Rep: 13
1
I've had safety shoes in a box for years, when i looked at them the soles were stuck to the side of the box and had black goo lines on the box. Now the soles are all sticky. I've never used the shoes and thought someone could and wanted to donate them but i don't know how to get them un-sticky, i hate to throw them out!
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Rep: 565
6
3
1
The soles were probably made with some type of polyurethane. When stored for long times, especially with higher humidity present, the PU can undergo hydrolysis which will make them sticky and gooey. There is not much that can be done to fix...as the damage is done in the actual makeup of the sole. You could attempt to make them usable by dusting them with corn starch or talcum powder and seeing if it makes them acceptable.
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Rep: 1
2
I hear baking soda with water may remove some stickiness.
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You cannot 'un-sticky' them. It is due to a chemical reaction called 'hydrolysis'. The polyurethane sole absorbs water when not worn for long time periods and disintegrates. The only thing you can do is replace the soles, discard the shoes, or contact the manufacturer. I had a pair of Blundstone boots that developed this problem. The company sent me a new pair.
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