How to Get Gum Off of the Interior of a Shoe

Chewed gum stuck inside your shoes makes them very unpleasant to wear.

Whether from an accident or practical joke, gum may become stuck inside of shoes. Gum rapidly bonds to the fabric insoles within shoes, and hardens with time. The longer gum remains in shoes, the more attached the sticky wad becomes to the fabric insoles. Promptly get gum out of your shoe's interior before it hardens -- or you inadvertently step on it -- and are left with another sticky mess. Fortunately, basic solutions get gum off the interiors of shoes.

Things You'll Need

• Ice cubes
• Dull knife
• Dry-cleaning fluid
• 2 white cloths
• Clean towel

Instructions

1. Rub ice cubes over the shoe's interior to freeze the gum. Freeze the sticky wad until it fully hardens.

2. Scrape the frozen gum wad off the shoe's insole using a dull knife.

3. Inspect the shoe's interior for a color stain. If the gum left artificial coloring on the fabric insole, pour a dab -- dime-sized portion -- of dry-cleaning fluid onto a cloth.

4. Blot the color stain with the solvent until the blemish disappears from the shoe's interior.

5. Dampen another cloth with water. Dab the water onto the shoe's interior to rinse out the solvent.

6. Stuff a clean towel into the shoe to absorb moisture. Let the shoe's interior air-dry.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have ice cubes available, keep the shoe in the freezer until the gum freezes.

• Spot-test a smidgen of dry-cleaning fluid on the shoe's interior to avoid discoloration.

References

• American Cleaning Institute: Adhesive Tape, Chewing Gum, Rubber Cement
• "Good Housekeeping": Stain Buster -- Chewing Gum