Stop Your Shoes from Squeaking

Squeaky shoes can be embarrassing, and their persistent squeak-squeaking can grind the nerves. If you want to stop your shoes from squeaking like a mouse in a trap, read this wikiHow.

10 Second Summary

1. Try sprinkling some baby powder under the insole.
2. Wear socks with your shoes.
3. Take care of your shoes. Oil your shoes if they are leather.
4. Fix any loose heels or soles.
5. Dry wet shoes thoroughly before wearing them again.

Steps

Using Quick Fixes

  1. Sprinkle some powder in your shoes. Sometimes squeaking may be caused by friction between your insoles and shoe soles. You can use baby powder, talcum, or corn starch to address squeaking due to friction.
    • If your shoe has a removable liner, take it out and sprinkle corn starch, talcum, or baby powder on the bottom of the shoe. Then, place the liner back in and see if it fits more snugly. These powders can reduce moisture, resulting in less motion between the liner and the shoe.[1]
    • If your shoes are squeaking when you walk across a tile or wood surface, then you can also try applying a bit of powder to the bottoms of your shoes. Just be careful when you walk because applying powder to the bottoms of your shoes can reduce the traction of your shoes, so it may be easier to slip and fall.
  2. Stick a paper towel or dryer sheet in your shoe. If you don’t have any cornstarch or baby powder handy, then a paper towel or dryer sheet can also stop your shoes from squeaking. Stick a folded paper towel or dryer sheet in between the sole and insole of each of your shoes.
    • To do this, you will need to take out the insole place the towel or dryer sheet into the bottom of your shoe and then replace the insole.
  3. Smooth out the tongue. Sometimes shoes will squeak because the tongue is rubbing against the inside of the shoe. You can easily fix this by smoothing out the tongue with a bit of sandpaper. Get some fine grit sandpaper or a nail file and rub it against the outer edges of the tongue (where the tongue rubs against the inside of the shoe.
    • If you prefer not to sand the tongue of your shoes, then you can apply a bit of athletic tape to the edges of the tongue instead.[2] Wrap the athletic tape around the tongue's edges so that the areas that rub against the inside of the shoe are covered.
  4. Try wearing socks. If you wear shoes without socks, the moisture caused by your feet sweating may be causing the squeaking. Simply wearing socks might reduce squeaking. Try wearing socks with your shoes for a few days and see if the squeaking goes away.[1]

Caring for Your Shoes

  1. Apply oil to your shoes. With leather shoes, the material may shrink or stretch in response to weather conditions. If you think that this may be the cause of the squeaking, then try applying a bit of shoe oil or vegetable oil to the seams (where the leather of your shoe meets the sole). Be careful not to use too much as oil can stain leather shoes.[1]
    • Use a dry cloth or paper towel to apply the shoe oil to the seams of your shoe. Wipe off any excess oil and let the shoes sit overnight.
  2. Fix any damages. If the heel or sole of your shoe is loose, fixing this may help with squeaking. You can use glue, as long as it's a strong, adhesive variety. Multipurpose glue or strong craft glues may also work. Simply glue the loose ends together and see if this stops the squeaking.[1]
  3. Ask a professional. You may not be able to fix problems with squeaky shoes on your own. Oftentimes, steel pieces in shoes can cause squeaking issues. Unless you have professional shoe making experience, it's unlikely you'll be able to fix this problem on your own. If your shoes do not respond to at home treatments, take them to a professional in your area.[3]

Drying Your Shoes

  1. Remove the soles or inserts. If your shoes tend to squeak when you're sweating or going sock-less, it may be due to moisture. Drying the shoes may help. Before drying your shoes, remove any soles or inserts. Hang them to dry in a warm, dry room.[4]
  2. Use newspaper. Once the soles have been removed, place crumpled newspaper inside your shoes. Old newspapers can soak up some of the moisture. You do not need to use more than a couple of sheets. If your shoes are sopping wet, you might want to replace the newspaper every few hours.[5]
  3. Place the shoes in shoe trees. If you want your shoes to dry faster, consider placing them on a shoe tree. A shoe tree will also help them maintain their shape as leather shoes especially might stretch or shrink when wet.[6]

Tips

  • Act quickly to dry out wet shoes. Soggy shoes can develop more than a squeak; they can grow mold and mildew, which is almost impossible to get rid of.
  • Decide how much the noise bothers you. If your love for the shoes outweighs the annoyance of the squeak, then wear them without apology.

Warnings

  • Sometimes, you cannot do anything to stop your shoes from squeaking on floors without compromising the safety of the shoe.[7] The friction between the sole and the floor helps keep you from slipping. Trying to smooth out your soles to reduce this friction may make walking more treacherous.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://www.wisegeek.org/how-do-i-fix-squeaky-shoes.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.samuelmerritt.edu/president/news_room/oct_2010/key-insights-office-shoe-modifications-a
  3. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/magazine-more/inside-magazine/ask-real-simple/ask-real-simple-prevent-squeaky-shoes
  4. ↑ http://www.fleetfeetbaltimore.com/news/how-to-stop-shoes-from-squeaking
  5. ↑ http://www.accordingtoelle.com/best-way-dry-wet-running-shoes/
  6. ↑ http://www.gq.com/story/how-to-dry-wet-shoes
  7. ↑ https://www.theshoeguys.com/f-a-q/

You may like

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Stop_Your_Shoes_from_Squeaking&oldid=290413"