Scuff marks on skates, especially white leather skates, proves difficult to cleanse after long periods of wear and tear. However, you remove scuff marks with soap and water, just like a tennis shoe. The amount of pressure or soap depends on the material of the skate. Other scuffs may be too dark to remove fully, but you can always try covering up such marks with a similar color nail polish as your skate.

Remove the laces for the skates. If dirty, then wash the laces with other clothes. If you want to bleach white, then mix in bleach with a load of laundry for white fabrics only and place the laces in to clean with the rest.

Wet a rag with warm rag and sprinkle regular laundry detergent, then rub together to break apart the powder and create a soapy scrub. Wipe over the skates from toe to heel, scrubbing dirtier portions and over scuff marks.

Cleanse the rag in clean water and squeeze out the dirt. Wipe over the skate to remove any excess soap.

Squeeze a bit of whitening toothpaste onto toothbrush bristles. Scrub stubborn scuff marks gently until you see improvement. Wipe off excess with a clean wet rag.

Use a soft shoe brush to clean leather skates. The shoe brush removes dried-on dirt or dust. Pour two cups of room temperature water into a bowl, then add a squirt of pH-neutral hand soap, stirring into the soap until mixed. Wet a rag in the mixture so it is only damp, then go over the surface of the leather skate. Wipe dry with another rag.

Dip a cotton ball in nail polish remove, then apply the cotton ball to difficult scuffs with pressure until you remove most of the dark color. Wipe with a damp cloth to remove nail polish residue.

Buy a sponge made from melamine foam, such as Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, 3M Scotch Brite Easy Erasing Pad or Nano Sponge. Use the Magic Eraser with a little water to rub over difficult scuff marks. However, apply a small amount of pressure as you may damage the outer surface with fine scratches.