You’re out on a walk and all of the sudden one of your feet begins to stick to the ground. You look down in confusion to see a wad of chewing gum attached to the bottom of your shoe. It’s unpleasant, annoying and kinda gross. But luckily, it’s pretty easy to remove. 

First things first, you’ll likely have to make it home before attempting any of the below hacks. If that’s going to take a while, we recommend locating a gritty substance nearby (think sand, gravel, small pebbles, etc.) that you can coat the gum in. Remove your shoe (trust us, it’s easier than hopping around on one foot) and scrape as much off as you can with a stick, or whatever else you can find nearby. Any gum leftover can be removed via the tips below.  

WD-40 

It took the team at WD-40 40 attempts to get their formula to work (hence the name), but we promise it will only take one attempt to remove the gum stuck to your shoes using WD-40. Simply spray the gum, wait 2-3 minutes and wipe clean with a paper towel. Make sure to wipe the sole completely clean to avoid any residual product which could lead to slipping. 

Peanut Butter

If you’ve got young children, you probably know that applying peanut butter is a tried and true method to remove gum from your hair. It will work on your shoes, too. Simply cover the gum with a generous gob of peanut butter and wait 15 minutes. The peanut butter will soften and de-sticky the gum, making it very easy to rub off with a paper towel.

Freezer Method

If the gum is still sticky, put it in a plastic bag so that the gum sticks firmly to the bag and throw it into the freezer for 1-2 hours. Once fully hardened, remove from the freezer and pull your shoe apart from the bag. The gum should stay stuck to the bag instead, but if any remains on your shoe, grab a dull butter knife to scrape off any leftover pieces. 

Hair Dryer

If the gum has hardened, use a hair dryer to loosen it up for easy removal. Apply low-to-medium heat directly on / around the affected area on your shoe. As the gum warms it will quickly soften at which point you can gently scrape it away with a butter knife 

Remember the above methods are all assuming that the gum is stuck to the sole of your shoes. If you have gum on the sides or top of a shoe, double check the materials to ensure the methods listed above don’t damage any of the fabrics.