Scuff your sneaks? Spot treat them with toothpaste to brighten them back up

Adding a stark white item to your wardrobe is a risky move. It feels like if you blink, white shoes go from utterly flawless to downright dirty. (And I can only tolerate busting out the baking soda so many times in a year.) But thanks to a game-changing hack for how to remove scuff marks from shoes, helping white sneaks get their glow back only takes a few minutes.

Nobody wants to follow a long list of steps to get white shoes back to looking brand new again. (I don’t have the time  the patience.) That’s why a trick from Food52 really caught my eye. All you need is a tube of white non-gel toothpaste and an old toothbrush.

Toothpaste, as it turns out, is a scuff-fighting superhero. Not only does it work on canvas, leather, and faux leather options, but it can also make the rubber roles look squeaky clean, too.

Here’s how to remove scuff marks from shoes with toothpaste

1. 1.
   Take your white non-gel toothpaste and apply it to your toothbrush.
2. 2.
   Gently scrub the scuffs you want to remove.
3. 3.
   Wipe off the toothpaste with a damp cloth.
4. 4.
   Set your shoes somewhere to dry, like in a sunny window.

It’s that easy. After they dry (which won’t take more than a few minutes), you can rock your newly brightened white sneakers with beaming confidence. Staying fresh has never been so easy.

Do your shoes need more of a deep clean than a spot treatment? Then use this brilliant dish soap hack. Also useful: This guide on removing sweat stains out of white clothes, because #summer.