How to Clean White Rubber Soles on Shoes

If your work shoes have white rubber outsoles, they will unavoidably get dirty and discolored regardless of how well you care for them. Happily, there are some tricks you can use to restore the glistening white of your shoe soles. Check out the following tips on how to clean white rubber soles on shoes.

Table of Contents

3 Ways to Clean White Rubber Soles on Shoes

Remove Encrusted Mud and Dirt

Before you apply any of the methods described below, you should first remove any encrusted dirt on the shoes’ soles. To do this, hold the shoes in both hands and smack them together. This should loosen all bulky mud or dirt fragments. If the large mud fragments are not removed before you commence the cleaning, it will hamper the cleaning process. You can also use a straight-edged tool like a butter knife to scuff encrusted mud and dirt out of furrows within the sole.

Use Toothpaste

Non-gel white toothpaste can be used to effectively clean white-soled work shoes. Colored toothpaste might stain instead of clean your shoes.

Materials you will require:

Non-gel white toothpaste
Old toothbrush or scouring pad
Clean damp towel or sponge

Instructions:

Put some toothpaste on the bristles of the old toothbrush
Work the toothpaste into the stained or dirty areas of the sole
Let the paste stay on the soles for approximately 10 minutes
After this time, gently wipe off the paste using the old toothbrush or scouring pad
To conclude, take the clean damp towel or sponge and run it across the white sole. The soles should be sparkly white by now.
You may want to repeat the above process if you have not achieved your desired result.

See also: How to Unyellow Shoes

Use Water/Dish Soap Solution

Materials you will require:

Medium-sized basin
Clean lukewarm water
Dish soap
Scrub brush

Instructions

Pour some of the lukewarm water into the medium-sized basin. Pour just enough to cover the white rubber soles only.
Squirt some mild dish soap into the basin containing the lukewarm water and mix thoroughly.
Put the shoes into the basin ensuring that the white rubber section is covered by the water/dish soap solution
Let the shoes sit within the solution for about 20 minutes. During this time, the soap/water solution will break down any encrusted grime and dirt. This will make it a lot simpler for you to scour off any remnant stains on the rubber
Remove the shoes from the water after 20 minutes. Next, gently scrub off any residual grime or dirt using the scrub brush.
You can repeat the above process if you are not yet satisfied with the results.

See also: How to Disinfect Used Shoes

Use Laundry Detergent & Baking Soda

Materials you will require:

Baking soda
Laundry detergent
Scrubbing brush
Clean cloth or sponge
Clean water
Clean towel
Small bowl

Instructions

Pour some laundry detergent and baking soda (two tablespoons each) into the small bowl. Mix thoroughly until you get a thick solution. If the solution created is not sufficient for the job, you can add more of the constituents.
Grab the scrubbing brush and use it to apply the baking soda/detergent solution to the rubber sections of your shoes.
Use the scrubbing brush to work the cleaning solution into the white soles using a gentle spherical motion. While doing this, ensure that the cleaning solution does not come in contact with the leather or fabric part of your shoes.
After you have thoroughly scoured the rubber section of your shoes, grab a clean sponge and put it into a container of clean water. Take the soaked sponge and run it along the rubber to remove the cleaning solution. Do this several times until you have removed any traces of the cleaning solution
Take a clean towel and use it to dry the rubber soles. By now, the soles should be as white as they were when you first purchased the shoes. If need be, you can go over the process.