Clean shoes but dirty laces? Clean them quickly and effortlessly

Shoes will get dirty when we wear them, there's no escaping it. But sometimes the uppers and the soles do not get as dirty as the laces! You could decide to wash the shoes with the laces left in them, but every time you do this - especially if you use the washing machine - you put wear and tear on the shoes.

In fact, it's much easier and more effective just to wash the laces separately. Read on to find out how:

Cleaning shoelaces: how to do this

Washing shoe laces is simple, and all you need is:

• A bowl or basin - it doesn't need to be too big;
• A microfiber cloth or an old towel;
• An old toothbrush or a brush with nylon bristles;
• A mesh laundry bag;
• Laundry detergent (a regular type will be fine);
• Mild bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

The procedure instead consists of the following steps:

1. Remove the laces from the shoes and, if necessary, rinse them off to remove any dirt or debris that is sticking to them;
2. Spread the cloth or towel out on a table and place the laces down flat on this;
3. Dip the toothbrush in the laundry detergent and scrub the laces carefully;
4. Wait 10 minutes;
5. At this point, you can wash the laces in the washing machine, along with items of the same color but only after placing them into the mesh laundry bag first, or;
6. Hand wash them. You will need the basin, enough hot water to be able to wash the laces thoroughly, and a little detergent. Leave the laces to soak for about twenty minutes and then scrub by hand and rinse out thoroughly.

If the laces are not so much dirty as they have been "dulled" by time, you can whiten them up again. After a pre-wash (steps 1-3) you can immerse the laces in a bowl of hot water to which a little hydrogen peroxide or mild bleach has been added. Leave to soak for a few hours - or even overnight. After this, rinse the laces out thoroughly.

To dry the laces, simply hang them up on the clothesline.

Keeping shoes in pristine condition

fabrikasimf/Freepik

The laces are in now spotless, but perhaps there is still something that needs cleaning. When there is no need to wash the shoes, but there are marks on the soles, you can do the following: 

• Use a small amount white toothpaste, and a toothbrush to scrub away any marks. Then wipe off with a sponge or a wet cloth;
• Instead of toothpaste, make a scrubbing paste with bicarbonate and water, or citric acid and water.
• A magic eraser: wet the eraser, wring it out and then rub it over the rubber soles of your shoes!

As you can see, it doesn't take much to keep your shoes looking great!