Polo Ralph Lauren shoes are canvas sneakers with a rubber sole, often lace-up style with colored embellishments. They are casual shoes, and the soles of Polo Ralph Lauren shoes are commonly white. These white soles along with the canvas can stain and smudge more easily than leather shoes, creating a sloppy look. Cleaning canvas shoes is easy because they are durable, and more difficult stains can also be easily removed. That way, you can keep your shoes looking new and fresh and remove odors.

Remove the laces from the shoes, and discard them if they are heavily soiled. Shoelaces are hard to clean and inexpensive to replace. If they are just a little dingy, try washing them with the shoes.

Bang the shoes together outdoors to remove any loose dirt or mud. Brush the shoes lightly with the soft-bristle brush to remove any excess dirt, scrubbing the soles until they are clean.

Fill the washing machine to its small load level with cool water for colored canvas or hot water for all-white canvas. Add the manufacturer's recommended amount of laundry detergent for a small load of laundry. Add the shoes and laces and let the machine run through the entire washing cycle, set on gentle, including spin and rinse cycles.

Remove the shoes from the washing machine right away and inspect for any remaining stains. If there are spots on the canvas or soles, spray a small amount of stain remover on the spot and scrub it lightly with the brush. For tough spots, let the stain remover sit on the stain overnight and rewash in the laundry machine.

Fill the shoes with clean paper towels to help them keep their shape and let them sit in a well-ventilated place to dry thoroughly once all of the stains have been removed. If you decide to keep your old laces, hang them to dry before lacing them into your shoes.

Relace the shoes and spray the shoes with a cloth protector once they have dried completely to protect them from future staining. This step is optional, but may increase the life of your shoes.