Squeaky shoes can be more than annoying: sometimes you end up feeling real embarrassment. Imagine walking into a quiet library, or holding an important business meeting and the first thing everyone will notice is the creak or creak of your shoes. Fortunately, there are ways to stop squeaking shoes permanently and without too much effort on your part.
First of all, we will look at the three main categories of squeak and then move on to our recommendations!
New shoes that creak
If your pair of shoes is new and squeaks, the most common cause is that the rubber sole is too smooth. If you notice, the sound is very similar to that of a tire slipping. Rubber soles are smooth at first and tend to make these noises, particularly when rubbing with equally shiny floors. This noise tends to disappear as soon as you start walking on rougher ground. Basically, the sole wears out and stops making noise.
If even after walking for a while on pavements and asphalt you continue to hear annoying noises, we suggest you change your shoes, because trying to fix them yourself will probably invalidate the guarantee of the same. If you don’t care, or if your warranty has expired anyway, there are a few things you can follow, especially if the squeaks aren’t really intrusive.
Shoes used multiple times that squeak
Whether they are old or simply poorly made, all shoes are bound to fail sooner or later. Some parts of the shoe are weaker and prone to breakage. And as if that weren’t enough, when it comes to loud noises, it almost seems like they do it on purpose. One of the most common breaking points is certainly the outer sole. In fact, this tends to become unglued on the tip or on the heel of the shoe. The inner sole also tends to fail, especially if you wear the shoes for many hours every day.
Thankfully, a simple and inexpensive solution exists for these crunches: shoe glue. Applying it does not require who knows what manual skill and the negligible costs are definitely worth a try. A good alternative if you don’t want to get your hands dirty in the least is to take the shoes directly to a shoemaker, but as we, unfortunately, know these figures are increasingly rare.
Damaged shoes that squeak
Another reason that shoes squeak is water in all its forms. Did a storm take you by surprise and you didn’t have an umbrella with you? Shoes that creak. Did you hit a puddle in full and get your feet soaked? Shoes that creak. There are waterproof footwear… and some completely hydrophobic.
Many lightweight shoes, especially those with a soft terry sole, do not respond well when wet. If you do not proceed with proper drying, the water can persist for a long time and completely ruin the footwear. This is certainly not what we want!
Better methods for fixing squeaky shoes
All of these cases are relatively easy to fix. Let’s see step by step how to fix it, following the order used for the causes. A case that we have not dealt with concerns leather shoes: it is a very broad subject to be addressed, but it can be summarized briefly. It is important to use a leather conditioner in order to soften and protect the shoe materials.
Improve the fit of a shoes
It often happens with new shoes that the rubber sole squeaks, as we have seen because it is completely smooth. Quick ways to improve its grip are:
- Lightly sand the sole
- Use a non-slip spray
- Take advantage of dryer sheets
The first option is the most intuitive and accessible to anyone. Just a little sandpaper, which can be purchased in any hardware store, and a minimum of elbow grease. It will not be necessary to exaggerate, on the contrary, it is better to use very fine sandpaper (for example 200 grit).
This method works on both rubber and leather soles. For those in leather, we recommend being even more careful and using 100-grit sandpaper.
The second option is to use a product such as an anti-slip spray used to maximize grip. It is very easy to apply, has a rather long shelf life, and is very economical. Just follow the simple instructions on the product, let the shoes dry and you will have solved the squeaking problem in the blink of an eye.
The last option is the most atypical one: if you have a dryer, you can try rubbing its sheets to soften against the sole. They will have an effect similar to that of sandpaper, in a more controlled way.
Reattach the detached parts
The two main parts that need to be glued together are the inner sole and the outer sole. There are usually different materials between these two components, but it is the two that tend to fail first. The low-cut outsole can make both squeak-like sounds and thump-like noises (due to a low heel). As we have seen, in cases like these just take a shoe glue, apply it and press the shoe until the glue dries.
If the problem is with the insole, also in this case you can try with some glue. But it is not the only solution: if in fact the insole continues to make noise even after being glued, you can try it with talcum powder or you can apply baby oil with a cotton swab all around the inner sole. By doing this you should fill in the gaps that generate noise and solve the squeaking problem once and for all.
Dry the shoes
If the shoes have just been wet, you can try drying them on a radiator or with a low-intensity hair dryer. Unfortunately, however, these methods are not recommended for some types of shoes, such as leather ones. What to do then?
First of all, we advise you to remove any laces or other obstacles and let the shoe air as much as possible. If possible, remove the insole.
After doing this, we recommend filling your shoes with moisture-absorbing materials. Paper towels, a bag of rice, or dryer sheets are all great candidates! After absorbing some moisture, we still recommend moving them close to a heat source to speed up the process.
Remedies For Squeaky Shoes | Video Explanation
Conclusion
We hope we have given you some interesting ideas to put an end to the annoying creaking of shoes. If you also have creaking shoes, try our remedies and let us know if they have been decisive! And if you haven’t been able to solve this either, stop for a second and ask yourself … is it worth continuing to invest time and money in these shoes?
Sometimes the simplest solution is to give up and change shoes for a better-performing pair.
Hi, I am Brian, Lives in Mooresville, North Carolina, and Went to The University of Texas at Austin, I am a shoe lover & know the inside out of shoes. I am well aware of the qualities of top-quality boots. That’s what I’m sharing with the reader of About Shoes/boots/footwear. Read More Here
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