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Are you already in trouble at home because your shoes squeak and squeak with every step you take? Are people already looking at you funny outside because your shoes are annoyingly creaking when you walk?
If you are about to dispose of your new shoes because of these problems, then pause for a moment, because in most cases this is not necessary. Simple home remedies often help to solve this problem.
Here you will get helpful tips and tricks on what you can do against squeaky shoes.
Why do shoes squeak?
“Why do my shoes squeak?” Many people may ask themselves. Well, there are several possible causes for this problem. Moisture inside the shoe often causes the annoying squeaking when running.
But signs of wear and tear and production errors can also be responsible.
Sometimes the problem is also due to the so-called stick-slip effect. This occurs when two objects rub against each other and the adhesion is greater than the sliding friction.
By the way: Would you also like to walk quietly at home? Then you should consider slippers that are as quiet as possible .
Where is it squeaking? Try to localize the noise
Before the problem can be eliminated, it must first be localized. Therefore, you should walk around with your squeaky shoes in a quiet room and pay close attention to where the disturbing noise is occurring. Move your foot in different directions and make different rolling motions to provoke and localize the squeak.
If you can’t figure out where the noise is coming from on your own, you may find that a second person can help by sitting or kneeling on the floor with their ears closer to the source of the noise.
In this way you can often find out whether the squeaking is coming more from the sole or from inside the shoe.
7 tips and tricks against squeaky shoes (including home remedies)
With the following tips and tricks you can tackle your squeaky shoes:
1. Dry shoes
Moisture inside the shoe often causes squeaking when walking. Therefore, you should first dry your shoes properly. To do this, remove the insoles and stuff the shoe with newspaper. Let both dry thoroughly, preferably overnight. However, avoid putting your shoes on the heater.
After that you can put some baby powder in the shoes and put the soles back in. Then put a little powder on the insole.
2. Put baby powder in the shoe
Baby powder is also helpful if the squeak is coming from the insoles. Take the soles out of the shoes and put some baby powder inside. Put the insole back in.
Alternatively, baking soda or talcum powder also works.
The advantage of baby powder is that the shoes smell good afterwards and unpleasant odors, such as from sweaty feet, are also prevented.
3. Spray hairspray on the sole
If the squeak is clearly coming from the outsole, spraying the sole with hairspray can help. Make sure, however, that you only spray the sole and do not get any of the hairspray on the rest of the shoe.
Note, however, that hairspray can make the outsole a bit slippery.
4. Sand the rubber sole with sandpaper
Sometimes it is also helpful to carefully sand the rubber soles of new shoes with sandpaper. This roughens the sole a bit. Don’t overdo it, however, as this will cause the soles to wear out faster.
5. Use shoe polish or oil for leather shoes
When new leather shoes squeak, it often helps to break them in properly. After a long walk, the problem is usually eliminated. If not, it can also help to rub the leather properly with shoe polish or oil.
6. Take shoes to the cobbler
If the noise is caused by a heel that is no longer properly attached, then it must be reattached properly. In this case, you should take the shoes to a shoemaker, as such work is carried out professionally there.
7. Claim defective shoes
Sometimes manufacturing defects can also lead to squeaky shoes. For example, when air bubbles have formed in the rubber sole and are trapped there.
In such a case, you should contact the seller or manufacturer to claim the shoes.
Sneakers and chucks squeak
If sneakers or chucks squeak, it may be that too much release agent was used for the soles during production. However, this expires over time, so that the problem disappears by itself over time.
Hiking shoes squeak
If hiking shoes make noise when you walk, it may be because the tongue of the shoe is rubbing against the leather. If this is the case, rubbing grease on the tongue, or the leather that the tongue rubs against, will help.
A side anecdote
I once spent several days in a row in a library for a written work, because I needed extensive specialist literature for my research. I had to walk back and forth between the bookshelves there to look for the relevant books.
However, my shoes squeaked so loudly with every step that the other people present, who also wanted to work there with concentration, gave me an angry look. I was quickly asked to please keep quiet.
In fact, I had no choice but to take off my shoes and walk around the library in my stockings, otherwise I would have been expelled from the building.
That was pretty embarrassing and uncomfortable.
But in fact, the shoes were so loud when walking that the noise would have bothered other people myself. Since then, I’ve always made sure that my shoes don’t squeak.
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