A friend of mine stepped in some gum recently with leather-bottomed shoes and asked if I knew a way to get rid of the gum. I admitted I didn’t, but thought the question was worth researching. It’s probably inevitable that we’ll all step on a piece at some point.
The most common tactic discussed involves finding a way to freeze the gum. You could put your shoe inside a giant plastic bag and inside the freezer for a few hours, then try to scrape it off with a dull knife, razor blade or even a popsicle stick. Other freezing methods involve rubbing an ice cube over the gum or even shooting the gum directly with a can of compressed cleaning air.
You’ll likely still have some residue after you’ve removed the bulk of the gum. The most common suggestion I’ve seen is to use rubbing alcohol on a paper towel. Another suggestion is Goo Gone. You may want to consider rubbing some leather conditioner on the area after you’re done – alcohol tends to remove moisture.
-Kiyoshi
