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Everyone has walked in gum at some point in their life -- it's not a fun experience, especially if your shoes are brand new. Luckily, there are several easy hacks for removing gum from the sole of your shoe. Find a method that appeals to you after the jump!
How to Get Gum off Shoes
Place the shoe in a plastic bag, letting the gum stick to the plastic. After 1–2 hours, peel away the bag, taking the gum with it. Alternatively, you can freeze the gum with ice and scrape it off, or use lubricants like WD-40 or peanut butter.
Steps
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Place the shoe in a plastic bag. Take your gum-ridden shoe and put it in a plastic bag, such as a large food storage bag or a grocery bag. It doesn't matter if the entire shoe doesn't fit in the bag, just make sure the part with the gum is pressed against the plastic.- This method is especially efficient if the shoe's sole is not smooth and flat.
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Press the plastic against the gum. Press the plastic bag firmly against the piece of gum for several seconds. You need the gum to stick to the plastic before freezing, otherwise this method won't work.Advertisement -
Place the shoe in the freezer. Clear a space in your freezer for the plastic-covered shoe. If the shoe is not fully inside the plastic bag, you may want to keep it away from any food items, to avoid spreading any germs.
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Leave the shoe in the freezer for an hour or two. This will give the gum a chance to freeze onto the plastic bag. Once frozen, remove the shoe and the bag from the freezer. -
Remove the shoe from the plastic bag. The gum should stick to the plastic bag instead of your shoe, leaving your shoe gum-free! [1] X Research source
- Another option is to simply scrape off the gum remnants with a utility knife. Be careful with the blade and use safety gloves if possible.
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Fill a large plastic bag with ice cubes . Place your shoe on top of the ice cubes, gum-side down. Avoid letting the ice cubes go inside or around the shoe, as this will make your shoe wet.
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Keep the ice cold . To prevent it from melting too fast, use a food storage bag that can be zipped closed or tie the bag shut. -
Firmly press the ice onto the gum until it freezes. You will only be able to remove the gum after it has frozen solid. This may take a little while -- so have patience!
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Once frozen, scrape the gum from the shoe. Carefully use a dull butter knife or putty knife to scrape the hard, frozen gum off the shoe. Move the knife slowly to avoid cutting the shoe or yourself.
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Spray the gum with WD-40 . Get a can of WD-40 (available in supermarkets and cleaning supply stores) and spray it onto the sole of your shoe, on and around the gum. Let it sit for at least a minute, to allow the WD-400 to loosen the gum's adhesive bond.
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Wipe away the gum. Use a paper towel, rag, or any cloth to wipe the gum from the sole of the shoe. It should come away pretty easily. If not, give the gum a second spray and try again.
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Clean the sole of your shoe. Once the gum has been removed, use a paper towel or clean rag to wipe the shoe again to remove any additional residue left from the spray. Toss the rag or paper towels away when finished.
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Take some creamy peanut butter . Apply a thick layer of creamy peanut butter (approximately two tablespoons) to the gum, then leave it to sit for 10 minutes.
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Scrub away the peanut butter. After 10 minutes, use a wire brush to scrub away both the peanut butter and the gum. It may take a little elbow grease, but the gum should come away too.
- Remember to scrub with the grooves of the sole instead of against them, to avoid damaging your shoe. [2] X Research source
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Clean your shoe. Hold the sole of your shoe underneath some cold running water and scrub with a sponge to remove any peanut butter residue.
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Find a wooden stick and some dry sand. This method works well if you're outside and happen to step on some fresh gum that is still pretty soft and pliable. All you need is some dry sand (or dirt) and a small wooden stick. -
Sprinkle some sand over the gum. Remove your shoe and sprinkle some sand on top of the gum. Use the stick to start rubbing the sand into the gum -- it should start coming away in small chunks.
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Continually add more sand and keep rubbing. As the gum starts to come away, sprinkle some more sand on top and continue rubbing. The sand acts kind of like an exfoliator for the bottom of your shoe!
- Keep going until the gum is more or less completely removed. This may take a little while, but it's better to act quickly instead of allowing the gum to dry and harden onto your shoe.
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Use lighter fluid. Soak an old cloth or piece of paper towel in some naphtha and rub it onto the gum. The gum should start to dissolve away.- Make sure to use the naphtha in a well-ventilated area, away from any heat sources, as naphtha is highly flammable.
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Use nail polish remover. Acetone-based nail polish remover can also be used to dissolve chewing gum from the sole of a shoe. Soak a paper towel or cloth in the remover and rub it onto the gum until it disappears.
