can you clean Wallabee gum soles?

[hermano]

anyone have success cleaning the gum soles. I'm not worried about their appearance, over the years the bottom of the soles have evolved into a blackish gummy texture. not sticky but carpet fuzz and hair will hitch rides on them. if anyone has tried anything, I'd love to hear it.

thanks

[rhythmandsound]

there's no way to get around this

[rhythmandsound]

...other than to pick off the nasty bits around the edges..

[tk421]

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[Ziddy]

Quote:

i used to try this when they were still looking new on the uppers. Just using the standard hard brush that you would get from a can of suede cleaner. It's too much hard work to keep them in the original state...

These are on the way out

--- Original message by grantwhitfield on Nov 11, 2005 02:11 PM

That picture's on your hard drive - what makes you think we can see it?! Use something like http://imageshack.us instead...

[MRTHURS]

how about the pencil eraser, we used to use it in cleaning suede and outsole.

This is the voice of THETHURS!

[tk421]

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[rhythmandsound]

the suede or leather uppers on wallabees are worth trying to keep clean, starting with a suede/nubuck protectant spray and then touching up w/a suede brush and block (eraser) later when they get dirty.

the crepe rubber soles, however, are -not- worth messing with. they're supposed to change color from that light cream tone to brown.

from padmore & barnes: "It is much better for shoes to be worn first in dry conditions so as to give them an opportunity to become accustomed to the flexing of the foot; to permit their sewing seams to get set; and to allow the soles to pick up that fine grit which embeds itself in the surface and protects the leather."

that "fine grit which embeds itself in the surface" is what's changing the color (as well as the rubber oxidizing, and there's nothing you can do about that...same reason why clear soles will yellow).

[shoegal]

honestly, i think mars plastic erasers do wonders for cleaning shoes.

[salaami]

like dude said, the sole will age and change. the good thing is that they can be resoled, because like raw denim, the crepe will show signs of wear with time and travel. dont sweat it.

[dismalfuture]

why are you bumping a 2+ year old threak?

I used to clean the midsoles of my wallys with powdered laundry detergent and a scotchbrite, worked fine.