How to Clean Converse Sneakers: Care & Tips for All-White and Colorful Styles
Let’s face it. Your Converse will eventually get dirty. In the event that does happen, there are some tricks and tips that you can use to care for and clean your favorite Converse style.
Dirty or not, Chucks are a popular style made for everyday wear. Love for the silhouette has endured for decades now. And for some, the marks, scuffs, dirt, and grime on their Converse shoes are like some sort of a badge of honor. The more wear and tear, the better. For those who want to keep their sneakers looking fresh, here’s what you need to know.
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Construction of Converse Sneakers
To understand how to keep a sneaker clean, you must know its composition.
Whether low or high-top, Converse sneakers are often crafted of durable canvas or mixed textile uppers along with white rubber-capped toes, lace-up closures and thick non-slip white rubber soles. Thanks to its canvas composition, Converse footwear is easily marred. As such, they are susceptible to water damage, mud spots and scuffing among other plights.
The aforementioned soft white rubber outsoles of the sneaker are attached to the upper before the rubber is heat-cured at a whopping 300˚F. The heat that is required to vulcanize the sneaker’s rubber soles can melt nylon and polyester fabrics.
What You Need to Clean Your Converse Sneakers
There are many methods of cleaning Converse sneakers. If you want to hand wash them, you’ll need hand soap, warm water and a microfiber cloth. A diluted laundry detergent solution will also do. Optionally, you can use a toothbrush and baking soda to get those pesky stains out. If you want a sort of do-it-all product, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works wonders on all sneakers, not just Converse. Many Converse enthusiasts have also cleaned their kicks with toothpaste, white non-gel toothpaste to be exact. For deeper stains, you can also use an enzyme-based laundry stain pre-treatment product such as Zout to remove them.
Converse Cleaning Tips & Tricks
Soap and Water Method
Step 1: Remove the laces of your Converse sneakers. It’s recommended that you clean them separately from the sneakers for the best results. Dirt and grime tend to accumulate around the eyelets and on the tongue, so removing the laces provides better access to those areas. Once removed, they can be soaked in a soapy solution with warm water for 20 minutes to get them clean.
Step 2: Dampen a microfiber cloth or toothbrush in soapy warm water and scrub the shoes, taking care to be gentle with the materials. White Converse specifically benefits from cleaning with baking soda, making the whites of the sneaker even whiter. To use baking soda, you’ll wash them with soap and water first and then go in with the cleaning agent on a toothbrush to finish the job.
Step 3: Take a damp cloth and go over the shoe as many times as needed to ensure all soap residue is removed.
Step 4: Fill the shoes with paper to keep their shape and leave them out to air dry. If the paper gets wet during the drying process, switch it out for more to avoid any odors.
Toothpaste Method
Step 1: Pick a toothpaste. It’s important to pick a non-gel formula since the ingredients in the gel-style cleaning product will stain your sneakers. Think white Colgate, Crest or Tom’s. Steer clear from charcoal varieties as well.
Step 2: When doing this, it’s best to test a no-show spot on your sneakers before going to town. An ideal spot to start would be the sides or underside of the tongue. Apply a pea-sized amount once you’re comfortable and use a toothbrush or wire brush if the canvas is really dirty. Scrub using light pressure. You’ll have to let the toothpaste sit and soak for a few minutes to help it along. Once it’s sat, wipe the toothpaste away with a wet towel.
Step 3: Once free of the toothpaste, you can pat dry with a cloth or let it air dry in the sun.
Magic Eraser Method
Step 1: Wet the Magic Eraser and wring out the excess water. Scrub the sneaker’s exterior. This method is best used if you want to get out of scuffs.
Step 2: Wipe down or air-dry the sneakers, stuffing them with paper to keep their shape.
Can I Clean Converse Sneakers in the Washing Machine?
Simply put, yes. Place your Converse into a mesh wash bag or pillowcase to protect them inside the washing machine drum. Always use a low temperature and gentle cycle. If water is too hot, it can cause the shoe’s color to bleed or shrink the canvas. You may also want to remove the laces. To minimize noise, throw in a towel or blanket with them.
How to Clean Leather Converse
When cleaning leather Converse, you can either use your hands, a dry washcloth with a bit of grit, or an old toothbrush to loosen any stuck-on dirt or debris. Like with cleaning canvas, you can use a mild soap and microfiber cloth to gently scrub any stains on the upper. If there are stubborn stains or scuff marks, try going in with a leather cleaner and conditioner. Apply just a small amount of product to a dry microfiber cloth and buff the sneaker. It’s recommended you do this using circular motions. Again, be sure to use a damp cloth to rinse off any remaining product before letting air dry.
About Converse
Founded by Marquis Mills Converse in 1908 in Malden, Massachusetts, Converse is a footwear brand heavily inspired by skate and basketball culture. The company began as a rubber shoe manufacturer, creating vulcanized rubber-soled footwear for men, women, and children. In 1915, Converse began making athletic shoes utilizing that same vulcanized process.
All-Star sneakers, affectionately known as “Chuck Taylor’s” or just “Chucks,” got their name thanks to Charles “Chuck” Hollis Taylor who was a semi-professional basketball player and the player-manager for the Converse All-Stars basketball team in the mid-1920s. Taylor began working for Converse in 1921 while their All Star basketball sneakers were being developed.
During the design process, the athlete chimed in, wanting the performance sneaker to include enhanced flexibility and support. Since the brand’s conception, its many iconic silhouettes, from Chuck Taylor All-Stars to Chuck Taylor 70, have since been launched in every color under the sun, remixed to infinity.
Taking their footwear to the next level, Converse has collaborated with a myriad of big names in fashion, television and music throughout its lengthy history.
About the Author:
Amina Ayoud is an Assistant Digital Editor for Footwear News, where she writes stories about everything from celebrity style to breaking fashion and shoe releases. Ayoud cultivated a love of all things fashion early in life thanks to a deep love of fashion history and the luxury industry. In her free time, Ayoud is a self-proclaimed fashion nerd and thriftaholic.
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