Care
How to Clean and Care for White Sneakers
Cleaning by material, road salt, yellowed soles and the products worth buying.
Keeping white sneakers white comes down to the material. Smooth leather and synthetics wipe clean with a damp brush and mild soap, canvas and mesh need a gentle hand scrub, and road salt should come off before it dries into the upper. These guides cover each material, salt stains and which cleaners are worth buying.
Our guides
The Best White Sneaker Cleaner: Jason Markk, Crep Protect or Dish Soap?
The best white sneaker cleaner for Canadians: Jason Markk vs Crep Protect, what dish soap and baking soda can do, protector sprays, and where to buy.
Updated October 23, 2026
How to Clean White Sneakers: Leather, Canvas and Mesh
How to clean white sneakers by material: leather, synthetic, canvas and mesh, plus midsoles, laces, machine washing and drying without yellowing.
Updated October 23, 2026
How to Remove Salt Stains From White Sneakers
How to get salt stains off sneakers: vinegar ratios, step-by-step methods for leather, suede, canvas and knit, and how to stop road salt marks this winter.
Updated October 23, 2026
Which white sneakers are easiest to keep clean?
Of the 18 pairs we cover, we rate 10 easy to clean, 7 as needing moderate care and 1 as needing careful cleaning, based on the upper material. Here they are with their uppers and how each copes with winter.
| Shoe and upper | Cleaning | Winter |
|---|---|---|
| adidas Grand Court 2.0Synthetic leather with at least 50% recycled content | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| adidas Stan SmithSynthetic leather, per adidas Canada (some retailer listings describe it as leather) | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| Axel Arigato Clean 90Leather (Axel Arigato says LWG-certified) | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| Koio CapriItalian calf leather | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| New Balance 550Leather (some retailer listings say synthetic leather) | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| Nike Air Force 1 '07Leather with a perforated toe box and stitched overlays | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| Nike Court Vision Low Next NatureSynthetic, with stitched overlays and toe and side perforations; at least 20% recycled material by weight | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| Reebok Club C 85Leather | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| Veja V-10Leather, with leather panels | Easy to clean | Winter with care |
| Vessi Weekend ClassicDyma-tex waterproof knit (Vessi's four-layer, 4-way stretch membrane knit) | Easy to clean | Winter-ready |
| adidas Samba OGFull grain leather with a suede T-toe overlay and gold foil details | Moderate care | Keep for dry days |
| Common Projects Original Achilles LowLeather (SSENSE describes it as buffed leather) | Moderate care | Winter with care |
| Converse Chuck 70 LowHeavyweight canvas | Moderate care | Keep for dry days |
| Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Lift PlatformCanvas | Moderate care | Keep for dry days |
| On Cloud 6Polyester (On's listed material) | Moderate care | Keep for dry days |
| Vans Old SkoolCanvas (sold by Vans Canada as the Old Skool Canvas) | Moderate care | Keep for dry days |
| Veja CampoLeather (Veja's Organic Traced leather), with leather and suede panels | Moderate care | Winter with care |
| New Balance 530Mesh with synthetic overlays | Needs careful cleaning | Keep for dry days |