There’s nothing worse than being the person walking around who is making a lot of noise with their shoes. Wondering what would be. the best ways to fix squeaky shoes! With every single step, people feel self-conscious about themselves as their shoes squeak around and distract others.
How do I stop my shoes from squeaking? The easiest ways to stop your shoes from squeaking are to use a shoe cleaner like WD-40 Brand by spraying the outside of the shoe only. The inside should be sprinkled with talcum powder or baby powder to get rid of moisture, which could be the cause of the squeaking.
Instead of tossing them away, there are some worthwhile tips out there that help people get rid of squeaky shoes. Since most of the tricks are simple, the best thing to do is to try different options and see what sticks.
1. Squeaking Damp Shoes In Dryer
There’s a good chance that the shoes are squeaking because there’s some form of trapped water inside them.
In order to avoid the issues from getting worse and worse, try them out. One of the best ways to do that effectively is to throw them in the dryer.
Make sure to add a little bit of fabric softener to the shoe by first putting it on a sponge or washcloth. Instead of putting it directly in the shoe, put it inside the dryer with the shoes.
It doesn’t need too much dryer action, as anything less than 10 minutes should do the trick. If a person leaves them in for longer than that, there’s a chance that the shoes shrink or are permanently damaged by heat.
Be close by when using a drying machine, because it’s important to pay attention to certain materials.
If they are expensive, brand new shoes, use the drying machine as a last resort. The other options below might be a bit safer.
2. Fix Speaking Shoes Using Baby Powder
A lot of the pesky moisture gets trapped right where certain parts of the shoe are rubbing up against other parts.
The key here is to put a little bit of baby powder (Amazon) or talcum powder under the insole to absorb moisture as much as possible.
Most of the time, that’s where the squeaky noise comes from if it’s inside the shoe and a relatively new sound.
Not every single shoe has a removable sole, but putting some powder around that sole will do the trick as well. It could be as simple as there is some moisture where the foot and the shoe are meeting and rubbing around.
Most people already have baby powder hanging around the house, so this is a very easy attempt to get things back into work in order.
Even if it doesn’t work, it’s not going to do any type of damage to the shoes whatsoever.
3. Softening The Squeaky Soles
Is there such a thing as soles being too new on shoes? That’s actually the case for some people who have very noisy issues. They need to break them in a little bit so that they don’t make as much noise.
Obviously, no one wants to get to the point where they are wearing down the sole so much that it takes away from the longevity of the shoe.
At the same time, taking a little bit of sandpaper or other rough material will allow for the bottom to soften up a bit. When the shoe is softened, the squeakiness starts to fade away.
4. Petroleum Jelly
Commonly known as simply Vaseline, petroleum jelly is worth it for people who have noticed a little bit of squeaking around already and feel like nothing else is working.
One of the quickest ways to fix squeaking issues is to put a small amount of petroleum jelly underneath the insole.
This will help make sure that the parts don’t rub up against each other in a weird way. Everything goes a lot more smoothly, and it might be able to fix it long-term as well.
If someone puts too much petroleum jelly on their shoe, it can start to squish and not be the most comfortable to walk on.
It should be no more than a similar consistency to applying glue to a shoe (or any project for that matter).
5. Dryer Sheets
A dryer sheet can also act as a way to separate the insoles from the bottom of the shoe that is making some noise.
It might seem a little unconventional, and it’s not necessarily recommended for athletes because it can provide just a tiny bit of slippage.
However, casual shoe-wearers might find that a dryer sheet gets the job done permanently.
If the squeaking sound comes back, pay attention to the dryer sheet and see if there are any holes developing. That could be one of the reasons why it is becoming too much of a noise-maker.
6. WD-40
There’s a saying that WD-40 can fix just about anything. Right on the can, it says it stops squeaks, dries out moisture, cleans, and protects.
With WD-40, people use this for shoes on the inside or the outside. Wherever the noise is coming from, WD-40 can help out.
Suede is not going to react well to WD-40, but everything else should be perfectly fine. There’s no reason to cake on the WD-40, as just some light spray will get everything accomplished just the right way.
