How to Clean Rubber on Shoes

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Discoloration of the rubber on your shoes is often caused by a buildup of dirt and grime, and while it may make them look worn to you, you can revitalize your shoes with a bit of effort. Cleaning the rubber soles on your shoes can keep them looking newer longer, and save you from needing to buy another pair for some time.

How to Clean Shoe Soles

  1. Knock off or brush away loose dirt and debris.
  2. Make a cleaning mixture of equal parts baking soda and laundry detergent.
  3. Use a brush to scrub the soles with your cleaning mixture.
  4. Use a damp, clean sponge or cloth to rinse the soles.
  5. Dry the shoe off and check for any remaining dirt.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using Baking Soda and Laundry Detergent

PDF download Download Article
  1. If your shoes are particularly dirty, you may want to start by taking them outside and slapping them together to knock loose any large bits of dirt or mud. If you leave too much mud on the shoe, it will take a lot longer to get them clean.
    • Make sure to slap the shoes together outdoors so you don’t make a mess inside your house.
    • You may even want to use a butter knife or key to scrape set mud out of grooves in the shoe.
  2. Before you begin scrubbing away at the rubber parts of your shoes, start by brushing or even scraping off any loose dirt that’s stuck to it. The more you remove with a dry brush, the less mess you’ll have to deal with once you create your cleaning solution. [1]
    • Don’t worry about scrubbing too much, if the dirt doesn’t come free quickly, it will once you begin using the cleaning solution.
    • Use a dry brush like a toothbrush, but avoid steel bristle brushes that may damage the rubber soles of your shoes.
    Advertisement
  3. Mix one part baking soda and one part laundry detergent . Depending on how much you need to clean, you likely won’t need much baking soda or laundry detergent. Begin by mixing a tablespoon of each in a small bowl thoroughly. You can always add more of each ingredient if you find you haven’t made enough.
    • The baking soda will act as an abrasive to help the soap remove dirt and grime.
    • Avoid using laundry detergents with bleaching agents.
    • If your shoes aren't super-dirty, you can also just use a warm water with a few drops of dish soap . [2]
  4. Use your brush to apply the combination of baking soda and laundry detergent to the rubber portion of your shoes, then scrub it in. Using a circular motion with the brush is often the most effective way to remove dirt and grime. [3]
    • You may want to avoid using this cleaning combination on the fabric of your shoes, as the baking soda may be difficult to thoroughly rinse off.
    • You can make a separate mixture of just detergent and water to clean cloth portions of your shoes.
  5. Once you’ve adequately scrubbed the cleaning combination into the rubber soles of your shoes, take another clean cloth or sponge and soak it in clean water. Run it along the rubber, rinsing it with each pass until all of the mixture has been rinsed away.. [4]
    • Failing to remove all of the cleaning mixture can leave the rubber looking discolored.
    • Leaving the detergent mixture on the shoe can also make them very slippery and dangerous.
  6. Once you have rinsed all of the soap off of the shoe, use a clean towel to dry the rubber before you wear the shoes again. Once you have the shoe dry, you’ll have a better sense of how well the cleaning mixture did, and you can repeat the process at this point if you need to. [5]
    • Leaving the shoes wet could lead to them beginning to smell .
    • Wet shoes can be dangerous to wear, so be sure they’re completely dry and free of soap before putting them on.
    7. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Soaking Rubber Soles on Your Shoes

PDF download Download Article
  1. Find a pan that is large enough to fit your shoes in it, then fill it with enough water to submerge only the rubber soles. Make sure that the water is lukewarm and clean of any dirt or debris. [6]
    • Remember when filling it that as you put the shoes in the pan, the water level will rise.
    • If need be, you can soak one shoe at a time.
  2. Once the water level is about right, add one squirt of a mild dish detergent to the water and mix it thoroughly. The dish detergent is integral to the soak working, as water alone likely won’t break up stuck on grime. [7]
    • If you are soaking white rubber on white shoes, you may even choose to use a very small amount of bleach rather than dish soap.
  3. Leave the rubber portion of your shoe submerged in water and allow it to soak for a few minutes. This should allow it time to break up any stuck on dirt and grime and make it easier to scrub what’s left off of the rubber.
    • Check to ensure that only the rubber is soaking in the water.
    • You may choose to allow the shoes to soak even longer than 15 minutes if they’re really dirty.
  4. After the rubber has soaked for a while, remove the shoes and use the soapy water to scrub away any remaining bits of dirt and grime that are still stick to the shoe’s rubber. Avoid using a steel bristle brush as it may cause damage to the shoe. [8]
    • If need be, you can soak the shoes again after this step.
    • If you are using a bleach solution, you may want to wear gloves to avoid any potential skin irritations.
    5. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using Nail Polish Remover on Scuffs

