How to clean white shoes that turned yellow

Even if you only wear your sneakers on dry days, you will notice that the bottoms of your shoes start to turn yellow over time. It is common for many white-bottomed sneakers.

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Some techniques to whiten yellow on shoes

Why do White Shoes Turn Yellow?

Chemical Reaction 

After washing, some detergent, soap, or bleach may still be on your white shoes, which is the main cause of yellow stains. When these substances are exposed to sunlight to dry, they undergo chemical reactions that cause yellow stains on your white shoes.

Why do White Shoes Turn Yellow?

The reaction of Dirt Particles with Shoes

Wet shoes attract airborne dirt particles, another factor contributing to the post-laundering yellowing of white shoes. As a result, when you leave white shoes outside to dry, airborne dust particles stick to them. Additionally, the shoes have some dirt embedded in them. The soles of the shoes, as you are probably aware, are the most functional because they absorb the majority of the ground contact when you are walking or running.

Excessive Use of Bleach in Washing the Shoes

Use of Bleach

According to research, excessive bleach use on clothing weakens the synthetic polymers in shoe material, causing yellow stain marks to appear on the shoes.

Hydrogen Peroxide & Baking Soda

Mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and make a paste, being careful not to make it too watery. Hydrogen peroxide is available at most supermarkets and on Amazon. Then, apply the paste to the white areas of your shoes and the areas that are most discoloured using an old toothbrush. Rinse off, and they ought to look brand-new once more. Leave for some time, preferably in sunlight, to help bleach them back to pristine white. Repeat the procedure, leaving it on a little longer this time, if the results aren't quite as white as you'd like.

Baking Powder & Washing Detergent

Since baking powder is well known for making your sneakers sparkle white, we've used it once more in this mixture, along with some washing detergent. Add a tiny bit of water to make the powders into a paste. You can always add more water, but removing it without ruining the mixture will be difficult, so proceed with caution. Once you've prepared the mixture, use a toothbrush to apply it to the yellowing soles and scrub as you go.
Place your shoes in a sealed plastic bag to avoid the oxidation process, which causes them to turn yellow. Allow the mixture to dry for at least 30 minutes to ensure complete drying. However, some other techniques might work better if your sneakers are stained.

Baking Powder & Washing Detergent

Follow these steps

Use an old toothbrush and some pure white toothpaste, without any blue particles, to scrub the areas of the trainers that are starting to yellow.

Professional Shoe Cleaner

To restore the whiteness of yellowing soles, many professional shoe cleaning products are available on the market.

Each professional shoe cleaning solution has its own instructions to ensure the best results. Most of these products come with a built-in sponge applicator and a ready-mixed solution, making them a quick and convenient option for cleaning while on the go. Instead of choosing a more general shoe cleaner, choosing a specific "trainer whitener" will be a good way to go. It will be specific to the kinds of shoes you are trying to make less yellow.

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