Timeless, chic, and versatile, white sneakers are an undeniable wardrobe classic. But a lot of their cool cache relies on keeping them crisp and clean, which isnt the easiest task. We polled a group of knowledgeable insiders to get their advice on how to keep our minimalistic footwear looking fresh.To clear scuffs and stains off of white leather sneakers, grab a toothbrush and some toothpaste.While it may be tempting to toss your white canvas sneakers in the washing machine, you'll likely end up damaging your shoes. Take the time to hand-wash instead.No matter how clean you get the shoes themselves, dirty laces will make them look dingy, so be sure to keep your white shoelaces as pristine as possible.A crisp and clean pair of white sneakers gives any outfit an instant dose of fashion cred in a chill, not-trying-too-hard kind of way. However, while the casual nature of these shoes make them seem pretty low-maintenance, anyone whos tried to keep their kicks clean throughout a full day on-foot knows that theres a lot of effort involved. INSIDER recently asked a group of fashion professionals and cleaning experts for tips on how to preserve our sneakers' bright white hue, and they gave us a few new ideas.To remove discoloration from white leather sneakers, head to the bathroom and grab a tube of toothpaste.Discovering an ugly scuff mark or dirt collection on your favorite white leather sneakers makes for a frustrating morning. Luckily, you've got a secret weapon already hanging out on your bathroom sinktoothpaste. Srajan Mishra of TSI Apparel in Dubai recommends a one-two punch of toothpaste and sugar, which allows you to really scrub the crud out of your sneaker creases. "Use a toothbrush and toothpaste and just scrub the surface of the sneaker properly. Mix a little sugar with the toothpaste to be more effective while scrubbing out the dirtier corners," Mishra told INSIDER. When picking a toothbrush to use as a shoe-cleaning tool, you want one with soft bristles, so that used brush languishing in your medicine cabinet will totally do the trick.If you want to give your toothpaste-cleaning strategy an extra boost, Dave Bowden of Irreverent Gent suggests whitening toothpaste. "Try using whitening toothpaste. Using an [old] toothbrush or your finger, dab on a little [whitening] toothpaste, rub it into the trouble spot, then remove it using a cleaning wipe [like a Mr. Clean wipe or a wet Swiffer cloth]," advised Bowden.Always hand-wash your white canvas sneakers.Tossing your white canvas sneakers in the washing machine with a sizable glug of bleach seems like a quick and easy way to remove any unsightly dirt. However, the heat and motion of a washing machine cycle can actually cause irreparable damage. "Never wash [white sneakers] in a washing machine. It will destroy the cement binding and, in some cases, turn your shoes yellow," cautioned Marc Scepi of SNKR Project.Washing canvas sneakers by hand definitely requires a larger time investment, but you'll be rewarded with good-as-new white shoes. Charlotte Anderson of Manchester Cleaner offered the following cleaning process for banishing stains from your sneakers:"Mixcup laundry detergent and 2 cups warm water into a large bowl. Dip a brush into the solution and scrub the canvas part of both sides of your shoes in circular motions. Rinse and repeat until the canvas is clean. Next, take care of soles [by dipping] an old toothbrush in a paste of equal parts baking soda and water, and gently rub the soles. Once you are satisfied with the result, rinse the shoes well with cold water to remove any soap residue and let them air-dry." Don't neglect your white shoelaces.Heres an inconvenient truth in the world of white sneakers: even if you scrub the heck out of your shoes and remove every bit of dirt from the uppers and the soles, a set of smudgy and discolored white shoelaces will undo all your hard work. Luckily, cleaning or replacing your shoelaces is an easy and low-cost endeavor.Anderson recommends hand-washing your shoelaces by filling a jar with water and a few drops of dish soap and letting the laces soak before rinsing and air-drying them. Bowden likes to add baking soda and bleach to his lace-cleaning solution, but also thinks its fine to "throw them in [the washing machine] with your whites." Scepi, however, doesn't advise trying to clean your white shoelaces. Instead, he believes that the right thing to do when your laces get discolored is "just buy new ones." Sign up here to get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: Learning to celebrate failure at a young age led to this billionaire's success
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