water to be safe.

Rinse Thoroughly.

Ensure you thoroughly rinse your Converse under lukewarm water after cleaning. Detergent residue can cause yellowing during the drying process if not rinsed properly.

Air-dry away from direct sunlight.

Another common cause of yellowing Converse is direct sunlight. Ultraviolet rays have a bleaching effect which can cause fading and discolouration.

When air-drying your shoes, place them somewhere warm but out of direct sunlight. If you don’t have anywhere safe to dry your shoes, you can wrap the canvas in paper towels.

This way the shoes will still dry but the canvas won’t be exposed to sun rays.

How to Clean White Converse that Turned Yellow?

Usually, yellowing is caused by incorrect cleaning methods being used. If your Chucks have turned yellow, you can use a hydrogen peroxide and baking soda paste.

You’ll also need an old toothbrush and a clean cloth. Mix together hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and lukewarm water to form a paste.

Use an old toothbrush to scrub the paste over the soles of your shoes. Leave to settle for ten minutes.

Then rinse away the paste thoroughly with lukewarm water and a clean cloth. You can repeat the process if the stains are still visible.

What Not to Do When Cleaning Your White Converse

Using the wrong cleaning methods on your Converse can cause discolouration and damage. So, to recap, here’s a list of things to avoid when cleaning your Chucks.

Avoid using bleach or acetone on the canvas of your shoes.
Don’t use a washer. But if you do, make sure to select a gentle, low-heat cycle.
Don’t rush the rinsing step. Detergent residue can lead to yellowing if not thoroughly rinsed.
Don’t use dirty or cloudy water when handwashing. Make sure water is fresh and, if needed, filtered.
Never use a dryer to dry your shoes.
Don’t dry in direct sunlight.

How to Clean White Converse Fast?

If you’re in a rush you can give the soles of your shoe a quick shine with a magic eraser. Unlike a full wash, you won’t need to wait a few hours for the Converse to dry before wearing them.

Simply wet the magic eraser and rub over the stains on the soles of your shoe. Then dry thoroughly with a paper towel.