how to clean rubber shoe soles

 

To clean rubber shoe soles, you will need:

-rubber gloves

-a small container to store your clean shoes [this is optional]

-toilet bowl cleaner.

-a damp rag.

-soapy water.

-paper towel.

All ingredients can be purchased from your local grocery store or department store for a nominal price range of about $3-$5 depending on where you live. First, you'll have to remove the insole from the shoe; most people use their fingers for this task but rubber gloves are helpful in keeping unwanted germs out of your hands and keeping your fingers dry (which is always helpful). Just slip your hand in the glove and begin to remove the insole. Make sure you clean out any dirt, dust or other material that may be causing the shoe to smell before committing the shoe to this treatment. You'll need to place it someplace where you can keep it from being stepped on or otherwise disturbed throughout the cleaning process.

 

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Once you've removed the insole and cleaned out your shoes, break open a pack of toilet bowl cleaner and begin applying it with a damp rag; make sure that all areas of the shoe (including seams) are covered by this solution. Wear rubber gloves during this step because soapy water will come into contact with your skin. Soak the rag in soapy water and use this rag to clean all areas of the shoe. You'll want to get into all of those tight corners, especially where one area of the shoe overlaps another (like the rubber sole and a shoe's upper).

Once you've thoroughly covered your shoes in soap and water, let them sit for about 15 minutes. This will give time for the cleaner to work its way into any places that may have otherwise been missed. After 15 minutes has elapsed, remove your shoes from their soaking place and rinse them with clean water while scrubbing any areas that still look dirty with a damp rag. Wash away all soap residue from your shoes using this method and then let them dry. Once they're completely dry, you should notice that the sole of your shoes have been cleaned and are no longer stinking up your feet by forcing fetid air onto them.

 

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Depending on how dirty your shoes are, you may have to repeat this process once or twice in order to completely rid your shoe of any odor causing agents. You'll want to wear gloves and clean any materials around the shoe with a rag so as not to spread any germs into other areas of the house through normal use. While this solution is especially helpful for getting rid of smells from shoes, it's not necessarily the "green" method since it may harbor some potentially dangerous chemicals.

variations:

-using water instead of soap: an alternative method which is eco-friendly and requires no extra supplies.

-using newspaper instead of toilet bowl cleaner to remove odors.

-storing shoes upside down in a box with newspaper to speed up the drying process.

-use a soft brush, not your fingernail, to scrub soles clean; use only the part undersole that goes into the shoe, not the top.