Although leather boots have a tendency to start squeaking unexpectedly, you can stop the noise by focusing on removing the moisture between the upper layer and the soles.
You can fix this issue quickly, regardless of whether you’re tackling brand new boots or a sturdy old pair, with a few handy tricks. In this article, we walk you through how to stop leather boots from squeaking so you can go about your day in peace.
You can stop leather boots from squeaking using one of four methods:
- Use talcum powder.
- Dryer sheet.
- Air dry.
- Oil the boots.
Why Are My Leather Boots Squeaking?
If you’ve ever wondered what exactly causes the squeaking of leather shoes, you’d be surprised to know that the sounds are actually emitted because of sound energy. The squeakiness arises as a result of the vibrations that are created when two or more surfaces rub against one another.
You may even recognize this sound when you jam the brakes in your car, and your tires squeal to a halt. In that situation, it’s the vibrations arising from the tire rapidly interacting with the ground. In the case of your shoes, it’s the heel of the shoes rubbing against your feet and the floor that’s causing the unfortunate noise.
The most likely reason here, however, is due to the manner in which the upper section of the boots is attached to the sole of the boots. The sole is the portion that makes contact with the ground, while the upper section is the remainder of the boots that’s attached to the sole.
In most cases, the squeaking comes into play when there’s a slight defect in how the soles are attached to the upper section of the boots. Even the slightest bit of friction between these two portions can cause that annoying sound that leads to a deep churning in the pit of your stomach.
Luckily though, this is a minor issue that you can fix quite easily in your pair of leather boots.
Is Your New Pair of Leather Boots Squeaking?
If you’ve just invested in an expensive pair of leather boots and you find that they’ve started squeaking as soon as you bring them home, it can be quite unsettling.
Regardless of what the store owner told you, leather boots are not supposed to be squeaky, especially not a brand new pair. Like we previously mentioned, this is most likely a manufacturing defect between the sole and the upper section, and you shouldn’t have to pay for a product that’s shoddily put together.
The only thing you can do in this situation is to return the boots. I know—you love your new boots and you spent a lot of time and energy acquiring the new pair. It’s pointless to own a set that announces your arrival into a room long before you walk in though, right?
You can try replacing the pair to see if you have better luck with another set. In case this doesn’t work either, then your feet and those leather boots are simply not compatible with one another, and you need to look out for another set of leather boots altogether.
If you truly love the boots and are simply unwilling to let go of them, then you should scroll down to find out how you can stop the unnatural squeaking.
Has Your Old Pair Started Squeaking?
Have you noticed that your sturdy old pair of leather boots has started squeaking out of the blue? Don’t be alarmed! This is perfectly natural for some leather shoes as their dimensions warp over time, and it can cause the wrong parts of the boot to interact with your feet or floor.
Also, shoes squeak because the portion between the soles and the upper layer of the shoes has changed over time. To fix this problem, take your boots to a shoe repair cobbler who can narrow down on the issue and sort it out with relative ease.
If you’re looking to solve the problem yourself, we have some easy solutions for boots that squeak for you go-getters to consider below.
How Do I Stop My Boots From Squeaking?
We now dive into the four methods you can consider to help make your squeaky boots noiseless once again. Before you begin to take on this endeavor, we’d suggest creating a little workspace for yourself to prevent making a royal mess in your home. You can do this by laying down some rags or old newspaper to protect your flooring.
Method 1: Using Talcum Powder
You’ll need the following for this method:
- Corn starch, talcum powder, or baby powder.
- Glue.
Once you narrow down on the boot that’s causing the squeaking, check to see if the liner inside the boot can come off easily. A lot of boots actually come with removable liners, and if you own such a pair, take out the inner liner and place it to the side.
If your liner isn’t removable, you need to gently and tactfully peel off the liner to get to the root of the problem. You can always glue the liner back once you’re done.
Now you have access to the section that joins the sole of the shoes with the upper section. Take any of the powders recommended above, such as talcum powder, and apply it in this section of the shoe. Thanks to the powder, the moisture between the upper and lower layers of your shoes is greatly reduced.
Now these surfaces can slide against one another without causing any friction or noise.
After applying the talcum powder, make sure to set the shoes aside for a day to let it work its magic against the moisture.
After a day, you can knock the shoes against the floor to remove any excess talcum powder before you place the liner back inside the shoe.
Method 2: The Dryer Sheet
For method 2, you’ll need:
- A dryer sheet.
- Glue.
This method is fairly similar to the first, especially in terms of the principle being applied to remove the noise from your shoes. While the first method relies on the use of talcum powder or similar to remove the moisture, this one requires you to use a dryer sheet to get rid of the moisture in the gap between your upper layer and sole.
Place the dryer sheet in the problematic area of the boot for about a day before you remove it and place the liner back in place. Hopefully your shoe squeak shoe issue would have resolved itself at this point.
Method 3: Air Dry
To fix your shoes that squeak with this method, you’ll need:
- A crumpled newspaper sheet.
Again, this method relies on ridding excess moisture from the problematic regions of the squeaky boots. If you don’t have any talcum powder or a dryer sheet, simply remove the inner liner of the shoes and leave them out to air dry in a warm and dry room.
You may think that leaving the shoes out in the sun will help remove the moisture even quicker, but leather doesn’t react well with sunlight and it can result in damaging your shoes even further.
If you want to assist this process, you can always use some old newspaper. Just roll up a few sheets of newspaper into a ball and place them inside the heel of your boots as you leave them out to dry.
The newspaper should help absorb the moisture and eliminate the noise from the squeaking boots after a day or so.
Method 4: Oil the Boots
Our last method relies on the following:
- Coconut oil or mink oil.
While the first three methods relied on eliminating the excessive moisture from your boots, sometimes this isn’t the issue with your shoes or it’s not enough to remove the noise entirely.
The friction between the upper layer and sole is simply too much and you’ll need to intervene by applying either some coconut oil or mink oil in this region. The oil helps lubricate the area and minimizes the friction when they come in contact with one another.
Once the oil dries out, you can simply place the inner sole back in place and this should have fixed the shoe squeaky issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Stop Fake Leather Boots From Squeaking?
You can stop fake leather boots from squeaking by using talcum powder in the region between the upper layer and lower sole. This is known to be the most effective method for fake leather boots.
How to Choose the Best Method to Stop Leather Boots From Squeaking?
All of the methods mentioned above should help you stop your leather boots from squeaking. We’d suggest picking one of the first three methods and opting for the method that’s easiest for you to execute. If this doesn’t solve the problem, you need to lubricate your shoes, which means you’ll have to opt for the last method.
These Boots Weren’t Meant for Squeaking, but That’s Just What They Do!
Apart from being incredibly annoying, squeaking shoes are a sign that your boots need your attention asap. Thankfully, you can fix this issue by resorting to one of the simple methods mentioned above.
Those squeaking noises are a cry for help. Fortunately for you, you’re now equipped with the information to step in and save the day, both for the sake of your boots and your eardrums!
