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| My Adidas- Before Cleaning |
It looked like my cat peed all over them!
I've never been the most fashion-savvy person, so I simply didn't care. It's not like they smelt bad, and they were still fully functional. Considering they're about six years old, they barely have any wear and tear.
Me wearing my beloved Adidas embarrassed the hell out of my husband. His whites must always be white. So, after wearing them yellow and submitting him to embarrassment for several years (and getting sick of hearing him complain) I decided the only way I would actually get around to cleaning them up is if I had an incentive to do so. Hence, I put it on my list.
It was much easier than I thought! And, I was able to do it mostly with everyday things you already have in your house. So, without further ado...
The Guide to Making Dirty, Nasty Sneakers White Again!
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| This is all you need! |
What you'll Need:
- Toothbrush
- Dish Towel or Soft Cloth
- Bowl of Hot Water and Dish Detergent
- Fresh Hot Water
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Magic-Erase
- New Shoelaces
Make sure that you are working on a protected surface. I have a glass table that I put an old towel on top of.
STEP 2
Prep Your Shoes for Scrubbing. Get rid of all the surface dirt. Dip your cloth in the fresh water and give your shoes a thorough wipe down both on the inside and the outside. Don't forget the soles. The sneaker should be dampened, not soaked.
STEP 3
SCRUB! Use a toothbrush with either medium or hard bristles. It can be used or, again, you can pick up a new toothbrush for around a buck. Scrub with the hot, soapy water both the inside and the outside of the shoe, but pay closer attention to the inside on this step. This is the only treatment the inside will get. Try to get off a majority of the dirt on the exterior as well including the rubber and soles. If the soles aren't coming as clean as the material, don't fret. there's a special step for cleaning soles later. When you're done scrubbing, wipe down the shoes with your cloth.
STEP 4
Hydrogen Peroxide the Exterior. I love hydrogen peroxide. Maybe I'm weird. Maybe it's the bubbles. Whatever it is, this seems to remove almost all the dirt that the soapy water couldn't get off. Pour some in a little bowl and brush it in to the material with your handy-dandy toothbrush. The dirt should lift fairly easily. Work it on the soles and the rubber part of the shoe. At this point, the soles may still be a bit dirty, but your material should be fairly clean.
STEP 5
Magic Erase! They're not just for use in the bathroom anymore! And let me say, I was pretty impressed with how well they lifted dirt off the rubber of the sneaker. Use the eraser on areas on the material that didn't quite lift, but the main reason why we are using the magic erase is to clean up those soles! Most all dirt that didn't lift from the soles before will surely lift with the magic eraser.
STEP 6
The Rinse Down. Give the shoes a fresh wipe down with your cloth. The goal here is not only to remove any extra dirt that might remain, but also to remove the chemicals that are on your sneaker. I didn't pay enough attention to this and the chemicals picked up some of the color off my jeans the next day.
Let the shoes dry. If you're concerned that the shoes will lose their shape, stuff some paper towels inside. Once they're dry, lace 'em up!
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| My Adidas- After! |
It is worth noting that there are still a few marks on my shoes. That's where the white polish on the leather has worn off. It is also worth noting that there is still some yellowing on the rubber of my shoes. If you're interested in learning how to repair these parts of your shoes, keep reading. I have some extra steps for you!
Other Steps (optional)
I wasn't about to spend any more money than necessary to clean these old shoes. If you want to make them look more new, though, there are a few extra steps you can take if you're willing to spend the money.
Worn-Out Leather
If you look at the picture above you can see some parts on my leather that look dark like dirt. That's actually where the leather is worn and has lost the white color. This is easy to fix. You can pick up some white shoe polish in the shoe department of your local department store for around five bucks. After you're done cleaning your shoes all you have to do is apply it and give it a shine. Good as new!
YELLOWING SOLES!
This is probably the number one complaint amongst owners of white shoes. It seems like no matter how much or little you wear your shoes, the rubber on them eventually turns yellow! I actually went two years without wearing these, found them again, and one shoe had turned yellow while the other one was perfectly fine (although it eventually caught up).
What causes the Yellowing of Soles?
The yellowing of your soles is caused by natural oxidization that takes place in the rubber. It's going to happen if you wear them, and it's going to happen if you don't wear them. Basically, eventually it's going to happen.
How can I Make Them White Again?
There is no proven way to remove 100% of the oxidization. What I did above worked pretty well, though, but you can see that although they are not nearly as bad as they were, the yellow tint is still there. An additional step I did do to my rubber soles is that I brushed them with bleach. Whether or not that actually worked, however, may be more mind over matter.
There is one product out there that is said to counteract the oxidization of rubber called Sea Glow. Basically you are to rub it in to your soles and then once it's penetrated the rubber, you leave the shoe exposed to UV rays of the sun so that the chemical to counteract oxidization is activated. I must say, I've seen before and after pictures of shoes that have been treated with the Sea Glow and I can't say that they remove the yellow any more than my techniques above.
CLEAN SHOES! YAY!
*** My shoes were a leather based shoe with a rubber sole. I have no idea how this technique would work on cloth, canvas, suede, or any other type of shoe material.
