How to Clean the Rubber on Shoes and Get Rid of Dirt Effectively

As an expert in the field of footwear maintenance, I have spent countless hours perfecting the art of cleaning rubber shoes. My extensive experience has taught me that rubber shoes can be particularly challenging to clean due to their unique properties and susceptibility to dirt and grime. However, with my knowledge and expertise, I have developed a simple and effective method for restoring rubber shoes to their original luster.

In this article, I will be sharing my expert tips on how to clean the rubber on shoes, so you can maintain your footwear collection and keep it looking its best. From identifying the right cleaning products to avoiding common mistakes, I will provide you with everything you need to know to keep your rubber shoes looking pristine.

So whether you’re a seasoned sneakerhead or just looking to keep your everyday shoes looking fresh, my proven techniques will ensure that your rubber shoes always look their best!

Contents

I. How Do You Clean Dirty Rubber Soles?
II. Navigating Through Different Rubber Types: A Cleaning Guide
4. PVC Rubber
III. Different Types of Rubber Stains and How to Tackle Them
IV. How Can I Make My White Rubber Shoes White Again?
V. Best Products to Clean Rubber Shoes
2. Soaking It in Water
VI. Do & Don’t
VII. Summary
Frequently Asked Question about Cleaning Rubber Soles

I. How Do You Clean Dirty Rubber Soles?

In this section, I shall guide you through the process of making dirty rubber soles on your shoes fresh again! Follow the step closely and put your back into it for the maximum result!

1. Rubber Soles Cleaning Kit and Their Functions

Shoe Cleaner: A special shoe detergent is needed to clean the rubber on your shoes. You can use other cleaning solutions as well. Below you can find some of my best recommendations of rubber soles cleaners, which I think come as the best cleaners out there!
Apron: Not an obligatory item, but it will come in handy when we’re talking about keeping your shirt clean while washing your shoes.
Medium Brush: Used to clean your shoes’ midsole section or remove stubborn stains from rubber soles.
Microfiber Cloth: Used to wipe the rubber on your shoes clean from dirt and stains.
Container/Pan: Used to store water that will be mixed with Shoe Perfume in order to generate a certain odor for your shoes.

2. How to Deep Clean the Rubber on Shoes

Step 1: Prepare the shoes that have rubber on them

Prepare a pair of shoes with dirty rubber midsoles that you want to clean. It is always a good idea to inspect your shoes before you clean them, especially if you haven’t worn them in a while or if they have been exposed to extreme conditions. Inspecting your shoes beforehand can help you identify any areas that may require special attention, such as stains, scuffs, or tears.

Step 2: Prepare the necessary kits to clean the rubber on your shoes

Prepare the shoe cleaner, apron, a medium brush, a microfiber cloth, and a container to store water and Shoe Perfume.

Step 3: Dry clean the shoes

Before you wash the midsole section with water and shoe cleaner solution, please try and brush it with a medium brush. A medium brush is able to get rid of dust and dirt on your shoes.

Step 4: Wash the midsole section of your shoes

Hold on to your medium brush, as it’s needed for this step as well. Use it to clean the midsole section with water that has been mixed with the Shoe Cleaner. After all the dirt and stains are eliminated, you can wipe it with a microfiber cloth.

Step 5: Detailing

Use a wet microfiber cloth to clean the details on your sneakers that are dirty. Please be careful when cleaning the details of your shoes. To clean your leather shoes, specifically, you may want to check this article!

Step 6: Drying process

Dry off your shoes by putting them in front of the fan. Because you’re only cleaning the midsole section, there’s no need to leave them for a long time. I’d say that 30 minutes is enough.

Step 7: Finishing

Check to see if your shoes are all dried up. Once they are dry, you can use the shoes again. Alternatively, you can also store them back where they belong.

II. Navigating Through Different Rubber Types: A Cleaning Guide

Different rubber materials require different cleaning methods. Being a professional in shoe cleaning with extensive experience and expertise in rubber materials, I know for sure that different approaches are needed to keep your rubber soles clean and fresh.