7. Leather Conditioner
There are delicate pieces in every pair of shoes that might actually be causing some squeaky sound issues. For example, the shoelaces could be rubbing up against other parts of the shoe.
The same can be said for the tongue, as it is sometimes made out of completely different material than everything else.
If it’s a more premium shoelace or tongue, a leather conditioner (Amazon) can help out. It softens up the shoe a bit and ensures people have a much quieter walk overall.
Any type of conditioner works, and it’s useable on many different shoes.
8. Shoe Glue
Shoes aren’t built to last forever. In fact, even some relatively brand new pairs of shoes will need some shoe glue (Amazon) or other repairs to get them back into working order sooner than one would imagine.
The good news is that quality shoe glue is relatively inexpensive, and it can last a while if it’s stored correctly.
Make sure to take a look at the soles and heels squeaking shoes and see if there’s a gap at all. Generally speaking, these are two troublesome spots that need a little bit of shoe glue.
Super glue helps to some extent, but it’s so inexpensive to get shoe glue that it’s usually worth the investment.
Shoe glue doesn’t harden up right away, so any excess amounts can be scraped off to give a professional look. Try to keep everything tightened up so that it dries up properly and works the way it should.
9. Hire a Professional
Shoe repair isn’t as popular as it was in the past, but there are still plenty of people who will take care of shoes for a price.
Cobblers tend to work on premium shoes more than anything, but they can take on just about any task.
The great thing about cobblers is that they will know exactly what to do. There’s no guesswork, and they will get the job done professionally from the very beginning.
It could end up saving a person a lot of money instead of having to buy a brand new pair of shoes because something happened to their old pair.
How Long Will Shoes Remain Squeak-Free?
Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that any of these fixes will last long-term. That’s because new issues might pop up with any pair of shoes, and they will need treatment themselves.
With so many different ways to keep shoes from making too much noise, it’s nice to have options. A lot of it is trial and error, as no two pairs of shoes are exactly alike.
Do Companies Offer Money-Back Guarantees for Squeaky Shoes?
If there is a legitimate defect to the shoe, they will offer a money-back guarantee in most cases. It could just be a faulty pair, and they’ll take them back without asking any questions.
If they are worn and there’s a chance that the squeakiness developed because of the conditions, shoe companies are likely not going to offer any type of money-back guarantee.
It’s frustrating if shoes are relatively new, but they have no way of knowing if a customer did damage to them.
How Noticeable Are Squeaky Shoes?
Keep in mind that most people are a lot more cognizant of squeaky shoes than those around them.
What might be bothering someone walking around won’t be that noticeable to others. Once someone identifies that they have squeaky shoes, it’s hard to ignore.
With that said, people should take more of a step toward fixing squishy shoe issues if they work in a quiet setting with hard floors.
These are usually the worst for shoes making noise. Carpet kills sound caused by squeaky shoes, and so does a lot of ambient noise.
Final Word on Squeaky Shoes
A nice, new pair of shoes can bring joy to people for a lot of reasons. With that said, if they don’t sound as they should, it gets tough to wear them on a regular basis.
Shoes are supposed to squeak to some degree, but a lot of fixes can be done with relative ease. There are not that many parts to a shoe, so the noise generally comes from a few common areas.
Try to keep shoes as dry as possible so that moisture doesn’t cause issues. If they are wet or there’s a lot of sweat built-up inside, try to leave them outside to dry properly.
It’s tempting to put shoes in the dryer if they are a little bit wet, but that usually does more harm than good. At the very least, putting them in for a short amount of time on low heat is tolerable.
Try to wrap them up in a pillowcase or some other type of bag so that they don’t bounce up against the walls and have their look messed up. For all these reasons, most never bother putting them in the dryer to save the hassle.
Shoes will always make a little bit of noise since they are making contact with the ground. There’s no such thing as a perfectly quiet pair of shoes.
Treat shoes the right way, and they should last a long time without being too much of a nuisance.