How To Wash Sneakers In The Washing Machine And By Hand, Including White, The Nuances Of Washing + Photos And Videos

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Washing your sneakers is recommended

Sneakers are constantly used in everyday life. The lightness of such shoes allows you to wear sneakers both as sports shoes for playing volleyball, football or badminton, and for recreation - cycling or skateboarding, walking in parks. It often happens that the weather in summer and spring changes often, and sneakers suddenly get wet from the rain, become hard and dirty, look messy, especially if they are white. In severe cases, ordinary brushing will not help us, and sneakers need to be washed - in a washing machine, or by hand - it depends on the material of the shoe.

Content

• 0.1 What kind of sneakers can be washed?
• 0.2 Preparation for washing - initial stage
• 0.3 Washing sneakers in a typewriter
• 0.4 How to do everything manually at home
• 0.5 Detergents for washing white, colored, dark sneakers
• 0.6 Possible difficulties - yellow stains, spots

• 0.7 Washing colored items

  • 0.7.1 Dark color
  • 0.7.2 White

• 1 Video: how to wash white sneakers

  • 1.1 Washing Converse

    1.1.1 Video

  • 1.2 Drying the sneaker

What kind of sneakers can be washed?

Sneakers are made of various materials - fabric, leather and leatherette, suede. The most common are textile (fabric) models, which are easily washed in the washing machine. There are different opinions about what helps to better cope with dirt on sneakers - hand wash or machine wash. Let's consider the pros and cons of these methods.

	pros	Minuses
Handwash	You can control the washing process and remove all visible dirt until they disappear completely	Long soaking time (at least 30 minutes, maximum possible time 2 hours)
	It is possible to wash both textile sneakers and shoes made of synthetic materials	It is necessary to pay sufficient attention to rinsing the sneakers (you need to change the water 4-5 times)
	Washable sneakers with rhinestones and other decorations
Machine wash	The speed of washing	Suitable only for fabric sneakers
	Effective removal of tough stains (after pre-cleaning the sneakers)	Models with additional elements (reflectors, rhinestones, patches or sequins) must not be washed
		Damaged shoes should not be washed
		Drying mode cannot be used

First you need to determine what your shoes are made of, and, depending on this, decide which type of washing is more preferable. Fabric sneakers, including Converse, are machine washable and hand-washed (both colored and white).

Not all sneakers are machine washable

Sneakers made of natural suede can only be washed by hand in warm water and a solution of laundry soap.

Artificial suede, unlike natural, can be washed both by hand and in a machine, but without the use of bleaching agents - they leave plaque and stains on such material, depriving the shoes of their attractiveness.

Suede sneakers can only be washed by hand

Shoes made of genuine leather and leatherette should not be machine washed under any circumstances; they are cleaned with a soft brush and soap.

Be sure to pay attention to the tag (it should be on your pair of sneakers) or the washing sign (on the shoe box) - this way you will find out if your sneakers are allowed to machine wash. If such information is not available, you can yourself assess the degree of safety of washing such shoes in a washing machine, while you should adhere to some rules:

• If the sneakers are made of durable, high-quality material and are not glued, but stitched, you can safely wash them, they will not break during the washing process;
• Examine the sneakers for additional stripes, rhinestones and sequins that can fly off in the machine - this threatens not so much damage to the shoes as the likelihood of the machine breaking (due to small parts stuck in it);
• Do not wash white and colored sneakers together in one drum - it will be "mutually disadvantageous", white sneakers will acquire different shades, that is, they will be dyed, and colored ones can fade;
• It is important to choose the right powder based on the color of the shoes - for colored sneakers it is better to take a special powder for colored linen so that they do not lose their brightness and become dull;
• It is better to pull out the laces and insoles before washing the sneakers in the machine - the laces, as a rule, are washed separately, by hand, and the insoles are cleaned with a brush using powder;
• Gym shoes are washed in a special bag;
• Washing mode - "sports shoes" or delicate, no more than 600 rpm;
• Washing time - no more than two hours;
• The maximum water temperature is 30 degrees.

