How to Clean White Canvas Shoes

How to Clean White Canvas Shoes

Want to get your white sneakers looking fresh and clean? Follow these simple steps to learn how to wash and bleach canvas shoes to get them looking as white as the day you bought them.

Whether you’re gearing up for the first day of school or making a fashion statement in a suit and tie, nothing brightens up an outfit like a new pair of white canvas sneakers. But as we all know, nothing attracts germy dirt and stains like a new pair of white canvas sneakers. Luckily we’ve got a few tips for keeping those classic kicks smelling fresh, feeling clean and looking brilliant.

A clean sneaker routine

If you’re looking to bring those classic canvas sneakers back to their original bright white condition, you’ll want to use a little elbow grease, and Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach.

Gather your supplies:

1. Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach
2. Measuring cup
3. Nylon brush
4. Clean white towels

Steps for cleaning white canvas sneakers

1. Prep your sneakers

   With the (dry) nylon brush, brush the shoes to remove loose dirt or soil. This makes them easier to clean. Remove the shoelaces and set them aside to clean later.
2. Mix a bleach solution

   Add 80 mL (1/3 cup) of Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach in 3.8 L of water in a plastic dishpan.
3. Scrub your sneakers clean

   Working on one shoe at a time, dip the brush in the bleach and water solution, and then gently scrub the canvas in a circular motion, applying the bleach solution until the entire shoe has been treated.
4. Rinse your sneakers

   Rinse the first shoe completely with clean water before starting the second shoe.
5. Check for stubborn stains

   If stains remain, scrub them thoroughly with the nylon brush, then spray with more bleach solution (per step 2) before rinsing.
6. Dry the shoes

   Allow the sneakers to air dry overnight.
7. Soak the laces

   Let shoelaces soak for 6 minutes in the bleach solution (per step 2) before rinsing thoroughly and laying them flat to air dry.
8. Wash the laces

   Toss the laces into a lingerie bag and wash them with your regular bleach load.