How to Remove Gum Residue from Shoes

Everyone steps on chewing gum once in their life – it’s probably not a pleasant experience, especially if your shoes are brand new. Luckily, there’s a trick to getting gum out of the soles of your shoes. Find someone you like to follow!

Table of Contents

Freeze Confectionery

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Put your shoes in a plastic bag. Put the candy-stained shoe in a plastic bag, like a large grocery or grocery bag. The bag doesn’t have to be big enough to cover the shoe, just make sure the gummy part is covered by a plastic bag.

Press the plastic bag into the gum. Press the plastic bag firmly into the gum for a few seconds. You need to let the leftovers stick to the plastic bag before freezing, otherwise it won’t work.

Put the shoes in the freezer. Make a place in the freezer for a plastic shoe cover. If your shoes don’t fit in your bag, it’s better not to let them touch any food to avoid spreading germs and bacteria.

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Leave the shoes in the freezer for one to two hours. This will help the gum solidify on the plastic bag. Once frozen, remove the shoes and bags from the freezer.

Take the shoes out of the plastic bag. The gum will stick to the plastic bag instead of your shoe, and now your shoe won’t have any gum on it! ^{[1] X Research Source}

Use Ice

Fill the plastic bag with ice cubes. Place your shoe on top of the ice pack, the sticky part underneath. Avoid getting ice cubes in or around your shoes as this will make them wet.

Keep ice cold. To prevent ice from melting too quickly, use a ziplock food bag or tie the top of the bag.

Press the ice firmly on the gum until it hardens. You will only be able to remove the gum after it has solidified. It will take a while – so be patient!

Once the gum has solidified, scrape the gum off the shoe. Carefully use a butter knife or spatula to scrape the solidified residue off the shoe. Move the knife slowly to avoid cutting shoes or cutting hands.

Use WD-40 . Solution

Spray WD-40 on the gum part. Buy a bottle of WD-40 spray (available at supermarkets and cleaning supply stores) and spray it onto the soles of your shoes, on or around the gum. Leave it for at least a minute for the WD-40 to loosen the sticky residue of the gum.

Wipe away the candy. Use a paper towel, rag, or cloth towel to wipe the gum from the sole of your shoe. Candy residue will come off very easily. If not, spray again and try again.

Wipe clean shoes. Once the gum is removed, wipe the shoe with a paper towel or clean rag again to remove any remaining spray. Throw away the rag or tissue when you’re done.

Use Peanut Butter

Get some peanut butter. Apply a thick layer of peanut butter (about 2 tablespoons) to the gum, then let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Wipe off the peanut butter. After 10 minutes, use a zinc brush to scrub both the butter and the gum away. You may have to work hard to scrub, but the candy will also be removed along with it.

Remember to rub in the direction of the sole of the shoe rather than in the opposite direction to avoid damaging the shoe. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Use Sand and Wooden Sticks

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Find a wooden stick and some dry sand. This works great if you’re out and about and step on fresh gum, which means it’s still soft and pliable. All you need is some dry sand (or dust) and a small wooden stick.

Sprinkle some sand around the gum. Take off your shoes and sprinkle some sand on top of the gum. Use a wooden stick and start sanding the gum – the gum will start to fall apart.

Continuously add more sand and keep scrubbing. Once the gum begins to peel off, sprinkle more sand on top and continue scrubbing. Sand as a detergent will remove stains from the bottom of the shoe!

Continue repeating until the residue has more or less completely peeled off. It may take time, but it’s better to do it quickly than to let the gum dry out and make it harder to get out of your shoes.

Decaying Gum

Use liquid gasoline in lighters. Dip an old cloth or paper towel in naphtha and rub it over the gum. The candy residue will begin to disintegrate.

Make sure to use naphtha in a well-ventilated area, away from heat sources, as naphtha is extremely flammable.

Use nail polish remover. Acetone found in nail polish remover can also be used to melt gum from the soles of shoes. Dip a piece of tissue or cloth in the solution and rub it over the gum until it disappears.

Care should be taken with the type of shoe you are applying the above method to, as acetone can damage the surface coating of shiny leather or suede shoes. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Use Olive Oil

Apply olive oil to the gum. Avoid getting oil directly onto leather or leather shoes, as the oil will leave stains that are difficult to remove.

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Leave it on for about a minute.

Wipe the oil away with a paper towel.

Remove excess residue with a pointed tool dipped in olive oil.

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Finished! The candy residue has now been removed. Dispose of chewing gum properly!

Advice

If you can’t get the gum out properly, you may want to try scraping as much of the gum off your shoe as you can. Use a paring knife to scrape the gum or you can rub your heels up onto the concrete pavement where no one will step on it again.

Warning

Do not use your hands to pry the gum. You don’t know where this gum comes from.

Steps