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I spent part of the day digging topsoil for planting, and was wondering what the best way to clean dirt out of the groves in my shoes would be.

black thumb
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2 Answers2

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I have no idea what is truly 'the best way'.

I simply remove my shoes/boots and holding one in each hand, clap the soles together a few times. Then I leave them in the garage (or let's say in the mud room) overnight. By morning, residual mud has dried and shrunk enough that repeating the sole clapping effectively removes all the remaining soil. When I need to be really thorough, I then apply a dry scrub brush.

However, I suspect you are wanting a more immediate solution and some fashion of washing and clapping the soles seems to be required. With hiking boots, I look for a shallow puddle to step in, then stomp out - repeat. Then I look for a patch of moss of 'lawn' to use like a door mat. Logically, one could fill a plastic tub with about an inch of water and follow the same wade & stomp process.

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    Exactly what I do - but the best thing is to make sure the footwear doesn't have ridges in the soles before you start! – Bamboo May 09 '16 at 10:40
  • I decided to just get the dirt wet, then use a scrub brush to get all the dirt I could off. – black thumb May 21 '16 at 00:40
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I just use the garden hose on high to blast mud out of the grooves in my shoes, especially if there's any possibility of manure being present. Rubbing my boots into grass doesn't work for me.

Of course I prefer to wear Wellingtons and not get my shoes muddy.

Graham Chiu
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