The label indicates whether the sneakers can be machine washed

Preparing for washing - initial stage

Whether you wash your sneakers in a washing machine or by hand, the stage of preparing such shoes for washing will be the same:

1. We take out the insoles and laces (they are washed separately);
2. We wipe the sneakers with a clean damp cloth to get rid of dirt;
3. We clean the sole of the dirt using a special brush for clothes (you can also use a toothbrush) and a soap solution, or a strong jet of water (if the dirt has already dried out). Especially often the sole becomes dirty, on which the pattern is applied with deep grooves.

The sole of the sneaker with a pattern gets dirty easily

Washing sneakers in a typewriter

For successful washing of sneakers in a machine, the following conditions must be observed:

• We need a special bag for shoes so that the sneakers do not hit the inner surface of the drum, the glass of the machine door and do not change their shape. You can replace this bag with a pillowcase. Or load a couple of towels or a sheet along with your sneakers. You can also wash sneakers in the leg of jeans, provided that the jeans are not new and do not fade - otherwise they will change the color of our shoes;
• It is not recommended to wash more than two pairs of shoes at the same time;
• Desired water temperature: 30-40 degrees;
• There should be a small amount of powder, otherwise streaks may remain on the fabric of the sneaker;
• You can turn on the spin mode (no more than 600 rpm), you cannot turn on the drying mode;
• Rinse several times after washing;
• The insoles can be put into the drum of the machine along with the sneakers.

As for the washing mode, in many washing machines (for example, Indesit IWSC 5105, Atlant 50E81–00, EWUC 4105) there is a special mode, it is called “Sports shoes”, usually it lasts 30–40 minutes, in different machines it is not the same time, and gently washes your sneakers without deforming them or leaving them dirty. If there is no such mode, we choose a delicate one - it is intended for washing thin and wrinkled fabrics, with this mode more water is used and the mechanical effect on things is reduced. The time of the delicate mode is from one hour to two, for sneakers it is not very useful to be in the water for more than 40 minutes, they can unstick and lose their original appearance. Another possible mode is normal, for washing cotton, without spinning (or with a minimum rate of 400 or 600 rpm) and drying.

Many machines have a washing mode for sports shoes

How to do everything manually at home

You need to wash sneakers by hand in cool water, after removing stains from them using the above methods. Before proceeding directly to washing, you need to soak the sneakers in water for 10-15 minutes, their dense fabric should get wet to make them easier to wash. Instead of powder detergent, you can use a liquid detergent that matches the color of the sneaker - it is much easier to wash it out of the fabric than powder. If our sneakers are white, we add a little bleach. If colored, you need to use a special powder that retains the color. To make our sneakers soft, you can mix a little baking soda with the powder.

Sneakers can be washed both by hand and in a machine

Detergents for white, colored, dark sneakers

When washing shoes of different colors, the means used are also different - for white shoes they have bleaching properties, for colored and dark ones they preserve the color of the fabric.

Means	White sneakers	Colored sneakers	Dark sneakers
Baking soda and vinegar	✔
Tooth powder or toothpaste	✔
"Magic eraser"	✔
Liquid detergent Laska Magic of white	✔
Kokosal black			✔
Liquid detergent Laska Magic of black			✔
Black fashion			✔
Powder for washing colored laundry		✔
Lenor Fabric Conditioner		✔
Liquid detergent Laska Magic of color		✔

Liquid Laska is available for both white and black or colored items.

Possible difficulties - yellow stains, spots

It is important to take into account that after washing (especially if not all conditions are met), some problems may appear, for example, fading of bright colors, the appearance of a yellowish color on a light-colored fabric or the sole of a sneaker, red or yellow stains on the upper part, a decrease in sneaker size. It is advisable to avoid such unpleasant results, but they can be dealt with.

There are several reasons for the appearance of such troubles, be careful, and you can avoid them.

	Cause
Yellow stains	Improper rinsing of sneakers; Insufficient preparation of shoes for washing (for example, dirt remaining on the sole);
Yellowing of the sole	Chemical reaction of sole materials with detergents
Yellowness of the top of the shoe	High water temperature (over 40 degrees); Using an unsuitable cleaning agent; Improper drying of the product - in direct sunlight or on a battery.

