How to Clean White Sneakers: Leather, Canvas and Mesh

What do you need to clean white sneakers?

You need very little: two soft brushes or an old toothbrush, a microfibre cloth, a bowl of warm water, and a mild cleaner such as gentle laundry detergent, dish soap or a dedicated sneaker cleaner. Add baking soda for stubborn canvas stains, a melamine sponge for rubber soles, and paper to stuff the shoes while they dry.

The basic kit:

• A soft brush for uppers and a stiffer brush for soles. An old toothbrush handles stitching and edges.
• A microfibre cloth to wipe away foam and dirt.
• Mild cleaner. A few drops of gentle detergent in warm water work on most materials. Sneaker cleaners like Jason Markk or Crep Protect are designed for the job and foam well.
• Baking soda, and 3% hydrogen peroxide if you want Nike’s canvas paste.
• A melamine sponge (sold as a “magic eraser”) for midsoles.
• Paper or shoe trees to hold the shape while drying.

Our Lab will run a cleaner comparison of branded kits against dish soap and baking soda as testing finishes. Until then, see our white sneaker cleaner guide for what each option does.

Which cleaning method suits each material?

Match the method to the upper. Smooth leather and synthetic leather get a damp wipe and mild soap, never a soak. Canvas can take more water and a baking soda paste. Mesh and knit need a gentle hand wash because brushing hard frays the fibres. Suede needs a dry suede brush first and as little water as possible.

Material	Clean with	Tool	Avoid
Smooth leather	Mild soap or leather cleaner; baking soda, vinegar and water mix	Soft brush, cloth	Soaking, bleach, direct heat
Synthetic leather	Mild soap and warm water	Soft brush, cloth	Bleach, harsh solvents
Canvas	Mild detergent; baking soda and peroxide paste	Soft to medium brush	Machine washing (for most brands), hot dryers
Mesh and knit	Mild detergent in cool to warm water	Soft brush, sponge	Hard scrubbing, bleach, heat
Suede and nubuck	Dry brush first; suede cleaner	Suede brush	Soaking, vinegar left to sit
Rubber soles	Soap and water; melamine sponge	Stiff brush	Abrasives on painted parts

When a shoe mixes materials, like a leather upper with a suede toe, clean each part with its own method and keep water off the suede.

How do you clean white leather and synthetic sneakers?

Brush off dry dirt, remove the laces, stuff the shoes with paper, then scrub the upper in small circles with a damp soft brush and a little mild soap or leather cleaner. Wipe the foam away with a microfibre cloth, rinse the cloth and wipe again with plain water, then air dry. Condition real leather once it’s dry.

Step by step:

1. Prep. Take out the laces and insoles. Put shoe trees or paper inside: Nike notes that leather can lose its shape when wet.
2. Dry brush. Brush off loose dirt first so you don’t grind it in when the brush gets wet.
3. Load the brush. Dip it in warm water with a few drops of cleaner, then shake it so it’s damp, not dripping. Jason Markk’s method is a damp brush and a light foam, panel by panel.
4. Scrub gently in small circles, working from the top of the shoe down toward the sole.
5. Wipe the foam off with a microfibre cloth, then wipe again with a cloth dampened in plain water.
6. Dry at room temperature, away from radiators and sunlight.
7. Condition real leather once dry. Synthetic leather doesn’t need it.

For marks that soap doesn’t shift, Nike suggests a mix of 1 tablespoon baking soda, 2 tablespoons white vinegar and 1 cup of water, or micellar water. Don’t use bleach on leather.

How do you clean white canvas sneakers?

Remove the laces, dry-brush the canvas, then scrub it by hand with warm water, mild detergent and a soft brush, rinsing the brush often. For stains that remain, Nike suggests a paste of two parts baking soda to one part 3% hydrogen peroxide, left for about 30 minutes, then rinsed. Air dry with paper inside.

