After our last post on how to clean white converse shoes? And How to clean suede shoes?, we are telling the best methods to clean white vans. White vans look pretty cool, but one major downside is that they stain very easily. Even a minor stain looks a major headache on white vans. The good news is that there are some easy ways to clean white vans. You just need to follow the methods given in this article to clean your white vans yourself at home.
Note: Don’t use any washing power or liquid while rinsing the shoes with any method. Also, don’t keep your shoes under direct sunlight, else it will turn yellow.
Best Ways to Clean White Vans:
1.) Lemon Juice to Clean White Vans
Lemon works as a natural bleaching agent and this property will help you to clean the stains on your shoes. Take a Lemon and slice it into two halves. Now, rub the inner part of lemon on the vans so that some juice will make the vans wet and help to remove the stains. Now, leave your shoes for 7-10 minutes and rinse the shoes with normal plain water and let them dry.
2.) Baking Soda
Baking soda mixed with water and hydrogen peroxide can make a great white-shoe cleaner. There is no strict rule of using hydrogen peroxide to make the solution. You can also use a simple paste made with only baking soda and water. If you are adding hydrogen peroxide, use 1 portion of baking soda and 1/2 portion of each water and hydrogen peroxide.
- Make a paste by mixing one tablespoon baking soda and a half tablespoon each of hydrogen peroxide and lukewarm water.
- If hydrogen peroxide is not available, then use equal amount of baking soda and water to make the paste.
- Dip a toothbrush in the solution, and scrub the stains. Let the solution dry on the shoe for half an hour.
- Finally, rinse the shoe with pain normal water to remove stains from your white vans.
3.) Baby Powder to Clean White Vans
Baby powder is another great solution to clean white vans. Follow the below steps to wash the white vans with baby powder:
- In a bowl, pour some baby powder and mix it thoroughly with the hot water until you get a thick paste.
- Remove all the dirt and debris from the shows with a shoe brush.
- Dip a toothbrush into the paste and scrub the white shoes with it.
- Once you have scrubbed the entire shoe leave it on for a few seconds.
- Wipe off the residue with the damp powder.
- Leave to dry in the shed. If you will keep it under the sunlight, it will turn yellow.
4.) Bleach to Clean White Vans
Bleach will help you to clean stains and give them the original whiteness. Follow the below steps to use the bleach and clean your shoes.
- Remove all the debris and dirt from the shoes with the help of the shoe brush.
- In a bowl, add a pinch of bleach and water to form a thick paste.
- Dip a clean toothbrush into it the paste and scrub the vans.
- Repeat this until the vans are cleaned completely.
- Bleach is a good whitener, however, do not use it in the excess.
- After bleaching, rinse the shoes with normal plain water and dry them in the shade. If you keep them in direct sunlight, then they will turn yellow.
5.) Toothpaste to Clean White Vans
Follow the below steps to use the toothpaste to clean the white vans:
- Put a pea size white toothpaste on the toothbrush.
- Use the toothbrush to scrub the vans.
- Repeat this until it is thoroughly cleaned.
- Then rinse it with water and leave it to dry in the shed.
6.) Cleaning Your Vans by Hand
A mixture of laundry detergent and warm water can help you clean your white vans easily. Mix 1/4 cup laundry detergent and two cups warm water into a large bowl. Before starting your cleaning process, you should prepare a second bowl filled with clean water. In case you are running out of laundry detergent, then there is some alternative which you can use. You van use any one of the below cleaning agents.
- Mix 1/4 cup of dish soap with two cups of warm water.
- Add 1/4 cup of shampoo with two cups of warm water and mix it thoroughly.
- Mix 1/4 cup of window cleaner with two cups of warm water.
- You can also use the vans cleaning solution sold by vans brand. This will you need while rinsing your dishcloth as you clean your vans.
7.) Wash Your Vans in the Washing Machine
This method works great if you have white canvas vans that are covered in mud. Take out the laces of the shoes and then inserts them in the machine, so everything will come out nice and clean.
- You should not directly put your shoes in the washing machine instead put everything in a bag. It will protect both the shoes and your machine from getting beat up during the wash cycle. You can use a pillow case to accommodate shoes and laces. You should make sure that the bag is tied tightly.
- Don’t use hot water, in any case, no matter how dirty your vans are. You should add the same amount of detergent you usually add in a small load of wash. Don’t put anything else other than your shoes. If you do, then your white vans could end up damaging your other clothes.
- Take them out from the machine and stuff with newspaper and let them air dry. Putting newspaper in the shoes is not compulsory but it will speed up the process and maintain the shape of shoes. You should always put your shoes in the direct sunlight to dry them, but do not try to dry them even on low heat. Check out the shoes to see if you’re happy with how clean they are. If you still see spots and stains, use a stain removal method.
8.) Removing Stains and Scuff Marks to Clean White Vans
A magic eraser is a brilliant product that can effectively remove most stains from white Vans easily including grass and mud stains. It is also helpful in removing the scuff marks from the soles of the shoes. You should use a magic eraser, or other stain remover as prescribed by the manufacturer.
- You probably have used rubbing alcohol to clean your household items. This time, it will help you get rid of stains and scuff marks from your white vans. The process of using rubbing alcohol is quite easy you just need to use a cotton ball with some rubbing alcohol and then saturate the stained area. After that, gently wipe the stain with a clean cotton cloth. Repeat the process until the stain is gone.
- Nail polish remover is another great remedy to get rid of scuff marks and ink stains. If the vans are stained with paint, then you should try using a dab of paint thinner.
Things to Remember:
- Before starting your cleaning process, you should prepare a second bowl filled with clean water. This will you need while rinsing your dishcloth as you clean your vans.
- Do not attempt to clean your whole shoes at once instead work on one section at a time. Keep on dipping the cloth in the water while scrubbing the white vans in a circular motion. The cloth will get dirty throughout the process so keep rinsing it in the clean water. After dipping the cloth in the clean water you should then dip it in the cleaning solution.
- You need to follow the same process while cleaning the inside of the shoes as well. To wash your laces separately, put some of the cleaning solutions into a separate bowl and then soak your laces in it. Once cleaning of laces is completed, rinse the laces in clean, warm water.
