If your shoelaces are dirty, soak them in a bowl of warm, soapy water for 20 minutes, then rinse them and let them air dry.

If your shoes only needed a quick spot treatment, you don’t have to move on to hand washing. Just let them air dry before putting them back on.

Feel free to wash the underside of your Vans with your rag, too. Washing your Vans with soap and water won’t cause the colors to run, so you shouldn’t have to worry about your black fading or the white-looking dingy.

If there are still a lot of soap suds on your shoes, use a damp cloth to wipe them down instead of a dry one.

If you can’t find acrylic paint, use fabric paint instead. Be super careful as you paint and try to stay in the squares as best you can.

Don’t put your Vans in the dryer! It could shrink or warp the material. Setting your shoes in direct sunlight could make them fade, so keep them in the shade if you’re outside.

This will make your actual cleaning so much easier.

You can also mix lukewarm water with a little dish detergent if you need a deeper clean. Just dip your brush into the soapy water and scrub the shoes until they’re clean, then blot them with a clean, dry towel. [9] X Expert Source Marc SigalShoe Care Specialist Expert Interview. 15 January 2020. If your Vans only needed a spot treatment (meaning they weren’t super dirty), you can stop here! If they still need a little more work, move on to hand washing.

Suede can get stained easily, which is why you can’t use baking soda on it.

You can find leather cleaning gel at most shoe stores.

Set both of these aside for later.

If the bottoms of your Vans are dirty, use a rag to wipe them off, too. If your Vans are made of leather or suede, don’t use this method. Instead, buy leather cleaner or suede cleaner and gently dab it on with a synthetic brush.

Your Vans won’t be totally dry at this point, so it’s okay if they’re still wet. Just make sure they aren’t dripping.

To speed up the drying process, consider pointing a fan at the shoes. [16] X Expert Source Marc SigalShoe Care Specialist Expert Interview. 15 January 2020. You can also put crumpled paper towels or newspaper inside of the shoes to help them dry. Just keep in mind that if the insides of your Vans are white, newspaper ink could bleed onto the shoes. [17] X Expert Source Marc SigalShoe Care Specialist Expert Interview. 15 January 2020. Don’t wear your Vans until they’re completely dry! If you wear them while they’re wet, they could get a little smelly. Although it might seem like a good idea to speed up the drying process with your dryer, this could shrink your Vans or warp them.

You can let your shoelaces soak as you wash the rest of your shoes.

If you don’t have masking tape, painter’s tape will work, too.

While some of these might smell strong, they aren’t harsh enough to hurt your Vans. Tough chemicals, like bleach, can melt the adhesive in your soles and make your shoes break down, so stick to more mild ones.

Try not to get any of your cleaning products onto the black parts of your shoe. If you do, rinse your shoes in cold water right away to avoid discoloration. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/9/91/Wash-Black-and-White-Vans-Step-20. jpg/v4-460px-Wash-Black-and-White-Vans-Step-20. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/9/91/Wash-Black-and-White-Vans-Step-20. jpg/v4-728px-Wash-Black-and-White-Vans-Step-20. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:259,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:410,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U. S. and international copyright laws. This image is not</b> licensed under the Creative Commons license applied to text content and some other images posted to the wikiHow website. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc.
\n</p>

<br />\n</p></div>"}

You can also take the tape off at this point, too.