What should I use to seal painted shoe soles?

[Lady Apogee]

I painted the soles of my shoes. I wasn't sure what to seal them with, so I Googled it and found some people who recommended using Mod Podge. I bought the glossy kind so that the pink would be shiny.

I wore my shoes once, and the soles were coated in grime. It's normal for the bottoms of shoes to get a little dirty, but stuff like hair and grass were sticking to/ended up embedded in the Mod Podge.

I figured I must have just stepped in something sticky, so I used nail polish remover to remove the Mod Podge and some of the paint (that was the only way to get the grime off, especially since there was grass and hair embedded in the Mod Podge). I re-painted them, and tried the Mod Podge again. I let the Mod Podge dry for a few days to be positive it was dry, then tried wearing them again.

The same thing happened. Grass, hair, and all sorts of grime ended up basically glued to the bottom of the shoes. I scrubbed them with a toothbrush and a vinegar/baking soda mixture for 20 minutes to try to get it off, but they still look like this:

It won't come off without me again removing the Mod Podge (and subsequently, the paint).

Again, I get that they won't stay perfectly clean and pink, but I have shoes with white or tan soles that only get a little dirty/darkened -- they don't have giant smears of black stuff irremovably stuck to them! I don't think the Mod Podge is a good idea for sealing the soles of my shoes.

What would be a good clear sealant to use for this?

[Lady Cressida]

Modge Podge is more of a glue base sealer then an actual sealer that is not sticky or glue based. I would never use Modge Podge as a form of a sealant. I decoupage my night table once with modge podge and everything got stuck to it including dollies, fabric, lint like you never seen before. Not matter how much you clean it, it always looked dirty. Worse mistake I ever did. You can still use modge podge for that patent look, but I would use a high quality sealer over it to protect it.

While back I wanted to get into painting canvas shoes. One lady used Liquitex Acrylic Polymer Varnishes on her shoes to seal them. It's expensive and it's a brush on sealer, but it probably be worth the money instead of dealing with grimy mess with mod podge. Liquitex is a very good brand, and I use their gloss varnish for my hobbies. Their sealers aren't sticky and it doesn't pick up gunk at all. I would do few layers on the bottom since they take the beating most. Good luck.