Noisy shoes can be annoying at times, especially during an important meeting or presentation. With hundreds of solutions available on the internet to quiet noisy shoes, the best ones are effective and cheap.
You can make your noisy shoes quiet by adding certain materials under the shoe bottom or by completely altering them. Some other ways include adding silicone or rubber pads on the shoe bottoms, adding duct tapes on shoe bottoms, adding foam pads, and more. You can use a leather conditioner to soften and dry your shoes from dampness to quiet the squeaky noise from shoes. However, a few outsoles can make noise whenever they come in contact with smooth floors.
I did some research in the area when the noise from different shoes troubled me. I would like to share what I learnt and what worked in my case. So, let’s dig in.
Why is my shoe making noise?
Your shoe can make an annoying squeaky noise when moisture gets trapped at the point where shoes rub against each other. The precise reasons why your shoes make noise are as follows:
- Incorrect size: If you are wearing shoes that are large in size, you will face issues in walking properly. The shoe will hit the floor in an uncontrolled manner and will make walking noise.
- Humidity: It’s the most common factor responsible for the annoying noise of your shoe. If your shoe is not humidity-friendly, and you go somewhere damp, it will make you feel embarrassed with noise.
- Air Bubbles: Nothing can block the air to enter your shoe. Even your shoe leather allows and absorbs the air. When they appear forth as air bubbles, your shoes make a horrible noise.
- Insoles: At times, the poor-quality insoles in shoes can end up making loud noises. For saving yourself from embarrassment in a meeting or presentation, it’s best to change the insoles beforehand.
- Improper Maintenance: Your pair of shoes requires maintenance and cleaning to ensure their best appeal. However, improper maintenance can make its bottom and sole wear down over time, resulting in making noises.
- Factory Default: At times, the shoe makes noises due to manufacturing defects. The material used in manufacturing and defects in the sole can result in noise.
Let us also look at some common sounds shoes make and how they can be reduced
Noise Types From Shoes | When They Make It | Reason For Making Such Noises | Remedy |
Squeaky Noise | Walking on any surface, especially hard surface | Moisture entrapment at different shoe parts like the sole and insole | Shaking and splitting some talcum powder or baby powder under the insole |
Clatter Noise | Walking | Hard soles and heels of the shoes | Add sound-absorbing materials like rubber to the sole bottom |
Popping Noise | When your foot presses down on the shoe | When air escapes from the squishy foam of the shoes | Add rubber cement to your outsole, sprinkle the powder on the insole, or lubricate shoes |
THE VARIOUS SOUNDS EMANATING FROM SHOES
Why do my shoes sound sticky?
Some common reasons for your shoes to sound sticky:
- Material Stuck In The Lugs Or Sole: If some materials get stuck into your shoe lugs or the outer sole, it can make a sticky sound. For instance, if you wear this shoe and go to the beach, the sand stuck on the sole will squeak on the linoleum floor.
- New Shoes Can Sound Sticky: Some shoes tend to stick on the hard floor and sound sticky when they are new. This can happen when the soles are made of rubber, leather, and so on.
- Polyurethane Sole: At times, your shoe sole can be made up of some type of polyurethane. If such shoe gets stored for an extended period under the presence of higher humidity, the polyurethane undergoes hydrolysis. This makes the shoes sticky and gooey.
- Excess Friction Between Floor And Sole: At times, you can end up with a faulty design of your shoe’s outer soles. You can find either the lugs too sharp or too sticky. This can produce a sticky sound when the soles are in contact with the floor.
- Rubber Soles: Rubber soles are the most common reason for squeaky sound.
- Your shoes may sound sticky when your squeaky rubber soles leave the floor while pulling up your leg to walk.
- In other cases, the sticky noises in shoes can be a result of sweaty feet too. The additional moisture from sweat can cause suction between your shoe and foot, and every time you lift your foot to walk, you can feel the sticky sound.
Why do my shoes make a popping sound when I walk?
If you hear a weird popping sound from your shoes while walking, the reasons can be many:
- It could be because of the air escaping the squishy foam.
- Moreover, the popping sound can also occur if your foot presses the shoes, trapping air and moisture under them.
- Another reason why shoes make popping noise is the entrapped moisture between the midsole and Strobel.
However, the inconsistency and sound don’t affect the shoe’s performance.
What noise do high heels make?
The sound produced when a woman walks in high heels is the ‘click’ and ‘clack’ sound. The precise one word to describe the noise made by high heels is ‘clatter.’ The intensity of such noises depends on many factors:
- The surface you are walking on: The sound increases when someone walks with high heels on a hard surface.