So, below I have prepared a comprehensive step-by-step guidelines on how to clean rubber soles made of different materials as a trusted reference for you.

1. Gristle Rubber

You might notice that heavy-duty or industrial shoes have solid rubber soles. Those shoes are using gristle rubber soles that are solid and designed to be able to tackle extreme conditions like rocky or muddy trails. To clean gristle rubber soles, I would say that the best cleaner is a combination of baking soda and laundry detergent.

Cleaning this rubber material is challenging, but after I did some trials and errors, I found that baking soda and laundry detergent are the best agents to bring back their shine. Here are my secret step-by-step guidelines on how to clean your gristle rubber soles:

Cleaning Kits and Tools:

Baking soda
Laundry detergent
Soft-bristled brush or toothbrush
Medium brush
Micro fiber cloth
Container or Pan

Cleaning Steps:

Step 1: Remove the laces and use a sift-bristled brush to remove any dust, dirt or debris from the shoes and rubber soles.
Step 2: Create a mixture of baking soda, laundry detergent and water in a clean container or pan.
Step 3: Grab a medium brush, dip it into the mixture and rub the rubber area of your shoes using a circular motion.
Step 4: After all stains and dirt are removed from the rubber soles, use a damped micro fiber cloth to thoroughly wipe and rinse the rubber.
Step 5: Grab a clean and dry micro fiber cloth to dry the rubber and leave the shoes to air dry completely before wearing them again.

2. Resin Rubber

Resin rubber soles were initially created to imitate leather. It looks elegant, and it’s a flexible material that usually used in leather shoes. It’s a also gentle material, therefore it needs careful treatment to clean them.

I conducted some researches on the best methods to keep resin rubber soles clean and shiny. As a result, I discovered that gentle liquid dish soap is the best solution for resin rubber material. Check out below my expert guide to clean your resin rubber shoes soles:

Cleaning Kits and Tools:

Soft-bristled brush or toothbrush
Medium brush
Liquid dish soap
Sponge
Micro fiber cloth
Magic eraser
Container or Pan

Cleaning Steps:

Step 1: First, remove any loose dirt or debris from the resin rubber soles using a soft-bristled brush or toothbrush.
Step 2: Create a mix of mild dish soap with warm water in a clean container or pan.
Step 3: Dip a clean sponge into the mixture and gently scrub the soles of your shoes.
Step 4: Rinse the soles using a damped micro fiber cloth or water to remove the dirt and remove all soap suds.
Step 5: Let the shoes air dry by placing them away from direct sunlight.
Step 6: After the shoes and the soles are completely dry, use a magic eraser to remove remaining stains of scuffs.

3. Crepe Rubber

Crepe rubber is made from natural latex rubber, and known for their comfort and excellent appearance. However, despite my proven experience and expertise in shoe cleaning issues, cleaning crepe soles still requires extra efforts since the nature of the material leads to gradual accumulation of dirt over time.

When the soles are exposed to dirt, there is no way to restore it. However, you don’t have to worry, because below I will be sharing my expert tips on how to clean crepe soles for maximum results. It may not be able to return to it’s first original state, but I have proven that the following cleaning steps are highly effective.

Cleaning Kits and Tools:

Soft-bristled brush or toothbrush
Medium brush
Hard soap/curd soap
Laundry detergent
Micro fiber cloth
Container or Pan

Cleaning Steps:

Step 1: First, take off the laces which help in easy cleaning of your rubber soles.
Step 2: Use a soft-bristled brush or toothbrush to remove dirt over the crepe soles, and I suggest that you scrub in all directions for maximum result.
Step 3: Use a hard soap or curd soap by putting the soap on a medium brush and apply it to the sole or apply the soap directly on the sole.
Step 4: As an alternative, I also recommend you to use a laundry detergent by creating a thick solution of detergent and water.
Step 5: Scrub the soles using a brush until you see a great effect of strain removal.
Step 6: Use a clean fiber cloth to wipe the sole and remove soap remains from your shoes.
Step 7: Let the shoes air dry and put the laces back before wearing them again.

