Want to know how to stop boots from squeaking?
It may seem like a small thing.
Until you walk into a quiet room full of people and the only sound is the squeak from your boots. And then it becomes a big deal indeed.
In fact, some people say outright that you should not bother at all, because there is nothing you can do about squeaking boots.
Big lie! You can stop your boots from squeaking.
Here, you will see simple and actionable, surefire tips, easy, quick … (what other adjective can you add here?) that you can employ to stop that nasty head turner sound coming from your shoes.
In our last post, we looked at a few techniques to stop squeaking. Therefore, this is like a continuation of the same. However, in this one, we shall look at different techniques from what we covered in the first article.
Why are my boots squeaking when I walk?
Table of Contents
Just where does the squeak come from?
This is the first thing to bug you – where the squeak comes from. Mostly, there are three places where the nasty noise could be coming from. They are as follows:
- Where the rubber sole is joined to the leather upper
- From the insoles
- From the tongue when it rubs against the sides of the shoes
These three are the main culprits. However, other areas where the noise could be coming from include the outersole, especially if it has grit or small pebbles stuck on the treads.
Of course, even the above three things could be caused by other things. It is a kind of a ripple effect. For example, if there is moisture trapped between the soles and the upper, it could squeak. In the following sections, we are going to find out simple ways you can employ to get rid of the squeaking sound from the shoes.
Using rubber cement – how to stop boots from squeaking
How do you stop rain boots from squeaking? Well, rain boots are best for wading in water, working in wet conditions and for many other purposes.
Because of being moist, they do squeak sometimes. Well, let us just say that at times, boots will squeak fresh from the factory. Others can start squeaking after some time of wearing them.
How do you use rubber cement to stop your boots from squeaking? It is very simple. The first thing to do is to give the boots a visual inspection. The reason for doing this is to find out whether there is any place where the upper has separated from the sole.
If there is, that is definitely where the noise is coming from.
You can fix the area that is separated with superglue or take the boot to a cobbler. Test it to see whether the squeak is gone. If it is, you are done.
Sometimes, the squeak could come from elsewhere. In that case, the outer sole is the main culprit. Therefore, apply a thin coating of rubber cement on the heel (bottom). Give it some time to dry completely before wearing the shoes.
If the squeaking noise was coming from the heel area, when you apply this “insulation” barrier between the heel and the floor, the noise disappears completely.
Using hair conditioner
You can use this tactic for all types of shoes and boots. First, you need to apply a small amount of hair conditioner on your palms and rub it lightly. You can then apply the same to the soles of your shoes. Just make sure the soles are clean and dry before you do this. Apply the hair conditioner evenly on the outersole. Give it time to dry before you can wear them.
You will notice that the boots do not squeak anymore. However, if you walk with the boots on wet ground, they may feel a bit slippery. Take caution to avoid slipping.
Dry the boots – how to stop boots from squeaking
One thing that most people do not know is that boots will not only squeak if you have washed them and they failed to dry completely, or when you have been wading in water, but they will also squeak from your feet sweat.
Therefore, if you have established the noise is as a result of sweat, you need to dry them out. If you have been walking in the rain and the shoes started squeaking, they are wet.
You can air-dry the boots, but when leather gets wet, it gets really wet. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days to air-dry the leather footwear completely.
However, you can always use a boot dryer to do the job. Besides, with a boot dryer, you can concentrate the heat on the parts that are most likely to keep the moisture.
A boot dryer is designed in such a way that you insert the narrower top end of it in the boot. The other benefits of using these things is that they also get rid of the bad smells, and will also kill fungus and bacteria. They will cost you money to buy but the investment will be well worth it.
When you have squeaking noises coming from your boots caused by moisture, the boot dryers will dry the interior and exterior of the boots thoroughly. They also do a faster job than when you air-dry.
Punch small holes in the rubber sole
This is a bit unorthodox but it works very well all the same. When the shoes are not wet, the sole and the upper are intact but it still squeaks, it is time to try something different.
First, you need a sharp object and then you need to punch small holes in the ball of foot area. However, make sure you do not punch through the entire thickness as that will ruin the sole. When you make these small holes, the shoes should stop making the squeak sound when you walk on smooth floors.
Conclusion
How to stop boots from squeaking is as easy as A, B, C, D as you have no doubt seen from this short article. However, if the boots are new, first try to break them in because new boots squeak a lot.