How to wash white shoelaces? By hand, by machine, and what causes them to yellow

An impeccable pair of white shoes, brushed, clean soles, and two grey laces dragging on top. That small detail is enough to make the shoes look dirty even though everything else is clean. However, laces have one advantage over the rest of the pair: you can treat them quite roughly. They can be removed, they can withstand hot water, and if you can't get them back to white, they can be replaced for the price of a coffee.

Here you will find the basic method for whitening grey laces, both by hand and in the machine, what works on stubborn stains, and those "handy" DIY tricks that turn a lace from grey to yellow.

30-second summary

·       Always remove laces from the shoe before washing them, never the other way around.

·       In most cases, soaking them for 30 minutes in hot soapy water, rubbing gently, and rinsing with clean water is enough.

·       For stubborn stains, sodium percarbonate is the whitener that gives the best results on cotton, provided you use hot water.

·       Bleach yellows cotton and weakens the fibers; do not use it.

·       Fluffy laces are washed differently. Cold water, by hand, no wringing.

Why you can treat them more aggressively than the shoe

Everything we advise against doing to a sneaker stems from the same problem. A shoe brings together materials that do not react the same way to water, heat, or cleaning products. The sole glue softens above 40°C, suede hates water, and rubber yellows in the sun. A white lace, on the other hand, is just a cord of braided cotton or polyester with two plastic aglets, without glue or leather.

A whitening agent that requires 50°C water, which is impossible for a complete pair of shoes, is perfectly fine for laces that have been removed. The limit is the aglets, which deform above 60°C. Once the laces are removed, you can get away with just about anything else.

Before washing: remove and dry brush them

Take off the pair and pull out the laces, taking note of how they are threaded if the lacing is unusual. A photo takes two seconds and saves you from guessing when putting them back. Next, give them a dry brushing with an old toothbrush to remove dust and dirt trapped in the weave. Dry dirt comes off in thirty seconds, whereas soaking it makes it embed into the fiber and forces you to scrub twice as long.

Washing white laces by hand: the basic method

For laces that are simply grey, without localized stains, you don't need any special product. What matters most is the soaking time.

1.       Fill a bowl with warm (not boiling) water, around 40 to 50°C, with a tablespoon of delicate laundry detergent or grated Marseille soap.

2.       Submerge the laces and let them soak for 30 minutes. Most of the greyness will come off on its own during this time.

3.       Rub the laces gently between your fingers, focusing on the areas that pass through the eyelets. That is where friction deposits the most dirt.

4.       Rinse with clean water until it remains clear. A poorly rinsed lace retains detergent in the fiber, and detergent attracts dust.

5.       Press in a towel, without twisting, then let dry flat.

If you are happy with the result, stop here. The following is for laces that still come out dull or stained.

Whitening stained or yellowed laces

Baking soda paste

Two tablespoons of baking soda to one tablespoon of lukewarm water gives you a thick paste. Apply it to the stain, let it act for 15 minutes, scrub gently with a toothbrush, and rinse. Baking soda acts through gentle abrasion, lifting dirt without attacking the fiber. This is the first technique to try for mud stains or black marks.

Sodium percarbonate: the real cotton whitener

Often sold as "active oxygen whitener," percarbonate is the product we recommend when white laces have turned a uniform grey and soap is no longer effective. It releases oxygen upon contact with hot water and bleaches stains embedded in the fiber. One tablespoon per liter of water at 50°C, submerge the laces, soak for 1 hour, then rinse. It only works with hot water; in cold water, it does almost nothing. Do not use it on colored laces, as it will also attack the dye.

In our guide on cleaning white Converse, this product was presented as impractical because you cannot soak canvas mounted on a rubber sole in 50°C water. When the laces are removed, this drawback disappears.

Lemon and sun: the natural way

Lemon acid combined with UV rays lightens cotton. Soak the laces in a 50/50 mix of lemon juice and water, lay them in direct sunlight for 2 hours, then rinse. This works on pure cotton. For polyester—which is what many sneaker laces are made of today—the benefit is minimal, and the sun can actually yellow synthetic fiber. It is better to check the composition first or test on a single lace.

Washing white laces in the machine

It is possible, provided you put them in a closed mesh bag or a tied pillowcase with white laundry at 40°C. Without a bag, they will wrap around the drum and come out tangled. Most importantly, do not put them in the machine with the shoes. Our guide on machine-washing sneakers already advises removing laces and insoles before the cycle, because the shoes are washed on a 30°C delicate cycle to protect the glue, whereas the laces need higher heat to whiten.

What yellows or damages a white lace

Some circulating housekeeping advice does the opposite of what it promises.

Fluffy laces and colored laces

Fluffy laces, those thick, soft-fiber laces that dress up a Campus 00s or a Gel-Kayano, shouldn't be washed like flat laces. The fiber is a fluffy polyester that clumps up when it comes into contact with hot water. For them, stick to cold water, mild soap, hand washing, never wring them out, and let them dry flat, fluffing them back up with your fingers once dry. Percarbonate and lemon are to be avoided; they damage the fiber without whitening it. If yours have lost their volume regardless, the replacement pair in our fluffy lace collection costs 8 euros.

Colored laces follow the basic method: lukewarm water rather than hot, and no bleach whatsoever. Wash them separately the first time to ensure any bleeding dye doesn't stain other items.

Drying and replacing

Flat, on a towel, air-dried, and in the shade for anything that isn't pure cotton. Allow 12 hours for a flat lace, double that for a fluffy one. Never re-lace a shoe while the laces are still damp; they will deposit moisture into the eyelets and the tongue, and you'll end up with the problem we detail in our article on shoe odor.

When it's better to replace them

A cotton lace can handle three or four serious washes before losing its structure. Beyond that, it becomes fuzzy, stretches out, and turns gray again within a week because the damaged fiber traps dirt. At this stage, the time spent scrubbing is no longer worth the result. A pair of new laces costs between 5 and 8 euros with us, and for a Campus 00s, the 120 cm white laces match the original width exactly.

For length, the rule that works for most sneakers is based on the number of eyelet pairs. Five pairs of eyelets require a 100 cm lace, six pairs a 120 cm lace, and seven pairs or more a 140 cm lace. If in doubt, measure your old lace laid flat.

Frequently asked questions

How do I whiten laces that have yellowed?

Soak for 1 hour in 50°C (122°F) water with a tablespoon of sodium percarbonate, then rinse with clear water. If the yellowing comes from previous use of bleach, it won't come out completely; the fiber is permanently marked.

Can I machine wash laces?

Yes, in a closed laundry bag, at 40°C, with white laundry and without the shoes. Without a bag, they will tangle and come out in a ball.

Does white vinegar whiten laces?

No. White vinegar does not bleach anything. Diluted in the rinse water, it removes detergent residue and neutralizes odors.

How do I clean white laces without damaging them?

Hot soapy water, soak for 30 minutes, gentle rubbing between your fingers, rinse with clear water, and dry flat. Avoid bleach, radiators, and wringing.

How do I wash white laces without baking soda?

Baking soda is only for spot treatment. For everything else, a soak in hot water with laundry detergent or Marseille soap is enough, and percarbonate can take over if the laces remain gray.

Can I clean white laces with bleach?

No. Bleach whitens momentarily, but the cotton will yellow within a few weeks and the fiber will become brittle. Sodium percarbonate does the job without that side effect.

How do I clean laces and insoles at the same time?

In the same bowl of hot soapy water, soak for 30 minutes, then let each dry separately in the open air. Both pieces are removable from the shoe and can be washed in hotter water than the shoe itself, so it makes sense to treat them together.

How do I wash fluffy laces?

By hand, in cold water with mild soap, without wringing, then dry flat in the open air for 24 hours. Fluff them back up with your fingers once dry.

Tonight, take the laces out of the pair you wear most, submerge them in a bowl of hot water with a little detergent, and let them soak while you do something else. Tomorrow morning, they will be dry and your pair will look a year younger. For brushes, sprays, and replacement laces, our maintenance and laces section gathers everything we use ourselves in the shop.