Keeping white shoes looking clean and fresh can often be an uphill battle. But thanks to Instagrammer Lese Mmolotsi (@homewithlese), there's an easy and effective solution you can try at home to keep your sneakers free of stains and scuffs.
The hack combines everyday household items to restore your white shoes to perfection — saving time, money, and the planet in the process.
The scoop
In a video, Mmolotsi demonstrates a super easy at-home hack for cleaning white shoes.
Here's how it works: Mix Colgate toothpaste, bicarbonate of soda — or baking soda, as it is more commonly known — and dishwasher soap in a bowl to create a cleaning paste. Then, using a brush, generously apply the mix by gently rubbing it on the surface of your shoes.
Once your shoes are coated in the mixture, place each shoe in an old pillowcase, toss them into the washing machine, and watch the magic happen.
How it's working
Here's why this hack is a game-changer: Average shoe cleaning products typically cost between $10 and $35, not to mention the accumulation of plastic garbage around the home. Overall, shoe maintenance can be an expensive and wasteful ordeal.
By creating cleaning mixtures using ingredients you likely already have, you can avoid spending money on costly cleaning products and eliminate plastic packaging waste from store-bought alternatives. These methods are usually cheap, easy, safer, and just as effective as traditional mass-produced alternatives.
The benefits don't stop there, either. Extending the life of your shoes reduces the demand for new footwear production — another win for your wallet and the environment. Cutting down on plastic waste and manufacturing fewer shoes can help conserve valuable resources like water and energy while diminishing harmful planet-warming pollution.
What people are saying
Instagram users were thrilled to engage with a cleaning hack as easy and effective as this.
🗣️ What motivates you to wash your clothes in cold water?
🔘 Saves money 💰
🔘 Saves energy 🌎
🔘 Gentler on clothes 👕
🔘 I wash my clothes in hot water 🙅
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
"Wow great results. I love fresh trainers," one user commented.
Another remarked, "Where have you been all my life?"
This easy at-home cleaning hack is a reminder that looking after what you already own can be as satisfying and fun as it is sustainable. Ready to give it a shot? Your white shoes — and the planet — will thank you.
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