PDF download Download Article
  1. Nail polish remover can do an excellent job of removing discoloration and even grime from the rubber parts of your shoes, but it’s not a good choice if your shoes are caked with mud or are any color other than white.
    • You may want to wash the rubber parts of your shoes using one of the other methods before using nail polish remover on scuffs.
    • Do not use the nail polish remover on the cloth portions of the shoe.
  2. While you can use a number of things to apply nail polish remover to the rubber soles of your shoes, cotton balls tend to be the best size and shape to easily clean the sides of your rubber soles and other small bits of rubber. [9]
    • You may want to wear gloves when dealing with nail polish remover.
    • You will likely need more than one cotton ball if the shoes are dirty.
  3. Using the nail polish remover soaked cotton balls, start by scrubbing away any scuff marks on the rubber soles. In doing so, you may find that the entire area you scrub shows as a brighter shade of white than the rest of the sole you’ve yet to clean. [10]
    • Scrub away all of the significant scuff marks before moving on to cleaning the whole sole.
    • You may need to use more than one cotton ball on some really set scuff marks.
  4. Once the significant scuffs and stains have been removed from the shoe’s sole, run the nail polish remover soaked cotton balls along the entirety of the sole, scrubbing when necessary to clean the entire area completely.
    • If you do not clean the entire sole, parts will still appear discolored compared to the brighter whites you achieved in the areas you already scrubbed.
    5. Advertisement

Expert Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How do you clean white rubber soles?
    Penny Simmons
    Shoe Care Specialist
    Penny Simmons is a Shoe Care Specialist and the Founder of Penny Loafers Shoe Shine Company Inc. in Toronto, Canada. With over 25 years of experience, Penny specializes in shoe cleaning and shining. Penny offers shoe shining at special events, kiosks in Toronto’s underground city, The PATH, and drop-off services. Penny Loafers Shoe Shine Company also operates the oldest shoeshine parlor in Canada. Penny Loafers Shoe Shine Company has been featured in Best of The City - Toronto Life, Saturday Night Magazine, National Post, Globe & Mail, and Toronto Star.
    Penny Simmons
    Shoe Care Specialist
    Expert Answer
    Dip a toothbrush in a bit of water and some soap, then give the rubber a good scrubbing and rinse. Do that periodically to keep your shoes looking new.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 5 Helpful 10
  • Question
    Will this work on boots, too?
    Community Answer
    Yes. As long as the boots aren’t all cloth, the methods should work perfectly. Just make sure not to soak them.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 0 Helpful 13
  • Question
    How do I clean rubber on my shoes if there is mud on it?
    Community Answer
    Scrape what mud you can from the shoes and spray the rest off with water. Then follow this guide.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 10
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      • Avoid using detergents or cleaners with bleach in them unless you’re cleaning white shoes.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • Make sure your shoes are rinsed well, otherwise they may be extremely slippery.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • After your shoes are clean, you can use nail polish remover to touch up scuffs as they occur.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Show More Tips
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Polish Shoes
      How to
      Polish Boots
      How to
      Dry Shoes Fast with Newspaper, in the Dryer & More
      How to
      Fix Holes in Shoes
      How to
      Clean Stinky Shoes: Home Remedies for Fresh Feet
      How to
      Fix Wet Suede Shoes
      How to
      Walk Without Creasing Shoes
      How to
      Remove Odor from Your Shoes with Baking Soda: 4 Ways
      How to
      Clean inside Shoes to Remove Odor
      How to
      Wash Fuzzy Crocs to Get Rid of Stains & Odors
      How to
      Remove Gum from a Shoe
      How to
      Clean Shoes with Toothpaste
      How to
      Sanitize & Clean Thrifted Shoes
      How to
      Make Shoe Polish
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-OfthLgp10
      2. ↑ Penny Simmons. Shoe Care Specialist. Expert Interview. 19 November 2020.
      3. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-OfthLgp10
      4. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-OfthLgp10
      5. ↑ https://cleanmyspace.com/cleaning-secrets-running-shoes/
      6. ↑ https://cleanmyspace.com/how-to-clean-your-flip-flops-and-sandals-too/
      7. ↑ https://www.snkrz.myfirststartup.fr/step-by-step-guide-on-how-to-clean-your-shoes/
      8. ↑ https://cleanmyspace.com/cleaning-secrets-running-shoes/
      9. ↑ https://www.instrupix.com/how-to-clean-rubber-soles-with-one-ingredient/
      1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx2RZjNepZM

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To clean the rubber soles on your shoes, start by removing any caked-on dirt by slapping the bottoms of your shoes together while you're outside. If there's still a lot of dirt, scrub it away using a soft dry brush, like a toothbrush. After you've removed the excess debris, create a cleaning solution that's 1 part baking soda and 1 part laundry detergent. Using your brush, apply the cleaning solution to the rubber soles of your shoes until they're clean. When you're happy with how they look, use a clean cloth or sponge soaked in clean water to wipe down the rubber. Make sure you rinse all of the cleaning mixture away, or the rubber could become discolored. Finally, use a clean towel to dry your shoes completely before wearing them again. For tips on how to clean the rubber soles of your shoes by soaking them, keep reading!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 682,648 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Anonymous

        Jul 1, 2023

        "The information is very helpful to take care of my shoes."
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement