Squeaky shoes fix: find the squeak, then stop it

Why shoes squeak

A squeak is two surfaces gripping and releasing, over and over, with every step. Nike’s guide names three main culprits: water, newness and friction. London shoemakers Carreducker put the repairer’s view more bluntly: a squeak is two components rubbing together. The trick is finding which two, because the fix for a rubbing insole does nothing for a sole that is gripping a polished floor.

The fixes, spot by spot

Under your foot: the insole

If it squeaks on carpet as well as on a hard floor, the noise is inside the shoe. A removable insole rubbing on the footbed is the usual suspect. Nike and Skechers both suggest lifting it out and dusting baby powder or talcum powder underneath; Nike’s alternative is a thin layer of petroleum jelly under the insole. Tip out any excess powder before you put the insole back. If the insole is glued in and has worked loose, a repairer can refix it: Carreducker cured one squeak by gluing between the sole and the insole.

On smooth floors: the outsole

Quiet on carpet but chirpy on tiles, wood or a gym floor means the sole itself. Nike lists brand-new rubber soles as one cause, and Skechers says squeaks from the bottom of the shoe can occur on smooth or polished floors and suggests walking on a dry, rough surface to break in the outsole. On older shoes, check the edge where the sole meets the upper for a gap; a sole coming away needs a repairer.

From the heel

A creak as you land can be the back of the insole moving, which powder under the heel end often settles. A click, or a heel that moves when you twist the shoe, is structural. Carreducker traced one squeak to a shank, the stiffener under the arch, that was shifting. Don’t walk far in shoes with a loose heel; take them in.

Around the tongue and laces

Nike notes that leather shoes sometimes squeak when the laces rub against the tongue, and suggests leather conditioner for dry leather. On fabric shoes, Nike points to stiff seams on the outside of the shoe, which soften with wear.

Only when wet

Nike says moisture trapped inside a shoe will squeak until it has fully dried. Take out the insoles, stuff the shoes with newspaper, wrap them in a towel and leave them somewhere ventilated for about 12 hours. LOWA says to change the paper daily until the shoes are dry, and Red Wing says to keep them away from radiators and hair dryers.

Three worked examples

1. New leather brogues squeak at the office, on carpet too. Carpet doesn’t muffle it, so it is inside the shoe. The insoles lift out: a light dusting of talc underneath, insoles pressed back flat, and the squeak goes. If it had come back, the next step would be the heel end of the insole.
2. New trainers chirp on the gym floor but not outside. That is the outsole on a smooth surface. Skechers suggests wear on a dry, rough surface, so walking to the gym in them for a week or two, rather than carrying them, is the fix to try. Powder would do nothing here.
3. Winter boots squelch after a slushy walk home. Water trapped inside. Insoles out, newspaper in, a towel round them and a night somewhere airy, as Nike describes, then fresh paper for a second night if the insoles still feel damp. The radiator stays off-limits.

Common mistakes

• Treating the wrong spot. Powder won’t quiet a sole on a polished floor, and walking on rough pavement won’t stop an insole rubbing. Do the carpet test first.
• Drying with heat. Radiators and hair dryers dry leather out (Red Wing), and Crocs says extreme heat can make foam shoes shrink or warp.
• Too much powder. A light dusting under the insole is enough; tip out the rest.
• Ignoring a click. A heel or shank that moves is a repair job, not a powder job.

If the shoes are new and squeak from a structural spot, they may be faulty: take them back to the shop. For other problems, the shoe problem fixer covers stains, smells and fit for every material, and if a heel slips as well as squeaks, try a heel lock.