Remove gum with peanut butter
What happened: Ugh, you stepped in someone’s chewed and discarded gum.
What to do: Pretend the sole of your shoe is a good old English muffin, and spread a decent amount of peanut butter around and on the gum. Let it sit for 10 minutes. The PB will break down the gum.
Then, get a good scrub brush and scrub it off, with the aid of some cold water. Only Sherlock Holmes should be called a gumshoe.