Method2Soaking Rubber Soles on Your Shoes
Method2
1Fill a pan with less than an inch of water. Find a pan that is large enough to fit your shoes in it, then fill it with enough water to submerge only the rubber soles. Make sure that the water is lukewarm and clean of any dirt or debris.[8]Remember when filling it that as you put the shoes in the pan, the water level will rise.
If need be, you can soak one shoe at a time.
2Add dish soap to the water. Once the water level is about right, add one squirt of a mild dish detergent to the water and mix it thoroughly. The dish detergent is integral to the soak working, as water alone likely won’t break up stuck on grime.[9]If you are soaking white rubber on white shoes, you may even choose to use a very small amount of bleach rather than dish soap.[10]
- 3Soak the rubber for a few minutes. Leave the rubber portion of your shoe submerged in water and allow it to soak for a few minutes. This should allow it time to break up any stuck on dirt and grime and make it easier to scrub what’s left off of the rubber.
Check to ensure that only the rubber is soaking in the water.
You may choose to allow the shoes to soak even longer than 15 minutes if they’re really dirty.
4Use a scrub brush to remove any remaining dirt. After the rubber has soaked for a while, remove the shoes and use the soapy water to scrub away any remaining bits of dirt and grime that are still stick to the shoe’s rubber. Avoid using a steel bristle brush as it may cause damage to the shoe.[11]If need be, you can soak the shoes again after this step.
If you are using a bleach solution, you may want to wear gloves to avoid any potential skin irritations.
