A cycle in the washing machine with regular detergent will brighten dingy shoes. For individual spots, make a paste of baking soda and water (or use a dab of whitening toothpaste) and rub into the stain and then wash.

To brighten leather sneakers, wipe down or spray with a mix of equal parts lemon juice and water and set shoes in the sun for at least six hours. Buff away scuffs with your girl's nail polish remover or a product like Kiwi's Heavy Duty scrub.

If you want to keep your bucks pristine, you'll need a suede brush to erase scuffs. For darker or larger marks, dab hydrogen peroxide on the spot and continue until any unsightly stain is gone.

Summer Survival Skills

How to:
Keep White Shoes White

Summer's a time to kick back and have some fun. If your shoes aren't getting dirty, then you're probably not having a good enough time. But when your white shoes are looking less than fresh, here's how to brighten them up.

• Now would be a good time to take your laces out and wash them as well.