---
title: "Shoe Problem Fixer: Stains, Squeaks, Smells | Sole Oddity"
description: "Pick your shoe material and the problem, from salt stains and squeaks to smells and heel slip, for step-by-step fixes taken from makers’ care guides."
url: https://soleoddity.me/
---

Free shoe fixer

# Shoe problem fixer

Tell it what your shoes are made of and what has gone wrong, and you get the fix step by step, what to avoid and what you need, from the makers’ own care guides. The short version: **salt lines** lift with a gentle dab and slow drying, **squeaks** are usually an insole rubbing (powder under it), and **smelly shoes** need a day off to dry between wears.

## How the fixer works

There are seven materials and ten problems, so seventy answers, and each is written for that pair. Suede gets a brush and an eraser, never polish; knit gets cool water rather than a hot wash; patent gets a damp cloth and a buff. Six of the seventy have no fix because there is no problem to fix. Patent leather and rubber don’t take water marks, canvas, knit and moulded rubber don’t hold creases the way leather does, and clogs have no laces to come undone. The fixer says so rather than inventing a remedy.

Each step names the maker whose care guide it comes from, among them Red Wing, Dr. Martens, LOWA, Blundstone, Nike, Allbirds and Crocs, so you can check the original. Where makers disagree, the answer says that too. Before you use any cleaner, try it on a hidden spot such as the inside of the heel.

## How to fix squeaky shoes

Nike puts squeaks down to three main culprits: water, newness and friction. Where the noise comes from tells you which:

- **Under your foot, even on carpet:** the insole is rubbing. Lift it out and dust baby powder or talc underneath; Nike and Skechers both suggest it.
- **Only on smooth floors:** usually new rubber soles. Skechers suggests walking on a dry, rough surface to break them in.
- **After rain:** moisture trapped inside. Nike’s advice is newspaper inside and about 12 hours somewhere ventilated.
- **A click from the heel or arch:** parts of the shoe working loose. London shoemakers Carreducker traced one such squeak to a shifting shank, the stiffener under the arch. That is a repair job.

The [squeaky shoes page](https://soleoddity.me/squeaky-shoes-fix/) walks you through finding the spot, one question at a time.

## How to get salt stains out of boots

The white tide marks are dried de-icing salt. Iowa State University Extension notes that most de-icers sold are chloride salts: sodium, calcium, potassium or magnesium chloride. Makers’ methods depend on the leather:

- **Smooth leather:** LOWA says water with a light soapy solution is usually enough. For a stubborn line, Tory Burch’s care tip is equal parts white vinegar and water, dabbed on and wiped off with clean water.
- **Suede:** let it dry, brush, use a suede eraser, and only then, as Blundstone suggests, dab with the corner of a cloth dipped in white vinegar, without soaking the suede.
- **Nubuck:** an eraser bar, wetted and repeated if the mark persists, then a brush to raise the nap (Red Wing).

We looked for a maker or a laboratory that explains why vinegar shifts the white lines and found none, so we won’t invent a chemistry lesson. What every maker agrees on is the drying: at room temperature, never on a radiator. The [salt stains guide](https://soleoddity.me/salt-stains-on-boots/) has a printable step card for each material and the prevention routine for the rest of the winter.

## Why shoes smell

The NHS says smelly feet are often caused by a build-up of sweat and bacteria, and the Royal College of Podiatry notes that feet have about 250,000 sweat glands. The shoes soak it all up. The NHS advice: wash your feet at least once a day, don’t wear the same socks or shoes two days in a row, and let shoes dry out before wearing them again. The [smelly shoes planner](https://soleoddity.me/smelly-shoes/) turns that into a two-week rotation for your own pairs, with wash days for the ones that can be washed.

## Three things makers warn against

1. **Heat.** Red Wing says intense heat dries leather out too fast, so it cracks and stiffens; Hanwag adds that heat shrinks leather and can affect the bonding; Crocs says extreme heat can make its shoes shrink or warp. That rules out radiators, hair dryers, fireplaces and the parcel shelf of a hot car.
2. **The washing machine, for leather.** LOWA says you should never machine-wash leather or synthetic shoes, and Hanwag says the same of hiking boots. Nike doesn’t recommend the machine for its shoes either. Allbirds is the exception: most of its shoes can go in on a gentle, cold cycle.
3. **An iron on creases.** Nike warns that a hot iron directly on a shoe can damage it beyond repair. Shoe trees prevent creases; nothing reliably irons them out.

## When it’s a job for a shoe repairer

Powder and patience fix a lot, but not everything. A heel that moves, a sole that has started to come away, a click from the arch that won’t go away, or leather shoes that need more stretch than a few evenings in thick socks can give: these need someone with a workbench. A repairer can also tell you whether a pair is worth saving. For fit problems, start with the [foot measuring guide](https://soleoddity.me/how-to-measure-feet-for-shoes/) and the [lacing diagrams](https://soleoddity.me/shoe-lacing-for-fit/); for sizes in EU, UK and US numbers, our sister site Atlas Stitch has a [shoe size converter](https://atlasstitch.cfd/shoe-size-converter/).