If the sneakers are overtaken by "total" yellowness - along the entire fabric part:

1. Rinse the sneakers under running cool water or soak them for 3-4 hours, squeeze out delicately and put to dry in a dark, ventilated place (not on a battery or in direct sunlight). If the yellowness has not completely disappeared, you can repeat this procedure.
2. Use shoe paint - this way you not only get rid of yellowness, but also update your sneakers (for textile sneakers, fabric paint is suitable, for example, Gamma Batik Acrylic).

Unpleasant streaks may appear after washing

If red or yellow streaks appear:

1. Use a semi-hard toothbrush (or a special brush for clothes) and liquid soap for hands, rub off the yellowness with effort, rinse the shoes from soap and leave to dry as described above.
2. Dilute tooth powder or chalk with water, apply on stains for half an hour (you can also use toothpaste), rinse the sneakers.

If the sole has turned yellow:

1. Use ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, or nail polish remover.
2. Apply a special bleaching agent or toothpaste, wipe with a damp cloth, then dry.

If the sneakers "sat down" - changed their size:

1. Deliver them again.
2. Stretch as follows: put the sneakers on wet woolen socks and walk until the socks are completely dry.
3. Use a special shoe stretcher (Kiwi type).

Complex pollution

It so happens that sneakers have stubborn dirt - stains from grass, rust or dirt. Light-colored sneakers often form green stubborn stains from grass, before starting washing, you need to get rid of them by treating them with a mixture of soda and water, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or a special stain remover. Rust stains usually form around lace holes and can be easily removed with whitening toothpaste, lemon juice, and a mixture of baking soda and water. You can also use lemon pulp without zest (wrap in a layer of gauze, attach to a rusty spot, warm with an iron). Dirt stains can be removed with bleach or toothpaste.

Grass stains on sneakers

Washing colored items

When washing colored fabric sneakers, you can add fabric softener (such as Vanish) to preserve the original brightness of the colors and prevent them from fading.

Dark color

There are special means for preserving the brightness of a dark color, which include components that protect a dark fabric or dye from negative chemical or mechanical effects, these are Kokosal Black, Spilo, Laska Magic of black, Help, Black Fashion or Vinsinka.

There are many ways to preserve and protect dark colored shoes.

White color

White sneakers require more careful and careful handling than colored ones. They get dirty more often, the color fades. When cleaning the soles of white shoes, do not brush them with a coarse brush, the machine wash is extremely delicate. For stubborn dirt and stains, you can treat difficult areas with a white stain remover before washing. Sometimes, for washing white sneakers, a mild bleach that does not contain chlorine is added.

Video: how to wash white sneakers

You can clean white sneakers with hydrogen peroxide, this will soften the fabric and leave the yellowness: dilute hydrogen peroxide in hot water (10 liters - 2 tablespoons of peroxide and ammonia), soak the sneakers for half an hour and wash.

White sneakers get dirty faster than any other

Washing Converse

White converse - one of the most popular models - can be washed just like any other white sneakers, you can do it by hand, or you can use a machine wash. However, manufacturers do not advise using bleach and recommend cleaning the Converse with a soft, not semi-hard brush.

Video

Drying sneaker

It is important to dry your sneakers properly so that there is no unpleasant odor and no streaks. You need to dry such shoes in a place with good ventilation - on a loggia or balcony.

• You should not dry your sneakers in direct sunlight - sneakers fade, their fabric coarsens, and they can begin to rub your feet when running and walking, which is not at all desirable for sports shoes.
• It is also impossible to dry sneakers on a battery or heater - in this case, they can lose their shape.
• In winter, sneakers are dried next to heaters, putting sheets of clean paper inside, which absorbs the remaining moisture and prevents deformation of our sneakers (it is better not to use written or newsprint paper, it can stain our shoes with ink or printing ink).
• You can use special shoe dryers (electric or wooden).
• If the sneakers have metal parts (rivets or stripes), they are dried with the sole down to avoid rusty spots.
• It is not recommended to hang the shoes for drying by the laces - there is a possibility of deformation of the sneakers.

It is important to dry your sneakers properly

Drying sneakers is the final step in getting our shoes in order.

Do not be upset that your favorite sneakers have lost their neatness and cleanliness after a walk in unfortunate weather - you can always return them to their original appearance using the methods described in this article. After washing, they will again delight the eye and attract attention!