5 Hacks for Keeping Your Whites White

April 13, 2018

For someone who is clumsy and accident prone, I sure do love wearing whites. They look great in every season and are great contrasting item, especially with my favorite faux-leather jacket. I used to totally avoid wearing them, until I got smart in the art of keeping my whites at their whitest. I promise it’s not as hard as you think it will be with these five hacks.

1. Get the materials that are easy to clean
Not all materials are made equal, especially when it comes to cleaning them. Now I’m not saying you should completely avoid certain materials. On second thought, maybe you should depending on your cleaning tolerance. Based on my experience, the #1 material to avoid (especially when it comes to shoes and bags) is white suede, both the faux and real variety. They are notoriously difficult to keep clean and after some time, no matter how good you are at taking care of the fabric, it will take on a grayish hue. This change in tone will even be more stark if the bag/ shoes is made of mix material. This happened to one of my white bag that’s made out of regular leather and have white suede accents on them. After a while the suede material turned a different color, even though I got them professionally cleaned on occasion. I’m not a fan of the look so I stopped using the bag as much.
Canvas is another material that I find difficult if it’s not the only material the item is made out of. All white shoes or bags made from canvas is no problem since you can just soak them and/or throw them in the washer. But things get dicey when they have leather accents since soaking them can ruin the leather.
Whats best material then? I would stick to all leather items (of the non-suede variety) as they’re easiest to protect and cleaning can be as easy as wiping off the stain, if you get to it quick enough.

2. Have the right supplies ready before getting the white items
One of the best ways to keep your whites fresh and clean is to be r-e-a-d-y for them, and that means having supplies on hand before you even start wearing the items out. Here are a few items you might want to have handy in your arsenal:

With all of the above, don’t forget to spot test everything in a hidden area first. Better to be safe than sorry.

3. Carry to-go cleaning supplies with you
Stains are most likely to happen while you’re out and about, not when you’re at home. Because of that, it’s never a bad idea to have the cleaning supplies with you. Boot rescue has individually wrapped wipes that fit even your smallest clutch. No matter what color Tide To Go pen is always a great idea for clumsy stain-prone peeps, like me.

4. Don’t put off cleaning
This is true for all materials, but especially the fabric kinds. Those stain will set, so if you brought along the stain removing pen or wipes with you, use it right away. If you don’t have it, then water (and maybe soap or club soda if you have it handy) will have to do. But definitely take care of it as soon as you get home. If not, you’ll be sorry later!

5. Soak, soak, soak it in
Oxyclean really works wonders, even with set stains, assuming you have the time and space to soak it. So if you’re lucky enough to have a free tub or deep sink available, then you should use it.

My outfit Combo: maternity oversized kimono shirt from BCBGeneration, faux suede pencil skirt from Wet Seal, long faux leather asymmetrical zip moto jacket from BCBGeneration, cat clutch from Mara’s Dream, the alta sneakers from Greats.

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  • lydia April 16, 2018 at 9:56 am

    Love me some white tees and sneakers! Thanks for sharing girl. I am always a little afraid to wear a lot of white because of not being able to keep them white. But will all of these tips, I’ll be good in no time!

    xo, lydia

  • Megan Elliott April 16, 2018 at 10:38 am

    These are great tips! Also LOVING those sneakers – so cute!

  • Carolyn April 16, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    These are great tips! I definitely find myself staying away from white items just because they are hard to clean for me. Will have to try these!

  • Lauren April 16, 2018 at 12:47 pm

    I love a clean white look. I agree though, soaking is key!

    xx
    Lauren
    http://www.shoesandsashimi.com

  • Lavenda Memory April 16, 2018 at 1:07 pm

    OMG I Need all these hacks in my life. You look SO fab btw babe.

  • Delia April 16, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    Great tips girl! I love whites so this is so helpful for me!

  • Kenzi || Life of a Sister April 16, 2018 at 9:09 pm

    These are really great tips! I am always carrying a tide to go pen with me when we’re out just because I know it could go wrong if I don’t! I love those sneakers!

  • Kileen April 16, 2018 at 11:42 pm

    Love white, it’s so chic! & These are awesome tips girl! Will need to get some of these wipes!

    Kileen
    cute & little

  • Deborah April 17, 2018 at 9:38 am

    These are such great tips! I avoid white suede in general because, like you said, it’s impossible to keep them clean!

  • Kimmie April 17, 2018 at 10:10 am

    These tips are super helpful I don’t have a lot of the supplies you listed so I need to get on that ASAP!

  • Nicole April 17, 2018 at 8:20 pm

    My Mr. clean magic eraser is really magic, I love mine! I also always carry a tide to go pen, total life saver!!!

  • Azanique April 18, 2018 at 1:08 am

    Soaking usually keeps my whites looking fresh and bright. Thanks for these tips girl!

    -xo, Azanique | http://www.lotsofsass.com

  • Suzanne April 18, 2018 at 11:43 am

    I’m so accident prone that white is a color I simply don’t wear that often. I love to during the summer though!

  • Lauryn Hock April 18, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    This post is so helpful! My whites tend to turn gray quickly

  • Stephanie April 18, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    I honestly really needed these tips! So many of my white items of clothing are hand-wash only and that stresses me out because I’ve never really known how to get makeup stains and the like out without just straight up bleach! Thanks for sharing your tips!

  • Christina April 18, 2018 at 11:44 pm

    Great tips. I think that’s the hardest thing is keeping whites white!

  • Bryanna April 19, 2018 at 7:30 pm

    I’m such a klutz when it comes to spilling things on my clothes. I should really start keeping a Tide To Go Pen on me at all times. Thanks so much for the awesome advice! Plus, I love how you styled all these different whites together! Such a cute and comfy look.

    xoxo Bryanna
    http://cominginclutch.com/

  • Tonya Michelle April 21, 2018 at 9:38 am

    Good tips, myself being a mother to a toddler – I definitely have my fair share of messes to clean up on clothes.