## More shoe tools

- [Salt stains on boots](https://soleoddity.me/salt-stains-on-boots/): A winter guide by material, with a printable step card and how to keep the next stain off.
- [Squeaky shoes fix](https://soleoddity.me/squeaky-shoes-fix/): Find where the squeak comes from, then the fix for that spot.
- [Smelly shoes planner](https://soleoddity.me/smelly-shoes/): A two-week rotation and drying routine for your own pairs, from NHS advice.
- [Measure your feet](https://soleoddity.me/how-to-measure-feet-for-shoes/): A printable measuring sheet with a scale check, and Mondopoint for both feet.
- [Running shoe mileage tracker](https://soleoddity.me/running-shoe-mileage-tracker/): Log shoes and runs in km or miles, saved on your device, with CSV export.
- [Lacing for fit](https://soleoddity.me/shoe-lacing-for-fit/): Step-by-step diagrams for heel slip, a high instep and a wide forefoot.

## Recommended

For sign-up discounts

### CleanTempMail

Shoe-care brands and shoe shops often offer a first-order discount code in exchange for an email address. A temporary inbox from CleanTempMail receives the code with no sign-up and empties itself after three days, so the newsletters that follow have nowhere to land. Place the order itself with your real address: that is where the receipt, delivery updates and any return go.

[Get a temporary inbox](https://cleantempmail.com/)

For bargain trainers

### WebTraceCheck

Spotted sought-after trainers at a surprising price on a shop you have never heard of? WebTraceCheck’s free DNS and domain lookup shows how long the site’s domain has existed, and its disposable cloud browser opens the link on a remote desktop that is deleted after the session, so nothing lands on your own computer.

[Open a disposable browser](https://webtracecheck.com/)

## Sources

All checked on 3 November 2026. Maker guidance is each maker’s advice for its own products.

- Nike: [How to stop shoes from squeaking](https://www.nike.com/a/how-to-stop-shoes-from-squeaking) (updated 4 June 2024), [Can you put shoes in the washer?](https://www.nike.com/a/can-you-put-shoes-in-the-washer) (29 July 2022) and [How to uncrease shoes](https://www.nike.com/au/a/how-to-uncrease-shoes) (27 August 2024).
- Skechers Malaysia help desk: [Shoes making sounds](https://helpdesk.skechers.com.my/support/solutions/articles/72000640262-shoes-making-sounds-caused-).
- Carreducker, London bespoke shoemakers: [Repairing squeaky shoes](https://carreducker.blogspot.com/2015/07/repairing-squeaky-shoes.html?m=1) (24 July 2015).
- Iowa State University Extension AnswerLine: [Deicers: helpful or harmful?](https://blogs.extension.iastate.edu/answerline/2019/01/24/deicers-helpful-or-harmful/) (2019, updated June 2024).
- LOWA: [Shoe hacks for the cold season](https://lowa.com/en/experience-lowa/tips-stories/shoe-hacks-for-the-cold-season) and [Shoes and the washing machine](https://lowa.com/en/tips/care-tips/washing-machine).
- Tory Burch: [Style tip: shoe care](https://blog.toryburch.com/2010/12/style-tip-shoe-care) (17 December 2010).
- Blundstone: [Leather boots in the snow](https://www.blundstone.com/blogs/guides/leather-boots-in-the-snow) (7 January 2025).
- Red Wing Shoes: [Nubuck and roughout care](https://www.redwingshoes.com/care-kit-7-detail.html) and, in Europe, [Boot care FAQ](https://eu.redwingshoes.com/leather-care/boot-care-faq).
- Hanwag: [How to clean hiking boots](https://stories.hanwag.com/en/how-to-clean-hiking-boots/) (13 December 2023).
- Crocs: [Customer service FAQs](https://www.crocs.com/customer-service/faqs). Allbirds: [Shoe care](https://www.allbirds.com/pages/shoe-care).
- NHS: [Smelly feet](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/smelly-feet/) (page last reviewed 16 July 2025). Royal College of Podiatry: [Sweaty feet](https://rcpod.org.uk/common-foot-problems/sweaty-feet).

## Questions

**Is white vinegar safe on leather boots?**

Makers that suggest it use it gently. Tory Burch’s tip is equal parts white vinegar and water dabbed on leather, then wiped with a cloth dampened in clean water; Blundstone dabs suede with the corner of a cloth and warns against soaking it. Try it on a hidden spot first, let the boots dry at room temperature, and put back wax or protector afterwards.

**Can I put my trainers in the washing machine?**

Only if the maker says so. Nike does not recommend it for its shoes, and LOWA says never to machine-wash leather or synthetic shoes. Allbirds says most of its shoes are fine on a gentle, cold cycle in a delicates bag, with no tumble dryer.

**Why do my new shoes squeak?**

Usually the new rubber soles on smooth or polished floors. Nike lists newness as one of the three main causes, and Skechers suggests walking on a dry, rough surface to break the outsole in. If the squeak is under your foot instead, powder under the insole.

**What is the fastest safe way to dry wet shoes?**

There isn’t a fast one that makers recommend. Take the insoles out, stuff the shoes with newspaper and leave them somewhere ventilated; Nike says about 12 hours, and LOWA says to change the paper daily until they are dry. Heat from radiators or hair dryers cracks leather and can warp foam.

**Is this medical advice?**

No. It is general information about looking after shoes. For foot pain, a smell or sweating that doesn’t improve with the NHS self-help steps, or any foot problem that hasn’t cleared up within three weeks, see a GP or a registered podiatrist.