Unfortunately, it is particularly noticeable when light-colored shoes get dirty. We’ll explain how to clean your white leather shoes and how to keep white leather shoes clean so you can enjoy wearing them for a long time to come.
White leather shoes are a real eye-catcher and go with so many outfits. However, they have one teeny-tiny flaw—they show dirt and scratches really quickly. While you’ll be able to get many other shoes clean in the washing machine, sadly that’s not the case for white leather shoes. We’ll explain how you can easily get your white leather shoes shiny and clean again.
Before we get to the actual cleaning process, we’d like to offer a few sage words about prevention…something about it being better than the cure. If you waterproof your new leather shoes before wearing them for the first time, they will be eternally grateful to you and remain trusty companions for years to come. Waterproofing spray protects them from dirt and moisture. Treat your shoes regularly with a waterproofing spray for leather to help prevent dirt getting ingrained.
If you want to clean your white leather shoes, first remove as much of any visible dirt as you can. To do this, either wipe them with a damp cloth or carefully brush off the coarse dirt. Make sure that the brush is not too bristly and stiff, otherwise you might risk scratching the leather—this applies to all leather products, whether it’s caring for your couch or handbags.
Before we turn to the actual shoe, we’re going to ask you to remove the laces. On the one hand, they are less sensitive than the leather, so you may think you can leave them on, but on the other hand, you can reach all the nooks and crannies of the shoe more easily and clean the white leather better. It is best to bathe the laces in a mixture of lukewarm water and a little detergent. Then you can hang them up to dry.
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There are several home remedies you can use to clean your white leather shoes.
- Mild laundry detergent, such as all® Free Clear
Simply mix the detergent with lukewarm water and wipe your shoes with it. Then dry the shoes with a cloth or a hair dryer—careful this doesn’t get too hot.
- Liquid dish soap
You can clean your white leather shoes by putting some liquid dish soap on a damp toothbrush and carefully working the shoes with it. Then, wipe the shoes with a damp cloth and let them air dry for a few hours.
Small scratches on your white leather shoes might be a bit annoying, but they’re not the end of the world. Using normal shoe polish, you can simply cover these small blemishes. It is important that you are careful when choosing the color of the polish, though. If you apply a shoe polish that is too dark, you might end up with stains on your shoes.
The faster you remove stains, the better. This applies when thinking about how to clean white leather shoes, too. Wherever you’re going in your shoes, it is a good idea to take a few wet wipes with you so you can quickly clean them in case anything happens. That’s it! You’re good to go.
We hope these tips have been helpful—if you’re interested in more cleaning tips, check out the section dedicated to cleaning on our website.
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