4. PVC Rubber

The best way to clean PVC rubber soles is to use a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar. I have proven myself that the combination of two agents are the most recommended solution to bring back the shine of your rubber soles to their original state.

Follow my secret tips below to find the best methods on how to clean your PVC rubber soles effectively.

Cleaning Kits and Tools:

Baking soda
White vinegar
Soft-bristled brush or toothbrush
Medium brush
Micro fiber cloth
Container or Pan

Cleaning Steps:

Step 1: First of all, remove the laces of the shoes and use a soft-bristled brush or toothbrush to remove dust, dirt or debris from the soles and shoes.
Step 2: Create a mixture of baking soda and white vinegar in a pan of warm water.
Step 3: Grab a medium brush, dip it into the mixture and rub the PVC rubber area of your shoes using a circular motion.
Step 4: Leave the paste on for a few minutes to dry, and them use a toothbrush to remove the paste from the soles.
Step 5: After all stains and dirt are removed from the rubber soles, use a damped micro fiber cloth to thoroughly wipe and rinse the rubber.
Step 6: Grab a clean and dry micro fiber cloth to dry the rubber and leave the shoes to air dry completely before wearing them again.

III. Different Types of Rubber Stains and How to Tackle Them

I know that it sucks to find the unwanted stubborn stains on your rubber soles. Not only that it will take forever to remove, it also requires extra effort to scrub and scrub again until all the remains of the stains are gone completely.

But wait a minute, you might want to think again because as an expert in shoe cleaning I have done some extensive researches to help us find the best way in removing stubborn stains from all kinds of rubber materials. Based on my research, there are four stains that are very hard to remove which include gum, grass, ink, and oil stains.

To release you from the burden, I am sharing my expert step-by-step guide on your to make those stubborn stains gone for good below!

1. Gum Stains

Gum stain is the number 1 enemy for shoes. It’s very hard to remove even when you feel like you removed all of them, you can still find a small part of the gum sticking on your soles. Yes I know you hate it, because we all feel the same.

However, as an expert in in shoe cleaning methods, I can share with you the most recommended method on how to remove gum stains from your rubber soles using a solution that most of us have at home, which is peanut butter! So, let’s start cleaning by preparing the cleaning kit below:

Peanut butter
Tablespoon
Wire brush

Cleaning Steps:

Step 1: Put two tablespoons of peanut butter over the gum and make sure the gum stains is totally covered.
Step 2: Let it sit for about 20 minutes. Peanut butter helps soften stubborn gum, so it can be peeled away more easily.
Step 3: Use the spoon to scrape the gum away from the rubber soles.
Step 4: If part of the gum still stuck on a textured sole, grab a wire brush to get into the crevices of the sole.

2. Grass Stains

Spending time outdoors in spring or summer is fun. The green grass and wonderful weather are surely the best time to have fun. However, you might find some grass stains on your rubber soles after the day ends. And no, it’s not fun at all!

But don’t worry, because I am here to share my expert tips on how to remove grass stains from your rubber soles, and you can do it using household solutions such as white vinegar. For me white vinegar works like magic in removing grass stains, and the result is satisfactory. So, let’s get started by preparing the following kit:

White vinegar
Toothbrush
Container or pan
Micro fiber cloth

Cleaning Steps:

Step 1: Create a shoe cleaning solution of white vinegar mixed with water. Pour one-third of a cup of white vinegar into a container and add two-thirds of a cup warm water.
Step 2: Dip a toothbrush into the solution and scrub the grass stained areas of your rubber soles.
Step 3: Wipe off the rubber soles using a damped cloth to remove the vinegar solution from the surface, leaving the soles cleaner and free of stains.
Step 4: Rinse the soles with water and repeat the process if the stains still remain.

