How to Remove Gum From a Shoe

You've made it to the computer and onto the Web, but you've still got gum on your shoe?

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• An Ice Cube
• 1 Plastic Bags
• A Blunt Knife

1. Try scraping the gum off with a knife to remove as much gum as possible.

2. Freeze the gum with an ice cube if you need another approach. Put an ice cube in a small plastic bag and apply the ice to the gum, allowing the gum to harden completely.

3. Pry off the hardened gum with a knife, a key or any appropriately small and rigid tool.

Tips & Warnings

• If the gum is still sticky, try scraping the bottom of your shoe on rough concrete.
• Don't use your bare hands. You never know where that gum has been!

[lwags]

on 8/27/2009 Personally I feel we should re-visit the notion of public flogging for the cretins who spit their gum on the sidewalk. But I digress. Goo-Gone works marvelously. It also works on your gas and brake pedals. Yup, the sticky ride home. That's how I discovered I had gum on my shoe in the first place.

on 9/19/2006 Paper towels and scraping sometimes don't always work, so try this:

Put sand or dry dirt on the area and rub with a stick. The dirt will adhere to the hard to reach places on the gum. After about 3 minutes, the gum will most likely come off your shoe.

on 8/8/2006 Lighter fluid (containing naptha), dissolves gum on contact. I just poured a little fluid on the gum, rubbed it with my finger until the gum dissolved and then wiped it dry with a cloth.

on 8/8/2006 Put a little nail-polish remover on a cotton pad, rub onto the gun. It's basically paint remover, and will dissolve the gum. For shoes with grooves, follow up with an old toothbrush to brush out the now-dissolved gum.

on 8/8/2006 You will need:
-sandwich bag (1)
-toilet paper/facial tissues (~10 sheets)
OR
-a small pack of facial tissues (the kind that's designed for purses), in this case, skip to step 3

1. Fold up the paper into a rectangle about the size of the gum, this rectangle should be about half an inch thick.
2. Put the paper in the bag and fold the bag to fit the paper (You can use tape to tape the bag, just make sure that you leave the bag tape side down for the next step).
3. Put the bag of tissues on the ground and step on it, making sure that the full surface area of the gum makes contact with the bag
4. Walk around a little.
5. Pull off the bag, with any luck, the gum will have adhered to the bag and come off your shoe.

For best results, use a pack of facial tissues. Although you'll end up with a pack of tissues with gum stuck to the bag.