Gum removal

[Ambulance Chaser]

There's a special place in hell reserved for people who leave chewing gum on the sidewalk to be stepped on.  Yesterday, I stepped on a large wad of gum while waiting for the bus.  I was able to scrape off a large amount of the gum with a plastic knife, but a fair amount remains.  Any recommendations on how to best remove the remaining gum would be much appreciated.

 

[Dakota rube]

IIRC the best way is to freeze the object on which the gum is stuck and then scrape off the residue. I have no idea what affect freezing will have on your shoes.

 

[JBZ]

I seem to remember somebody telling me that nail polish remover would work. However, I won't swear by this method and have never tried it. On the other hand, given that this is the sole of your shoe, you can probably try it without worrying about damaging the look or finish of the shoe.

A razor knife would probably work, but I imagine you'd want to be careful about not poking a hole in the sole (or yourself).

 

[johnnynorman3]

Easy -- RESOLE IT.

Freezing apparently works, but you may have taken off enough of the gum to make this solution a non-solution. Try the nail polish remover. It won't hurt the soles.

 

[scnupe7]

I have always rubbed ice across the gum until it hardens, it makes scraping it off much easier.

 

[JLibourel]

Interesting, I had perused this thread this morning. This very night when I removed my Allen-Edmonds Kingsleys, I saw to my horror that I had a huge wad of blue-green gum affixed to the sole of one shoe. This is the second time in the recent past that I have stepped in gum with an almost-new leather-soled A-E. I was insane with rage. I bellowed so violently I even terrified my ferocious Japanese fighting dog. Gum chewing is detestable at best. As for people who spit gum onto streets, if they are very small children, they should be beaten within an inch of their life to teach them a good lesson. If they have attained the age of reason, they should be terminated with extreme prejudice.

Anyway, I scraped most of the gum off with a dull knife. I then used paper towels soaked in rubbing alcohol to remove the rest. Paper towels are fairly abrasive, and using the wet and dry paper towels I got the rest of the horrid stuff off without too much difficulty. I then rubbed A-E leather conditioner on the afflicted area to offset the leaching effect of the alcohol. The sole was restored virtually to its prior state.

 

[brescd01]

For once, you are all completely wrong. By far the easiest way is to use the product Googon, available in most hardware stores and supermarkets.

 

[Dakota rube]

...if they are very small children, they should be beaten within an inch of their life to teach them a good lesson. If they have attained the age of reason, they should be terminated with extreme prejudice.

Wow, I though Linux_Pro was back for a minute.

 

[Cliff]

Interesting, I had perused this thread this morning. This very night when I removed my Allen-Edmonds Kingsleys, I saw to my horror that I had a huge wad of blue-green gum affixed to the sole of one shoe. This is the second time in the recent past that I have stepped in gum with an almost-new leather-soled A-E. I was insane with rage. I bellowed so violently I even terrified my ferocious Japanese fighting dog. Gum chewing is detestable at best. As for people who spit gum onto streets, if they are very small children, they should be beaten within an inch of their life to teach them a good lesson. If they have attained the age of reason, they should be terminated with extreme prejudice. Â

Anyway, I scraped most of the gum off with a dull knife. I then used paper towels soaked in rubbing alcohol to remove the rest. Paper towels are fairly abrasive, and using the wet and dry paper towels I got the rest of the horrid stuff off without too much difficulty. I then rubbed A-E leather conditioner on the afflicted area to offset the leaching effect of the alcohol. The sole was restored virtually to its prior state.

Gum chewers wear baseball hats. Â

 

[JLibourel]

Quote:

(JLibourel @ May 11 2005,22:12) Interesting, I had perused this thread this morning. This very night when I removed my Allen-Edmonds Kingsleys, I saw to my horror that I had a huge wad of blue-green gum affixed to the sole of one shoe. This is the second time in the recent past that I have stepped in gum with an almost-new leather-soled A-E. I was insane with rage. I bellowed so violently I even terrified my ferocious Japanese fighting dog. Gum chewing is detestable at best. As for people who spit gum onto streets, if they are very small children, they should be beaten within an inch of their life to teach them a good lesson. If they have attained the age of reason, they should be terminated with extreme prejudice. Â

Anyway, I scraped most of the gum off with a dull knife. I then used paper towels soaked in rubbing alcohol to remove the rest. Paper towels are fairly abrasive, and using the wet and dry paper towels I got the rest of the horrid stuff off without too much difficulty. I then rubbed A-E leather conditioner on the afflicted area to offset the leaching effect of the alcohol. The sole was restored virtually to its prior state.
Gum chewers wear baseball hats. Â

Unless they're female.

Nothing used to turn me off faster than seeing an otherwise attractive young woman masticating a wad of gum like some witless cow chewing her cud.

 

[WJTW]

Thank goodness gum is banned in Singapore (except special ones used to 'cure' smokers).

But there are still other hazards like mud and sand in the various construction sites around. WJTW

 

[alchimiste]

Thank goodness gum is banned in Singapore

Yeah. Freedom is overrated.