How to Clean White Rubber Soles? – 3 Simple Home Remedies for Box-Fresh Shoes!

You’ve noticed that your favorite sneakers’ white soles have gotten dirty or turned yellow. Wet wipes aren’t doing the trick, and neither is the washing machine. So what do you do now?? Don’t throw your shoes away just yet! Here are the easiest home remedies that clean white rubber soles like a magic wand! 

How Do You Clean White Rubber Soles?

Usually, the first thought we get when we buy a pair of white sneakers is “How am I going to clean them”? Getting your shoes dirty is inevitable. However, cleaning them should not be perceived as a tiresome hassle! All you need is one good trick to do all the dirty work for you! Luckily, I’m not going to give you just one, but a few!

Read also: How to Clean White Shoes Effectively? Here are 6 Proven and Simple Ways

Good Ol’ Baking Soda

It’s safe to say that I hardly ever buy baking soda for cooking. It’s become my most trustworthy shoe-cleaning ingredient and there’s a great reason for that! For this method, you will have to create a cleaning concoction. The ingredients you need are:

• baking soda
• water
• clear laundry detergent or blue dish soap
• old toothbrush
• a glass container (cup, bowl or wide-neck jar)
• a cloth

Once you have all the ingredients at your disposal, follow these steps:

1. Take the glass container and fill 1/2 of it with warm water.
2. Add baking soda and detergent or dish soap in a 1:1 ratio with the water.
3. Mix everything together with a damp toothbrush.
4. Once you see bubbles forming, the concoction is ready!
5. Take some of that mixture and apply it with the toothbrush onto the white soles. Work it gently into the rudder in circular motions.
6. Once you’ve covered the whole area, let the foam sit for a couple of minutes.
7. Finally, wipe the foam off the soles with a damp, soft-fibre cloth.
8. Let the shoes air dry.

White Rubber Sole Cleaning Remedy for Tough Stains

Shoe stains can be stubborn, especially if your soles are more porous. However, white rubber soles have one huge benefit! You can clean them with bleach without any damage! Just make sure that there aren’t any colorful stripes or details on the soles, because the bleach will lighten them. Here’s what you’ll need for this cleaning technique:

• masking tape
• bleach
• water
• soft bristle old toothbrush
• gloves
• glass container

This method is especially good if your soles have started to turn yellow! Here’s how it works:

1. Take the masking tape and put it all around the upper part of the shoe that’s closest to the sole. That way you’ll make sure that you won’t get any bleach onto the fabric.
2. In the glass container mix bleach and hot water in a 1:1 ratio.
3. Take the toothbrush, damp it and put it in the concoction.
4. Rub the soles of your shoes with the brush. Apply more pressure on the areas that have darker stains or yellow spots.
5. Once you’re finished, rinse off the bleach under running water.

If there are still some remaining spots, repeat the process a few times until they are completely gone. Remember to air-dry the shoes!

How Do You Get Scuff Marks Off White Rubber Soles?

If you live in the city, you are very familiar with the scuff marks that appear on white shoes. They are very noticeable and equally difficult to clean. So how do you get rid of them? It’s actually way easier than you may think! You need only one ingredient – toothpaste! The best ones to use are either whitening toothpaste or one that contains baking soda (Ram & Hammer Advance White Stain Defence Toothpaste). For best results, follow these steps:

1. Cover the upper part of your shoes in masking tape. The whitening toothpaste has a bleaching effect which will affect the fabric if it gets in contact with it.
2. Soak the soles in hot water.
3. Put toothpaste onto a damp old toothbrush and work it onto the soles in circular motions as if you’re brushing your own teeth.
4. Wipe off any excess foam and let the shoes sit and dry out for a while.
5. Repeat the process if there are still any visible scuff marks.
6. Finally, wipe off the foam with a cloth, wash the shoes under running hot water and leave them dry.

How Do You Keep White Soles White?

The most effective way to keep your white shoes white at all times is with a dirt and water-repellent spray. The market is flooded with all different kinds of Impregnation sprays with a wide range of price points. All of them are equally effective and will make both your soles and upper part of the shoe stain and water-resistant.

Read also: How to Clean New Balance Shoes for Dummies? 4 Simple Step-By-Step Guides According to Their Type!