3. Ink Stains

Ink stain is another stubborn stain that we try our best to avoid having. But as you know sometimes bad thing can happen beyond our control, so we need to be ready with the solution when it happens.

My extensive experience in handling rubber shoes and soles include the best methods on how to remove stubborn ink stains, and nail polis remover is the solution you need to do the job. Here are my expert tips on how to do it, and you can start by preparing the kits and tools below:

Nail polish remover
Clean micro fiber cloth
soft-bristled brush or toothbrush

Cleaning Steps:

Step 1: Apply a small amount of nail polish remover to a clean micro fiber cloth or toothbrush.
Step 2: Rub the ink stains using the cloth or toothbrush until the stains begin to fade away.
Step 3: Repeat the step until the stains are removed completely. Some ink stains can be very hard to remove, such as permanent marker ink, so you might need to repeat this step several times before they completely removed.
Step 4: Wipe the rubber area using a clean damped cloth, and leave the to air dry.

4. Oil Stains

Liquid dish soap is undoubtedly the best solution to remove oil stains from your rubber soles, and even shoes, too! Here are the things that you need to remove oils stains from rubber soles:

Liquid dish soap
Soft-bristled brush or toothbrush
Micro fiber cloth
Container of pan

Cleaning Steps:

Step 1: Start by creating a soapy solution by mixing liquid dish soap and water in a small container of pan.
Step 2: Dip a soft-bristled brush or toothbrush into the solution and gently brush the stained are on the rubber soles until the stains are removed completely.
Step 3: Once the stains are removed, grab dampen micro fiber cloth to wipe the soapy solution from the rubber soles.
Step 4: Leave the shoes to air dry completely before wearing them again.

IV. How Can I Make My White Rubber Shoes White Again?

I always encourage my readers to clean their sneakers or shoes regularly. If you’re not up to the task, there’s a chance that your white shoes can turn yellow. Another reason that your rubber shoes can turn yellow is a fault or error during the cleaning process. However, it’s not a cause for concern yet!

There’s a pair of shoes that I have left for a while, and they start to have some yellow stains on them. After a series of tests, I found out that these steps can help you clean white rubber shoes that are starting to get some yellowing stains.

Prepare a bleach solution by mixing it with water. Make sure to make a 1:4 of bleach to water ratio.
Prepare a soft brush and try to dip the brush inside the solution. Make sure to wear gloves so as not to damage your hands in the process.
Scrub the brush across your shoes and try to get rid of the yellowing stains.
After you have achieved a satisfying result, rinse the shoes to get rid of any bleach remnants.
Let the shoes dry before storing or using them.

After using bleach, I can say that my shoes have stayed white and fresh. Therefore, I highly recommend this method for white rubber shoes. Just make sure that you don’t use too much bleach at once.

V. Best Products to Clean Rubber Shoes

There are a lot of products that you can use to clean the rubber on your shoes. An easy way would be to buy professional products in the market. However, you can also use homemade items to clean your sneakers. I prefer to use homemade items as well, as they are affordable and can be effective in cleaning rubber on your shoes. I’m not going to go into detailed steps for using them, as I have dedicated certain sections for that. Please take a look at the following list:

Bleach: Only use this item to clean white shoes
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Laundry Detergent
Nail Polish Remover or Acetone
Magic Eraser

In my own experience, using a combination of baking soda and vinegar would be the best option out of all the homemade items that I have said before. Mild laundry detergent comes out second, and it’s a great choice that you can consider.

1. Baking Soda and Laundry Detergent

Yes, baking soda and vinegar can be effective in cleaning rubber on shoes. But how exactly should you do it? I have done several tests, and these are the steps that, for me, are the best way to clean rubber on your shoes using baking soda. I’ll be discussing ways to use laundry detergent as well. I’ve got great results after trying both methods. So, it’s a matter of preference and availability of items!