- Just be careful what type of shoes you use this method for, as acetone may damage the finish on patent or suede shoes. [3] X Research source
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Rub olive oil on the gum. Avoid getting it directly on leather or suede on the shoe, or it might stain.
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Let the oil sit for a minute. -
Rub the oil off with a paper towel.
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Remove any excess gum with a pointy-ended tool dipped in olive oil.
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Done. The gum should now be all off. Dispose of appropriately.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionHow do you get dried gum off shoes?Victor Adrian is a Footwear Expert based in London, UK. He is a Researcher, Tester, and Editor for BestForMyFeet.com, a leading footwear and footcare blog that discusses the importance of wearing the right footwear for the right occasion. Adrian is well-versed in determining which type of footwear is ideal for a variety of work and casual environments thanks to his vast working experience in different types of industries. He teams up with footwear professionals to test products and create comprehensive product reviews and comparisons that help readers choose the ideal footwear for their needs. Additionally, he collaborates with US board-certified podiatrists and foot doctors in order to make sure the information his team provides is always accurate. Adrian studied Biochemistry at the I.E.S. Calderon de la Barca Institute.One of the easiest ways to do it is by getting the blade of a utility knife under the chewing gum gently and scraping it off. If you feel that the gum is kinda hard to scrape, simply use a hairdryer to warm it a tiny bit. That should do the trick.
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QuestionHow do I remove gum from my shoe if it has ridges?Community AnswerThese methods should work fine. The WD-40 method is probably the easiest. Spray it on and wait for a minute, then the gum should slide right off.
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QuestionWhat do I do if the gum is already hard on the shoe?Community AnswerUse the ice method with three ice cubes, and let the gum get wet. Use a tool such as a flat-head screwdriver to scrape it off. If the shoe has accumulated mud, wash it off with a hose; some gum will come off with the hose as well after you scrape.
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Tips
- If you can't remove the gum right away, then you may want to try to scrape off as much gum as possible. Use a dull knife to scrape off the gum or you can rub the sole of your shoe against a concrete sidewalk in a place that no one else will step in it.Thanks
- If you're working on a flat sole, a simple utility knife might be enough to scrape off the gum, with no need for additional methods.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If you can't remove the gum right away, try scraping off the gum or rubbing the sole of your shoe against a concrete sidewalk in a place that no one else will step in it.
- For the ice cube method, consider using a plastic knife to get the job done. You don't know where that gum has been!
- If the gum has been stuck to the shoe for a short amount of time, consider using a Cheeto to remove from the sole.
- Duct tape can work really well to remove gum from shoes.
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Warnings
- Do not use your hands to remove the gum. You don't know where it's been.Thanks
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Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about cleaning your shoes, check out our in-depth interview with Victor Adrian .
References
About This Article
Article Summary
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To remove gum from a shoe, apply olive oil, peanut butter, or WD-40 to the gum, which will make it less sticky so it's easier to get off. You can also try dissolving the gum with nail polish remover or lighter fluid. If you're afraid of staining or damaging your shoe, put it in a plastic bag and place it in the freezer for 1-2 hours. Then, take the shoe out and peel off the hardened gum. If there's any gum left over, use a butter knife to scrape it off. If you want to learn how to peel gum off of your show using sand and a stick, keep reading the article!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I like the way they attacked the gum situation. I ended up not using any of your suggestions, because when I went to use the WD40, right next to it was Goo Gone, which takes gum off also. I did use your methods to get the gum out of the grooves using Goo Gone. Thank you for the great info." ..." more
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% of people told us that this article helped them.
"I like the way they attacked the gum situation. I ended up not using any of your suggestions, because when I went to use the WD40, right next to it was Goo Gone, which takes gum off also. I did use your methods to get the gum out of the grooves using Goo Gone. Thank you for the great info."
..."
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"I was ready to toss my shoes because of a nasty hardened mixture of gum and city sidewalk crud. Scraping the worst of it off with a putty knife, saturating with oil, using a small screwdriver on the rest and wiping away with paper towels saved them. Thanks!"
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"Using ice cubes to rub on the gum of the shoe till the cube melts and then using a tooth pick to rub it off helped. Before doing this, I had also poured boiling water on my shoes (not recommended if your shoe is delicate or expensive). Thank you so much. :D"
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"Since my gym shoes have all kinds of little nooks and crannies, it took somewhat longer than I anticipated. The WD40 worked very well, except that all these little crevices had to be cleaned out with either a screwdriver or a toothbrush."
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"What helped me the most is the olive oil one, it helped the most out of all of them. Thank you so much for the method, I thought it was the end of the world. 3 thumbs up from me. "
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