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Deion asked: How do I get yellow stains off of Air Force One’s? I used bleach on my sister’s Air Force One’s, and they turned yellow. How do I get the stain off?
Bleach
contains a yellow dye that can be transferred to white surfaces. To remove the stain, it requires removing the unwanted dye. There are several ways to accomplish this. Follow the guidelines below. If your shoes are not white or off-white, they are stained from the bleach itself, not the dye in bleach. For those stains, use the guide How to Remove Bleach Stains from Fabrics.
You Will Need:
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Hydrogen peroxide
- RIT Dye Remover
- Soft cloths or sponges
- Water
- Cotton balls
Steps to Remove the Yellowed Stain:
- Moisten a sponge or cotton balls with alcohol.
- Rub the sponge over the stained area. Use a small circular motion.
- If the stains are very yellow, it may help to leave the alcohol to set for a few minutes before wiping it away.
- Rinse the sponge thoroughly and wipe the area with plain water to remove the alcohol.
- Allow the piece to dry completely.
- If the stain remains, moisten a soft cloth with hydrogen peroxide and rub it over the area. If the stain is severe, pour a small amount of peroxide on the stain and allow it to set for several minutes. The peroxide acts as a mild bleach and can bleach the stains back to white.
- Rinse again with water and a clean cloth and allow to them to dry.
- If the stain is persistent, it may require stronger chemicals. Mix the RIT Dye Remover with a small amount of water to form a paste.
- Spread the paste over the stained area.
- Allow it to set for several minutes, longer if the stain is very yellow.
- Wipe away with a clean cloth and rinse with plain water.
Additional Tips and Ideas:
- All of the products above are designed to remove colors. It is wise to always test a small, hidden area first (such as under the shoe tongue) to ensure that it will produce the desired results before exposing the entire shoe to the chemicals.
- If cleaning marks and dirt from shoes, try a mild detergent mixed with water before adding a harsh cleaner such as bleach.
- Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are excellent for removing dirt and stains from all kinds of surfaces and will clean shoes as well.
- If the yellow stain cannot be removed, a white shoe polish can be applied over it to hide the discoloration.
Try toothpaste. I cleaned my good shoes with that and a new toothbrush and they were like new!
Would toothpaste work on a bleach stain?
Yes, I did it with baking soda but be careful because mine turned yellow afterwards. You have to rinse it all out.
Lizabeth,
This is the article that you need: How to Fix Bleached Clothes.
I used stain remover detergent on my white Converse and when it started to dry, the material part had yellow stains on it. Will this method work to remove this particular stains?? Please say YES!!
This turned my shoes yellow! So I had brand new “white” Nikes that I loved and now I have a light colored yellow Nikes that I hate!! Hydrogen peroxide messed my shoes up bad! Thanks.
This came in clutch when I had bleach stains on my white vans from trying to clean them. I used the hydrogen peroxide method and they came out looking brand new.
The hydrogen peroxide really works!! Use baking soda with it for extra clean white shoes.
Did your shoes have a bleach stain??
But was it yellow stains? Please say it was, please lord!!!!
So my white Converse got really dirty (as they do) and I thought to clean it with bleach so I used a rag and soaked it in bleach and cleaned my white Converse and they dried and were completely yellow and I was furious! I then used the rubbing alcohol and I used quite a lot and let it soak for about 10 minutes and I had a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide and I soaked the shoes in that – once it dried I mixed a little hydrogen peroxide and mixed in 1 tbsp of baking soda and just really quickly went over it with a toothbrush – left my white onverse out in my balcony for a few hours and they look brand new and totally white! So I totally recommend doing this and you can totally skip the baking soda part, I don’t think that really made a difference because I saw my shoes turning white before even doing that.
Wait if they turn yellow, couldn’t you just let them fully dry and then re-bleach them?
Is it literally alcohol, that can be drunk (spirit 40% vv) or there is another alcohol being used?
Stephen,
The alcohol being used is isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). It can be found in the pharmacy section of grocery stores and supermarkets. Its better to use isopropyl alcohol rather than rubbing alcohol as rubbing alcohol has other unnecessary ingredients, including dyes that could leave a stain. Good luck!