The Unsuspecting Laundry Room Staple You Should Be Using To Clean Your Shoes

Cleaning stubborn stains off of dirty shoes can be difficult. Unfortunately, getting your shoes looking shiny and new is not always as simple as just tossing them into the washing machine, because some footwear must be hand-washed. When it comes to hand-washing shoes, there are quite a few cleaning products to choose from. However, you might be overwhelmed by trying to figure out which options will actually lift stains. You might be happy to hear that you likely already have one of the most effective sneaker-cleaning ingredients at home in your laundry room, because OxiClean can be used to get your shoes in great condition again.

The popular stain remover is typically used on laundry before it is placed in a washing machine. Its primary ingredients include sodium percarbonate, sodium carbonate, surfactants, and polymer, according to the OxiClean website. This formula helps break down super tough stains, including stubborn oil marks. OxiClean emulsifies oils so that they easily lift out of fabric. This means that the stain remover's formula will also easily eliminate dirt, oil, and grime from your sneakers.

OxiClean is a great option if you want to whiten faded sneakers. However, your first step should be determining whether the fabric of your shoes could be bleached or otherwise damaged by OxiClean. You should not use the product on leather or wool shoes. After confirming that your shoes will not be damaged by this cleaning process, you should decide which OxiClean product will work best for your shoes. The company's website recommends using OxiClean White Revive Laundry Whitener + Stain Remover for machine-washable white shoes.

To use OxiClean White Revive, mix one scoop of the product into a gallon of warm water. After allowing your machine-washable white shoes to soak for up to six hours, transfer them to your washing machine. Wash the shoes according to the instructions on their care label, and allow them to air-dry. You may use the solution to spot-clean your white shoes instead if they are not washable.

For colored shoes, you may use the original OxiClean stain remover to create a solution with liquid dish soap and water. Check the instructions on the back of the OxiClean packaging to determine how much to add. Dip a toothbrush into this mixture and scrub away stains until your shoes are clean again. If your colored shoes are machine washable, you may also toss them in the washer after spot-removing stains using this method.

Did you know that OxiClean is also one of the many products that can deodorize smelly shoes? The company recommends using its Odor Blasters to get shoes smelling fresh again. This odor elimination method requires you to soak your shoes in a mixture of one gallon of water and one scoop of the OxiClean Odor Blasters. Soak your footwear in the solution for up to six hours, and then either machine or hand wash them depending on what the care instructions recommend. Before soaking the shoes, also make sure that the care instructions do not warn against submerging them in water.

If you have dirty white shoelaces, try cleaning those with OxiClean as well before tossing them. You can mix 1 scoop of OxiClean White Revive Laundry Whitener + Stain Remover Powder with one gallon of water to create a solution to soak the shoelaces in for six hours. You may use your washing machine to remove any remaining stains after you have finished soaking them. To prevent the shoelaces from getting lost among your other laundry or tangling, place them in a mesh bag before washing them.