Cleaning rubber on shoes with baking soda:

Remove the laces from your shoes
Prepare the mixture of baking soda and water.
Prepare a standard brush to clean your outsole. Dip the brush into the mixture.
Scrub the brush across the shoe. Make sure to use all your might in order to clean the shoes.
Rinse the shoes with water and let them dry.

Cleaning rubber on shoes with laundry detergent:

Remove the laces from your shoes
Fill a bucket with water and add mild laundry detergent as well.
Soak your brush with the mixture
Rub the shoes with the brush to get rid of the dirt
Rinse the shoes from all the soapy mixture and let them dry.

When using the second method, you can also try and soak the shoes inside the mixture, should you have a big enough bucket. You can proceed to brush the shoes while underwater. Both methods have been tried by me, and they worked well!

2. Soaking It in Water

After removing the laces from the shoes, you can proceed to clean the rubber on the shoes by soaking it in a bucket of water. However, I do not recommend this method, as it won’t be as effective as the other ones. If you do have mild laundry detergent, you better add it to the bucket of water. This way, you’ll have a strong mixture that can easily erase any dirt or stain on the rubber of your shoes. After soaking it, you can wipe them dry with a microfiber cloth.

3. Nail Polish Remover

A nail polish remover, or acetone, can also be a great alternative to cleaning rubber on your shoes. It should be a simple item that most people have in their homes! Acetone can remove stains easily, just like they remove nail polish on your nails.

Important to note: a nail polish remover is a great option for cleaning rubber on shoes. However, do not try to use it on canvas or fabric. Trust me; I’ve learned it the hard way!

Prepare a cotton ball and your nail polish remover
Dip the cotton ball inside the nail polish remover.
Gently scrub the cotton ball across your shoe’s outsole.
Wait for some time before wiping the acetone clean with a cloth. It should be clean now!

This method is effective in eliminating stains, and I can vouch for that. However, you might need a little bit of patience in doing this method, as cotton balls won’t cover as large a space as a shoe brush.

4. Magic Eraser

There are a lot of ways to clean the rubber on shoes properly. My last trick is to use the magical Magic Eraser. After trying this product for some time, I realized that there are some advantages to using a Magic Eraser. Aside from its effectiveness, a Magic Eraser won’t take too much of your time.

Wet your Magic Eraser before usage
Wipe the Magic Eraser across the rubber on your shoes.
Let the shoes dry for a while before storing them back where they belong.

VI. Do & Don’t

Do’s

Use all your strength to clean the rubber on your shoes and get rid of all the stains and dirt.
Repeat the process until you have achieved a satisfactory result. Even if your shoes are still dirty, just brush them off again!

Don’ts

When it comes to dealing with the midsole section, don’t use a standard brush or other brushes that are too strong. It might damage your sneakers.
Never leave your shoes under direct contact with the sunlight.

VII. Summary

Cleaning the rubber on your shoes shouldn’t be that hard to do. After all, you won’t need to be as careful as cleaning leather, canvas, or other shoes with sensitive materials. You can even use a medium brush to do the job!

Frequently Asked Question about Cleaning Rubber Soles

1. What is the best way to clean rubber?

Through my own experience, I learned that the best way to clean rubber is by using a Shoe Cleaner detergent (or any mild detergent that you have at home). Use it by brushing it across the shoes.

2. Does vinegar harm rubber?

No, Vinegar doesn’t harm rubber, especially if the rubber is white. Vinegar contains some sort of acid that can eliminate dirt and help your sole become white once more. However, it might be a different story if the sole is a non-white one.

3. Is Vaseline good for rubber?

Yes, Vaseline is good for rubber. Vaseline is a great option that you can use to clean leather material in order to make it shine bright once more. Still, Vaseline can also be used as an alternative to clean rubber as well, although I’d treat it as a last resort if you don’t have the other items to clean rubber on your shoes.