Clean Your White (And Colored) Rubber Goods

So, if you are tired of looking at old dirty white walls on your rat rod, or just need to have a nice pair of chucks for a date night, then this is probably going to be a life saver. This can even be used on silicon rubber, like cell phone cases and whatnot. Today, you are going to learn the fastest way I know how to clean rubber surfaces.

*Please note that sometimes, not all the stains will come out. This, as with most cleaning methods, is not perfect.

Step 1: Materials

This is where the simplicity begins. All you need are as follows:

• Magic Eraser or equivalent scrubby pad
• Rubbing Iso Alcohol (I use 99%)

Optional:

• Tooth Brush or nylon gun cleaning brush (for tight spaces)
• Tire Shine to protect the fresh rubber (do not use on soles of shoes)


Notes:
Using a highly abrasive pad is good for really dirty rubber, but will cause marring that will make the rubber attract more dirt and grime. Tire shine may help, but adding unnecessary wear to rubber isn't always a good idea.

I bought a large booster pack of many kinds of magic eraser, and that way I was able to choose the best size to fit my needs.

Step 2: Start Your Engines and Grease Them Elbows

So all you need to do is scrub away the muck. I was working on a pair of Chuck style shoes for a friend, and she was at awe with how they turned out. And it only took me half an hour. Here, you can see the "before and after" photo comparison. I didn't have time to use a nylon brush for some of the finer parts, but they really went "from drab to fab" as she so sarcastically said. Notice that I also show a picture of the side printed heart decal. I didn't get a "before" image, but the H was pretty terse and even had a yellow (mustard?) stain on it that I was able to lift.

Step 3: Now You Have Clean Rubber!

Woohoo, now those dirty ol rubber surfaces look (almost) new. If you liked this instructable, or have any tips or tricks that I did not mention, go ahead and leave me a comment down in the comment section. Also, this is my first instructable, so if you have any pointers for me, I am all ears.