5 Reasons Why Do Your Leather Shoes Squeak And How To Avoid It

Do you’ve premium leather shoes that won’t stop squeaking? Even when you aren’t running or walking, they squeal and squeak. If so, that’s totally fine as we all have been there once.

Having high-quality leather shoes such as Oxford, Loafers, Derby, etc. can make you look fashionable and help you make a statement. However, if the shoe develops a squeal, it could be highly irritating.

But why does the leather shoe squeak exactly?

There are many reasons why your shoes squeak often such as friction, shoe design, wet surface, etc. Luckily, you can fix this issue by applying a few easy methods. So, want to know why leather shoes squeak and how to stop it?

Read on!

5 Reasons Why Leather Shoes Squeak?

Before we delve into ways to prevent the squeaking, it’s important to know why do your shoes make this noise.
Without any further ado, here are five reasons why formal shoes squeak:

Friction

In terms of dress shoe squeaking, friction is the leading cause, among many others. It usually occurs because of leather rubbing against the shoe sole or the ground.

New Shoes

In addition to friction, the new ‘leather’ of your formal leather shoes can be the reason why they squeak. This happens mainly because the leather of the shoe hasn’t been broken properly.

When you buy a newly designed leather shoe, it has a relatively dry surface, highly prone to creaking than leather shoes you often wear. However, don’t get worried as the squeaking won’t last long.

The Surface You’re Walking On

There are several cases where the screech you hear from your formal shoes becomes more intense than in other circumstances. Ever wondered why? Well, this entirely depends on the type of surface or pavement you walk.

Consider this: when you stroll on concrete or slate, naturally your dress shoes will make greater noise compared to if you walk on the carpet.

In addition to that, surfaces such as floors, marbles, tiles, and others are more slippery and harder, making the leather rubs against it. As a result, it causes the squeak.

Leather Shoe Design

The design of your leather shoes can also cause squeaking. For instance, welt shoes designed specifically with the wooden splint may cause screeching noise. Though it’s a common squeaking cause in most formal shoes in Pakistan, however, it’s very hard to fix, primarily because the fault lies with the design of your formal leather shoe.

Rubber Sole

Some leather shoes have rubber soles. These shoes squeal more when you wear them. Moreover, the sound gets worse when its rubber wears down and starts rubbing against leather.

How To Prevent Leather Shoes From Squeaking?

Now that you know why your formal shoes squeak often, here are six practical ways to prevent them from squeaking for good:

Utilize Talcum Powder

Talcum (or talc) powder is made from talc – a mineral composed of three main elements i.e. oxygen, silicon, and magnesium.

Not only the powder is excellent at reducing friction but also absorbs moisture, which is arguably among the main culprits behind squeaky shoes. If water enters between the insole, sole, or shoe tongue, it may cause noise problems.

So, how to fix it?

To begin with, remove the insole and loosen the laces. After that, apply the powder in sections where you believe moisture is present. Get your fingers inside your branded shoe to feel any dampness.

Dry Your Shoes’ Insides

Dampness is often the most common cause of screechy shoes. And there are numerous ways to dry your shoes other than talc powder.

Here are a few:

• Fill your designer shoes with newspaper
• Place them in the drying cabinet
  
• Lay silica gel sachets inside your shoes

Silica gel and newspaper can easily absorb moisture from your new shoes if left for a considerable time. However, if you want speedy results, put your shoes in a hot place like an airing cupboard or laundry room. This way you won’t hear your leather shoe squeak anymore.

Place Your Shoes In A Tumble Dryer

Placing your shoes in a tumble dryer makes them completely dry. However, you’ve to be extra cautious since tumble dryers aren’t meant to dry your leather shoes. And if you don’t pay attention, not only you may damage your dryer but your shoes as well.

Still, if you want to tumble dry shoes, avoid doing it on your brand new designed shoes and use it only on your old leather dress shoes. But before putting your shoes into the dryer, ensure the heat settings of the device are extremely low.

Put Them In

Let’s admit it: it’s not unusual for brand-new soles to screak! When you purchase new stylish shoes, they have shiny and hard soles. In fact, most manufacturers of dress shoes paint soles with brown and black paints, making the soles polished and smart.

And it’s a given that shiny, painted and hard soles will always be squeaky, especially on smooth floors. However, the soles of most leather shoes soften after some time as you constantly wear them.

Here’s a pro tip: put your formal shoes on and walk a couple of miles and you’ll notice squeak will fade away.

Polish Your Leather Shoes

Do you know even your new leather shoes can squeak? But you can stop it by polishing them now and then.

When you polish leather, it remains flexible and staves off water from entering into it. Plus, it provides the shoes a nice sheen.

Not to mention polishing helps minimize friction, helps various leather parts near the tongue slip over one another silently, and reduces moisture-related squeaks.

Utilize A Watertight Spray

Besides polishing, you can also use an aquaphobic spray – a viable option that keeps moisture away. Kiwi and Scotchgard’s hydrophobic sprays are some of the best in town and are widely used on formal shoes for men.

They will keep your stylish shoes from liquids and help minimize the squeaking sound that your leather shoes make.