Yesterday morning while getting ready for work, I noticed a new pair of shoes I have had for months but had not yet worn lurking in the back of my closet. Being the shoe collector I am, it is not unusual for me to have shoes sit several months between wearings, but never before have I neglected one of my new friends for so long. Determined to remedy this situation, I pulled out my lovely and new, never-been worn sandals and chose the perfect ensemble for my shoes’ first day out.
Everything was great, for a while that is, until I noticed an odd sort of squeaking sound from my left shoe. I hoped it was because they were new and that the sound would dissipate. As the day went on, the squeaking became more frequent and pronounced until my beautiful new sandals were virtually barking at me with every step. By the end of the day, I knew that if I could not stop these lovely new sandals from squeaking, it would be their last trip from the closet. Determined to save my new friends from a life of darkness in a solitary cubby hole, I searched for remedies to stop the squeaking. Here are the most helpful suggestions I found.
1. Are your shoes wet? If so, letting them thoroughly air dry or tumble drying athletic shoes on low should solve the problem.
2. Try rubbing shoe conditioner into the entire shoe, paying closest attention to areas where parts of the shoe rub together naturally, like the holes for the laces and the upper part of the tongue.
3. If the squeak is definitely coming from the tongue rubbing against the laces, rub saddle soap into the tongue and wear it, making sure it is thoroughly worked in.
4. Use baby powder or cornstarch. This is my favorite method since it is easy and uses products I always have around the house. Lift the insole out of the shoe and sprinkle the powder inside, replace insole and give the entire shoe a light dusting. Allow to sit overnight and wear the next day.
5. Check to see if the heel is loose. If so, re-glue with an adhesive product and clamp until dry.
6. If all else fails, spray lightly with silicone spray. It acts much like WD-40 and will not harm the leather.
If none of the above options work and you love the shoes, try talking to your local shoe repair shop to see if they have any suggestions.
One more thing… I just had to share a video about squeaky shoes I came across that made laugh.
