How To Clean Shoelaces (Even The White Ones!)

I just love a pair of white sneakers! What I don’t like is when they eventually get dirty and I have to find ways to get them crispy white again. And that’s a whole job in itself.

Cleaning white sneakers or white Converse shoes can be frustrating, especially if you don’t have the right tools. Thank God that over time I’ve developed the skills to take care of them. 

And you know what’s also a pain in the ass? 

Cleaning shoelaces, especially white ones. 

That’s why I’m here to help you learn how to clean shoelaces, white or any other dirty pair. 

There are two obvious ways to go at it: by hand or in the washing machine.

Go through each method and decide which one works best for you, they’re both pretty easy to do. Take into consideration that you need to dedicate a bit of time to the task because you might need to scrub them. 

HOW TO CLEAN SHOELACES BY HAND

Here’s what you need to get started:

• A large bowl of hot water 
• Liquid laundry detergent
• An old toothbrush, but clean
• Bleach (if they’re white and need extra care)
• Rubber gloves

It will take you about 30-40 minutes to wash shoelaces by hand, so let’s start.

1. Unlace your shoelaces and put the shoes aside.
2. Gently wash the shoelaces under the water stream for a couple of seconds, in order to get rid of the heavy duty soil that you might have. 
3. Then take the toothbrush, dip into the laundry detergent and start scrubbing each shoelace.
4. After you’re done, put them in the large bowl, with a half teaspoon of laundry detergent and bleach, if you want to wash white shoelaces. 
5. Let them soak in the warm water for 30 minutes.
6. Take them out, squeeze the excess water and let them air dry, ideally on a clothes hanger, if you can. 

HOW TO CLEAN SHOELACES IN THE WASHING MACHINE

What you need to wash shoelaces in the washing machine:

• Laundry detergent
• Mesh bag or zip up pillow cover
• An old toothbrush, but clean
• Bleach (if they’re white and need extra care)

The process is similar to the one by hand, so let’s go over it:

1. Take the shoelaces and gently wash them under the water stream for a couple of seconds, in order to get rid of the heavy duty soil that you might have. 
2. Use the toothbrush to help the stains get out faster;  dip it into laundry detergent and start scrubbing each shoelace.
3. After you’re done, put them in a mesh bag or a zippable pillow cover (so they don’t get mixed up with other items) and put them in a normal washing cycle*. If they are super dirty, add bleach to it, too.

*white laundry if they are white shoelaces, colored items if they are a different color .

4. Take them out the bag / cover and let them air dry.

NEVER put the shoelaces in the dryer; the high heat will distort the plastic tips shoelaces have at the end. 

Conclusion

If you wanted to know how to clean shoelaces, I hope this article helped. You can do it by hand or put them in the washing machine. Either way, they will come out squeaky clean. (Well, most of the time)

p.s. For more Laundry Hacks, check this blog post on Essential Laundry Hacks You Need To Know!