Updated 10/13/2023

Nothing is as clean and fresh as a new pair of white sneakers or white fitness wear. The clean, pristine look of white workout clothing really pops and makes you feel fine. That is, until you get the fabric stained or it turns a dingy grey from laundering. Or, because you spilled a berry smoothie down the front — that would be me!

Find out how to keep your whites white, these white laundry tips will let you keep that pristine look going on at the gym, on the courts, in fitness class or wherever you like to wear your white gear!

The main reason white items become dull is due to incorrect sorting. Maybe you don’t have enough solid white items to make up a full load, so you just toss what you have in with darks or colors. Certain fabrics, like cotton, aren’t colorfast which means that a little bit of the dye seeps out in the water with each wash and sinks, most noticeably, on lighter items. Dingy whites can also be caused by washing heavily soiled white items (like nasty socks from a trail run) with very lightly dirtied items, like that cute workout top you wear to yoga class. In addition to co-mingling colors and levels of dirtiness, the quality of water in your home can also affect the whiteness of whites. For example, water with high levels of iron or hard water, loaded with minerals, make detergents less effective and can be a perpetrator of staining.

BASIC TIPS for keeping white laundry white:

1. Wash whites in their own separate load, always. Not negotiable.
2. Use the hottest water that the care label says is advisable. Make sure you actually read the care label!
3. Look for “bleach alternative” and/or “enzymes in the laundry detergent you purchase.
4. Don’t skimp on detergent, use the exact amount (and not more) than recommended on the back of bottle. The detergent helps keep the removed dirt suspended in the water during the washing cycle, lessening its ability to settle back in on the fabric. The use of too much though, becomes hard to wash out in one cycle.
5. For stubborn stains and dinginess, soak fabrics in a solution of water and oxygen bleach before laundering, according to package directions.
6. Never put a stained item in the dryer until you are satisfied with the progress you have made removing the stain. The heat will “set” it in. While the item is still damp, soak, spot treat, scrub — or whatever is needed — and then rewash again.
7. If possible, do not dry whites, allow them to air dry. If running tight on hanging space, a fold out clothes drying rack that mounts to wall is perfect for sports bras, running shorts, and such. OR, if you can, drying outside in the sun is a great option, the sunlight offers natural lightening abilities.
8. And ½ to 1 cup white vinegar distilled vinegar to rinse cycle to help in stain and odor removal. For synthetic workout wear, you can use a specifically designated laundry soap (like this one I use), to help keep fitness clothing bright and odor-free. I give WIN Detergent a big thumbs up!
9. Install a water softener to help remove minerals from your water supply and thusly fabric mineral stains and dinginess from your white fabrics.

SPECIFIC TIPS for stain removal on white clothes and white workout wear:

1. Perspiration and greasy stains: Use a clean toothbrush to rub clear-colored detergent or dishwashing liquid into stain. Sweat has a lot of iron in it, and that’s why it can discolor fabric so easily.
2. Blood stains:  The sooner you can attend to a blood stain, the better. Treat area carefully by pouring a little hydrogen peroxide directly on the stain, also treated reverse side of the stain too (flip fabric over).  After it bubbles up, add clear detergent and scrub with a clean toothbrush, rising with cold water.
3. Colored stains: From sports drink and yellowed underarms, apply undiluted liquid oxygen bleach directly to fabric right before washing. You can try a homemade baking soda paste and (2 parts warm water to 1 part baking soda) and scrub into affected area before laundering. For an extra stain removal boost, allow baking soda paste to dry in sun before washing off.
4. Grass Stains: Treat with baking soda paste (as described at all); rinse; rub in vinegar with a clean toothbrush; launder with an enzyme or oxygen based bleach detergent.
5. HANDY HACK: I discovered that refillable dauber bottles with sponge or mohair tips (like those you might use in crafting / painting) make excellent, inexpensive containers to hold various homemade stain solutions like bleach water, baking soda water, vinegar water.

HOW TO clean white athletic shoes:

1. To clean white leather shoes: Use a dry toothbrush to remove and dried mud and debris. Next add several drops of liquid dish soap to a cup of warm water and use this to scrub shoes uppers and soles. Wipe down with a wet paper towel. If stains remain, use an eraser sponge to gently treat the area. Let air dry completely. Any scuffs can be covered with dab-on white shoe polish at this point.
2. To clean white mesh shoes: Use dry brush to remove dirt and mud on soles. Mesh uppers need to be treated more carefully than leather uppers. Use several drops of clear liquid laundry soap in water and gently rub uppers with circular motion with white wash cloth. Periodically rinse wash cloth to prevent spreading dirt. Use a soft bristled tooth brush to work on more stubborn stains. Carefully rinse shoes under the faucet, taking care not to totally submerge. Use a dry towel to pat off excess water and let air dry. For non-leather shoes, you can speed up the drying process with a mesh shoe dryer bag that attached to the inside door of your drying.
3. To clean all-white shoelaces:  After knowing how to clean white sneakers, you need to make the laces pop, too! For all white shoelaces, use a solution of 3 tbsp. bleach to one gallon of water. Soak laces for 5 minutes, remove and rinse, and then let air dry.

HOW TO clean white hats, caps and visors:

1. To clean white caps and visors: Do not place in the dishwasher as some suggest. This can leave your cap misshapen. Use a cotton swab, paper towel or white cloth to apply hydrogen peroxide to the stain. Then use a clean toothbrush to work in in, let set and then rinse. If hat is dirty all over with sweat stains, soak it for up to 30 minutes in a bowl filled with warm water, a bit of oxygen-based bleach and laundry detergent. Rinse thoroughly with warm water, dab dry with clean white towel, and air dry with paper towels wadded up to keep the caps shape.

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