Published : 2023-08-05

Whiten your shoes

Categories : Shoe Renovation , Tips

Want to whiten your shoes or sneakers easily? We’re sharing some of our best tips to help you give your shoes a second life—whether to wear them again or resell them.

How to whiten shoes

With just a few steps, it’s possible to whiten dirty or worn sneakers, saving you the cost of buying a new pair. Whether through cleaning or painting, follow our advice for the best results.

Clean the shoes

The first and most logical step is to thoroughly clean your shoes. Handwashing is preferable to machine washing, as it provides better control and prevents damage. Without proper cleaning, it’s impossible to fully restore your sneakers.

As with renovation, you can use a cleaning kit. You will need a brush, soap or cleaning product and a cloth. Clean your sneakers by rubbing insistently, whether on the sides, the top or the soles.

If, despite cleaning, your sneakers still have scratches or discolored areas, you’ll need to use paint to restore their whiteness.

Whiten with paint

To whiten your sneakers, we recommend using standard paint. You can whiten the leather, the fabric of the seams but also the soles of your sneakers.

Always apply the paint in several thin coats (2 to 3 coats in general) and allow it to dry well between each coat.

If you have holes, or pieces of leather, we advise you to read our article on sneaker renovation in which we focus more on this type of problem.

Whiten soles and mid soles

If your soles or midsoles have yellowed, they can also be whitened with standard white paint. However, proper surface preparation is essential for good results.

Sand the soles to create a smooth and adhesive surface.
For less rigid soles, apply a coat of glossy varnish to act as a primer and improve paint adhesion.

Important Note: If your soles are made of gum or rubber, we do not recommend painting them. These materials are difficult to paint effectively, even with proper preparation.