- The material of the heel: If the heel has a metal part at the base, or has nails near the base, they will make more noise.
- The fit: Snug fit heels will make less noise
- The way you walk: if you are walking in extreme confidence and putting your foot on the floor with a bang, they will make more noise.
- If they are new: New heels normally have a smooth base. Such heels will make more noise. Over time, this gets rougher and the sound normally reduces.
Why do my heels make so much noise?
Heels normally make a lot of noise and there can be many reasons behind it. Some of them are:
- Your heels expose the metallic tip when they wear out. These heel tip makes more noise when they come into contact with a hard rough surface.
- The pointy tips in most heels, especially the Stiletto models, contribute to making noises when you walk with hose heels on hard surfaces.
- Moreover, if you have oversized heels, it will produce more noise as the empty spaces will increase the sound produced.
Some other crucial reasons why your heels make so much noise when you walk are:
- Walking Style: Your way of walking can affect the intensity of noise produced by your shoes. For instance, if you walk with heavy steps, your heel’s impact on the floor will increase. Also, if you take long steps, the sound will be more.
- Oversized Heels: As said before, oversized heels take more expansive space, spreading more vibration to create much more noise than normal heels.
- Sole of The Heel: Some heel soles, especially the ones made with some type of polyurethane, makes mire noise compared to others.
- Worn Out Heel: The wearing down of your heels can lead to the exposure of your metallic tip. So, when this heel tip comes into contact with a hard surface, you can feel more noise.
Why does my shoe make a clicking noise?
The primary reason behind the clicking noise of your shoe is the hard soles and heels of your shoes. Some other reasons are:
- Hard heels: Most shoes have hard heels. These heels make noise when they come in contact with the ground.
- Metal embellishments: Apart from hard plastic soles, the noisy embellishments such as the metal-tipped laces or the tassel also contribute to the clicking sound of shoes.
- Heel Cap: The end cap of the heel that clicks can also be the reason.
- Nails in the heels: Some shoe heels have nails that secure the heel in place. These are normally covered on the outside with a thin layer, but they still make noise.
- Long steps: Some individuals take long steps. This causes the heel to touch the ground with a great impact. This makes clicking noise.
- Shoe fit: If the make of the shoe is not as per the shape of your feet, or the straps do not fit you well or shoes are bigger in size in comparison to the size of your feet, they will make more noise.
However, you can reduce or alleviate this clicking sound by making some easy adjustments to the shoe or its adornment.
REMEDY TO SHOE NOISES
How can I make my shoes less soundy?
You can reduce the sound coming from your shoes by applying a leather conditioner to them. It will soften the squeaky leather, dry your shoes from any chances of dampness, and prevent your shoes from squeaking from inside. However, some outsoles can just be squeaky when they come into contact with smooth floors.
So, the best ways to make your shoes less soundly are:
- You can add silicone or rubber pads ion your shoe bottoms
- Add thick tapes or duct tapes to your shoe bottoms. Just make sure these are rough and do not impact the traction your shoe has.
- You may try to roughen up a smooth base using a fine sandpaper.
- Use a blow dryer at normal setting and dry your shoe from a distance. This would help if your shoes are making noise because of trapped moisture.
- Add foam or felt pads, the ones used for furniture on the base.
- A thin layer of Shoe Goo to your shoe bottoms may also help.
- You can add a thicker insole to your shoe interior.
- Adding sole protector stickers to the shoe bottoms is also effective.
- You can buy shoes with attached rubber soles.
- You can use a rubberized spray too.
- Always wear snug fit shoes
How can I make my heels quieter?
You can make your heels quieter by:
- Enhancing traction with rubber sole pads
- Using high heel caps
- Using gel cushions to keep the grip
- If the base of your heel is pretty smooth, you may try to roughen it up a bit using a fine sandpaper. This would reduce the noise to some extent and also increase traction.
- Do not lift your foot high when you walk. Try to raise it only by an inch or two.
- Applying gaffer or duct tape to the shoe’s sole bottom (both, the base and the heel)
- Wearing sound booties or making your own rubber/silicone pad
- Ensure that the heel is a snug fit
- Sole protector stickers are easily available online. They can be applied on the base to reduce noise.
- You may order rubber heel covers if it is the shoe heel that is making most of the noise.
Conclusion
Noise from shoes can be annoying. In order to fix it, you need to know the source and only then you will be able to figure out which remedy will work in your case. If you are not able to do it yourself, you may take the help of a cobbler or shoe maker to do the job for you.
Hope you found it helpful!