Step by step:

1. Knock off dirt. Clap the soles together outside, then brush the canvas while dry.
2. Wash. Dip a soft brush in warm, soapy water and work across the canvas. Don’t leave the shoe soaking; Converse advises against long soaks.
3. Spot treat. Apply the baking soda and peroxide paste to stains with an old toothbrush, wait about 30 minutes, then rinse it off thoroughly.
4. Rinse with a clean, damp cloth until no soap is left.
5. Dry with paper inside, at room temperature.

Brands disagree on bleach. Nike’s guide includes diluted bleach for canvas, with gloves. Converse recommends mild detergent instead of bleach. We’d try the peroxide paste first, keep bleach off any rubber, glue or leather trim, and never use it on synthetic uppers.

How do you clean white mesh and knit sneakers?

Gently, by hand. Take out the laces and insoles, brush off dry dirt, then dab and lightly scrub the mesh with a soft brush or sponge and mild detergent in warm water. Rinse with a damp cloth, press out excess water with a towel, stuff with paper and air dry away from heat.

On says to keep its shoes away from the washing machine and the tumble dryer, warning that heat and detergent can damage seams and bonding. It suggests warm water, mild detergent, a soft cloth or sponge, and drying at room temperature with scrunched paper inside.

Some knit shoes are made to be machine washed. Vessi says its Weekend can go in on a cold cycle in a laundry bag, with insoles and laces removed, and must air dry. Its help pages also recommend hand washing as the best routine, and say no bleach. Check the brand’s own care page before you put any knit shoe in the machine.

How do you clean midsoles, laces and insoles?

Scrub rubber midsoles and outsoles with a stiff brush and soapy water, then use a damp melamine sponge on scuffs. Wash laces by hand or in a mesh bag on a gentle cycle and air dry them. Hand-wash removable insoles with mild soap, press them dry in a towel and let them dry fully before putting them back.

A few tips:

• Melamine sponges work like very fine sandpaper and can finely scratch surfaces that aren’t hard. They’re most useful on rubber sidewalls. Nike also lists a damp one as an option for white leather; if you try that, use light pressure and test a hidden spot. Keep them off canvas and suede.
• Toothpaste and an old toothbrush can help on rubber soles, according to Nike.
• Laces. Nike recommends air drying laces, because heat can deform the plastic tips.
• Insoles. On suggests taking out laces and insoles and washing them separately from the shoe.

Can you put white sneakers in the washing machine?

For most white sneakers, no. Veja, Converse and On all advise against it, and Jason Markk warns against machine-washing leather. Agitation and detergent can loosen glue, deform the shape and fray stitching, and the dryer is worse. A few knit shoes, like the Vessi Weekend, are designed for a cold, gentle wash.

Brand or shoe	Machine washing
Veja	No. Veja says its sneakers should not be machine washed; laces only, at low temperature
Converse Chucks	Not recommended; hand clean and air dry
On	No. Keep them out of the washer and dryer
Leather sneakers in general	No. Jason Markk warns against it
Vessi Weekend	Yes, cold cycle in a laundry bag, insoles and laces out, air dry only

If a care label or brand page says nothing, assume hand washing. It takes longer, but it’s far less likely to damage the shoe.

How do you dry white sneakers without yellowing them?

Dry them slowly, at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Stuff them with plain paper, change it when it’s damp, and give them a full day before wearing them again. Radiators, hair dryers and clothes dryers can warp soles and crack leather, and strong light speeds up yellowing in foam and some rubbers.

Why light matters: polyurethane foams made with aromatic compounds are known to discolour, from off-white to yellow, when exposed to light. Many sneaker midsoles and insoles are foam, so leaving white sneakers on a sunny windowsill to dry works against you.

That’s also why we’d skip the “dry them in the sun” whitening tricks you’ll see online, including the lemon-and-sunlight method, for any shoe with a white foam midsole. If you try it on plain canvas, keep the soles out of direct light.

After cleaning, a protector spray on dry shoes helps the next clean go faster. For winter specifically, read our salt stain guide, and for choosing white sneakers that are easy to keep clean, see our master list.