White trainers are a sitting target for dirt. The good news is, like most of us, they ‘scrub up’ well. With the right products hand cleaning your trainers is effective and doesn’t take too much effort at all.
When coming back from a muddy walk allow your trainers to air dry especially if they are wet from the rain. Trying to clean them straight away could actually make them much worse. Once they have dried knock them together outside so the mud falls off or alternatively use a soft natural brush.
Fill a bowl with warm water and add in either a drop of liquid laundry detergent or washing up liquid. Dip your brush and scrub away using a circular motion, start with the upper part of the trainer and then finish with the sole.
Wipe clean using a clean dry cloth. (I tend to save up old tea towels for cleaning our trainers)
If the soles and hard rim are still not looking quite as clean as they could be then use a magic eraser with a little bit of water, the generic term for magic eraser is MELAMINE SPONGES. They work their magic by physically removing stains and dirt from the bottom of your shoes and may even work on some suede and cloth type parts on your trainers. The eraser works a bit like sandpaper and will help to get your trainers looking brand new.
Miracle sponges are available in my QOC range. Get Yours Here
Trainers and the washing machine.
Should you put your trainers in the washing machine ? I am often asked this question and I always advise this is personal choice, I DO sometimes wash our trainers in the washing machine but i DO so with care.
Washing trainers in the washing machine can weaken the bonding agents and could also damage your machine.
If you do decide to use the washing machine then choose a low heat setting no more than 30 degrees, a low spin so they are not chucked around too much and use an old pillow case or a laundry bag.
Remove the laces as there is a chance that these could get stuck in the machine and if the shoe liner comes out take this out.
Use a liquid detergent and mix into the detergent a big spoonful of bicarbonate of soda, the reason I recommend this is because bicrab is a whitener. Do not add in any bleached based products as this will strip the colour.
DO NOT ADD ANYTHING ELSE TO THE MACHINE.
Tough stains
In the course of a day wearing your trainers you going to come into contact with threats such as accidental spillages, but thankfully there is a great inexpensive solution to get rid of these stains.
Toothpaste, white toothpaste is such a great alternative to expensive trainer cleaners, just add a generous amount of white toothpaste to the stained area and rub in using an old recycled toothbrush (toothbrushes are a must for your cleaning caddy as they can come in so handy)
Once you have scrubbed away use a damp cloth to remove any foam or residue and your trainers will not only be minty fresh but bright white too!
Laces
A really easy simple quick solution to brighten up and revitalise your trainers is to replace the laces, laces can be inexpensive and will give your trainers a new lease of life.
Cleaning laces takes time but the best solution I have found is to put them in a saucepan of boiling water and add a heaped spoonful of bicarbonate of soda. Never bleach your laces as this will strip the colour and turn them an off yellow colour making them look worse.
Drying
When drying your trainers what ever you do, do NOT put them on a radiator as this can crack them, weaken the glue, meaning the soles could start to unstick and shrink them.
Always air dry your trainers, trainers can take a while so be prepared to be with out them for 24 hours.
Protecting
If you really want to keep your trainers box fresh it is worth investing in shoe care products such a suede protector or a leather protector, use as soon as you get your trainers and after a couple of wears.
You can catch up with my full trainer cleaner demo from ITV’s This Morning here
Happy Cleaning
