How to Remove Yellow Bleach Stains from White Shoes

Co-authored by Marc Sigal

Using bleach can be a great way to clean grime and dirt off your white shoes. If you leave the bleach on too long or don’t dilute it properly, however, it can leave yellow stains behind. While yellow bleach stains can be difficult to get out completely, you can remove or greatly diminish the appearance of the stains by using a salt and hot water scrub, soaking your shoes in a cream of tartar solution, or by washing your shoes with laundry detergent and white vinegar.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using a Salt and Hot Water Scrub

1
Fill a small bowl with 1 cup (240 mL) of very hot water. First, select a small, heat-safe bowl. Then, turn the sink on as hot as it will go and let it run for a few seconds to heat up. Fill the bowl with about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot water.^{[1]
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- The water should be very hot but not boiling.^{[2]
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Dissolve 1 tablespoon (17 grams) of table salt in the water. Using a measuring spoon, measure out the salt and pour it into the bowl holding the hot water. Stir the water and salt with a clean toothbrush until the salt is completely dissolved.^{[3]
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Scrub the salt solution onto the yellow bleach stain with the toothbrush. First, put a towel down to protect the surface from the hot water and any dirt on the shoes. Then, dip the toothbrush head back into the salt solution, making sure it’s fully saturated. Use the bristles to scrub the salt solution vigorously on the yellow bleach stain on your white shoes.^{[4]
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- You can re-dip the toothbrush head into the solution every minute or so to re-saturate the bristles and apply more salt solution to the stain.^{[5]
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- You’ll likely need to scrub for several minutes before the stain will start to fade.
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Let the shoes air dry for 20 minutes before scrubbing again. Once the stain has faded a bit, leave the shoes out on the towel to air dry for about 20 minutes, or until they are dry to the touch.^{[6]
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Research source} Then, re-saturate the toothbrush and scrub the stain with the toothbrush bristles vigorously again for several more minutes.^{[7]
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Stop scrubbing when the stain has faded as much as possible. Once the stain has faded considerably and has not gotten any lighter for several minutes, stop scrubbing and leave the shoes to dry. The stain may not ever fade completely, but it will have faded considerably and hopefully, enough that you can continue to wear your white shoes.^{[8]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Soaking Your Shoes in a Cream of Tartar Solution

1
Fill a large container with 4 cups (950 mL) of very hot water. First, select a bowl, bucket, or other heat-safe container that is large enough to hold both the water and your shoes. Then, turn the sink on as hot as it will go and let it run for a few seconds to heat up. Use a measuring cup to fill the container with 4 cups (950 mL) of the hot water.^{[9]
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- The water should be very hot but not boiling.^{[10]
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Mix 1/2 cup (110 grams) of cream of tartar into the water. Use a measuring cup to measure out the cream of tartar. Then, pour it into the hot water. Use a large spoon to mix the water and cream of tartar until they are completely combined.^{[11]
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- Cream of tartar is available at most grocery stores in small containers, so you may have to purchase multiple containers to get enough to fill ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL).
- You can purchase larger quantities of cream of tartar online.
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Soak your shoes in the cream of tartar solution for 30 to 90 minutes. Place your bleach-stained shoes into the solution, making sure they are completely submerged. Then, leave them to soak, checking on them after 30 minutes to see if they are clean.^{[12]
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Research source} If not, return the shoes to soak in the solution for another 30 minutes to an hour.
- If the bleach stains are new or relatively light, the yellow may fade more quickly. If the yellow stains are darker or have had longer to set in, you’ll likely need to soak your shoes for longer, up to an hour and a half.
4
Remove your shoes from the solution and rinse them with cold water. Once the yellow stain has been removed or faded as much as possible, take your shoes out of the cream of tartar solution. Rinse the shoes thoroughly with cool water to remove any remaining cream of tartar solution.^{[13]
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- Because cream of tartar is an acid, it can be a bit harsh on shoe materials. Therefore, it’s important that you rinse the shoes thoroughly to remove any residual acidic solution.
5
Let your shoes dry completely before wearing them. Lay a towel down on a flat surface, then place your now-clean white shoes on top. Leave them out to dry for several hours or overnight. Make sure that the soles are completely dry before wearing them again.
- You can also dry your shoes by placing them in the dryer on the low heat setting for 30 minutes. If they aren’t quite dry after 30 minutes, put them through the dryer on low heat again for another 30 minutes.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Washing Your Shoes with Detergent and Vinegar

1
Remove the laces from your white shoes. Shoelaces tend to get tangled and knotted when washed in the washing machine on the shoes. Therefore, to keep them tangle-free, remove the shoelaces from the shoes and set them aside to wash them separately.^{[14]
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- If you’re afraid you might lose track of the shoelaces in the wash, you can put them in a zip pillowcase or lingerie bag to keep them together.^{[15]
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Fill a clean sink with lukewarm water. First, make sure that your sink is clean by wiping it down with a cleaning wipe and rinsing it with water. Turn on both the hot and cold water and let the water run, adjusting the hot and cold as needed until it’s lukewarm. Then, place the drain stopper in the drain to prevent the sink from draining and let the sink fill about ¾ of the way up.^{[16]
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Mix in ¹⁄₂ tablespoon (7.4 mL) of laundry detergent. Use a measuring spoon to measure out the laundry detergent and pour it into the lukewarm water. Stir the water and detergent mixture well with your hands or a spoon until the detergent is completely mixed in and the water is sudsy.^{[17]
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- You can also mix the detergent in by pouring it under the running water while the sink is filling up.
4
Put your shoes in the sink and scrub the stains with a toothbrush. First, place your shoes in the sudsy water to soak while you work. Then, submerge a clean toothbrush into the detergent water to wet the bristles. Use the toothbrush to scrub the bleach stains on each of the shoes for several minutes, until the yellow begins to fade.^{[18]
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- While you work on scrubbing one shoe, leave the other shoe submerged in the detergent solution to soak.
5
Start the washing machine on a gentle cycle and let the drum fill with water. Once the yellow stains have begun to fade, remove your shoes from the detergent solution and place them into the washing machine. Then, set the washing machine on a warm water, low agitation cycle and turn it on.^{[19]
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Research source} Let the washing machine fill up with water for a few sections before adding the white vinegar.
- You don’t need to rinse out the detergent before transferring the shoes into the washing machine.
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Add ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of white vinegar to the wash cycle. Once the washing machine is on and filled up with water, open the lid slightly and pour ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of white vinegar into the water. Close the lid and let the washing machine run the rest of the wash cycle.^{[20]
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- Adding white vinegar to the agitating water will help break down the stain even more and make your shoes whiter and brighter.
- Vinegar will also help remove any odors from your shoes.^{[21]
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Remove the shoes from the washing machine and dry them completely. Once the wash cycle is complete, remove the shoes from the washing machine. You can then lay them out on a towel or drying rack to air dry, or put them in the dryer on low heat for 30 minutes.
- If the shoes aren’t dry after 30 minutes, put them through the dryer on low heat again for another 30 minutes.