Many people complain about their work boots making squeaking noises when they walk and wonder if there is a way to solve this. If you are one of them, the answer is yes! There are several reasons why your work boots can make noise and an easy fix for each so you don’t have to worry about it anymore.
In this article, we will discuss why your work boots squeak when you walk and how to make boots stop squeaking.
So, without any further ado, let’s discover the reasons behind boots squeaking and their solutions.
Why Do My Work Boots Squeak When I Walk
One of our colleagues complained, “The squeaking noise from my work boots when I walk is starting to get on my nerves. It’s so loud it seems like everyone in the office has been able to hear me coming for weeks now. In fact, a few of my coworkers have asked if everything is okay with me and that I’m not limping or anything. The truth is that everything feels fine, but this squeaking sound just won’t go away! ”
Like her, many of us are probably thinking, “Why do my work boots squeak when I walk?” Solving the squeaking boots problem will be easier when you know the reasons behind it.
The Squeaking Noise From The Tight Work Boots
Observations show that squeaking noises are always produced from “tight” work boots. That means that the noise is linked to the material properties of rubber and not to poor maintenance.
The source of the problem is often traced back to the footbed or soles of your footwear. When these materials are new, they put off a lot of friction. Therefore, when tight boots are not broken in, the leather around the foot and ankle has not formed to the shape of your foot, therefore it squeaks when you walk.
Wear Wet Boots
We do not wear wet boots unless we are in a sudden rain or soak ourselves. As most of the workers wear work boots, they sometimes have to wear wet boots to work in a certain climate. Whenever boots are wet, you may notice squeaking sounds a lot.
In most cases, boots companies produce work boots with spongy materials that tend to soak gallons of water. Whenever you walk with your wet work boots, you put pressure on the sponge that releases the soaked water out of the boots – the noise of squeak happens.
Old Work Boots
When you are using the same work boots for a long time, you may find cracks that make boots squeak. Frequent usage of work boots results in stiffness because of old soles.
You may also notice that the insoles, inner lining, even the main soles become spongy that leading your work boots to make more noise.
How To Stop Work Boots From Squeaking
You’ve just put on a brand new pair of work boots and they squeak. It’s an embarrassing sound, especially if you work in an office environment where everyone can tell when you’re walking down the hallway.
Even worse, your co-workers might think that something is wrong with your footwear and convince you to go out and buy another pair.
Save yourself from the trouble and save your footwear by learning how to stop work boots from squeaking before they start. Here are some solutions to stop work boots from squeaking when you walk:
Find The Squeaking Area
Finding the squeaking area is the best course of action to stop your boot from squeaking. To do this, you need to take one of the boots off and place it on a hard surface such as a table or desk. Take a look at the metal springs under the boot and find out which ones are making all that noise.
In general, if your work boot is new, it can create noises from one of two places: the tongue or the sole. In the worst-case scenario, you may also notice that the tops and bottoms of the boots are also squeaking.
Breaking In Your Boots
If you want to avoid squeaking noise from your new work boots, break in the boots. While they look really intimidating at first, know that you can break them in and make them softer so that they’re more comfortable to wear!
First things first:
- Wear thick socks with your boots.
- Put lotion on your feet, then put the socks on, then put the boots on. This is to prevent skin from tearing and blisters from forming while you’re breaking in your boots.
- Wear them around the house (if at all possible), while doing chores or things of that nature. If we’ve learned anything from cartoons, it’s that sweat and dirt break in tough leather!
- Have patience. When you start breaking your boots in, it may feel like they are getting tighter and not softer! This is because the leather is stretching to accommodate your feet after being so tightly wound inside of them for hours on end. Give it some time, though- it’ll be worth it!
- If your new boots are waterproof, treat them with a leather protector. This will make them softer and even more comfortable to wear.
- Once you’ve finally broken in your work boots, take care of them! Clean any dirt off with a damp rag (don’t use water), let dry completely, then apply shoe oil. This will keep the leather from cracking and save your boots from plenty of wear and tear.
- Get used to wearing your boots. It may take a few days (or even weeks), but if you give yourself time, you’ll eventually get used to the feeling of them on your feet!
Using Talcum Powder
In most cases, squeaking happens from your work boots due to continuous friction. Using 1-2 tablespoons of talcum powder can stop work boots from it. You can use any kind of talcum powder available in the market to stop work boots from squeaking.
So, how to use talcum powder to stop your work boots from squeaking?
- If the insole of your work boots is removable, remove it.
- Now, focus on the whole heel where you need to apply enough powder to cover the entire area.
- As talcum powder reduce the moisture between the sole and the upper, keep your boots in a dust-free place for around 24 hours. It will help the powder to absorb excessive moisture.
- Once you are done with the steps mentioned above, replace the sole after clearing out the extra talcum powder.
Boom! You are now able to walk with your work boots without any squeaking noise.
Using Saddle Soap
Saddle soap is also known as the leather conditioner. Using saddle soap is a great way to stop your boots from squeaking especially if you are using leather work boots.
How?
- At first, you need to remove the shoelaces so that the tongue will get full access.
- Use saddle soap or leather conditioner on the tongue with a soft cloth.
- Apply the saddle soap until the entire tongue is coated and lubricate the leather enough to prevent squeaking.
Drying Your Wet Work Boots
There’s nothing worse than putting on a pair of wet boots and having them squeak every time you take a step. Not only is it irritating, but it can also be embarrassing if you’re trying to be stealthy.
Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem: just dry your boots out. The quickest way to do this is to stuff them with newspaper and let them sit in a warm place for a few hours. If you don’t have any newspapers lying around, you can also use a hairdryer on the lowest setting.
Whatever you do, don’t put your boots away wet. This will only make the problem worse, as the moisture will cause the leather to rot and rust the metal components.
How To Make Leather Boots Stop Squeaking
We all know how frustrating it is when our leather boots start to squeak. It’s even more of a pain that no one seems to have an answer for the cause, but we’re here today with some helpful advice!
We have already mentioned overall fixes for squeaking work boots. Besides them, you can also follow the following steps to stop squeaky noise from your leather work boots –
Take a rubber and cut a piece off about 1/2 an inch wide and as long as your shoe width.
Place this strip on top of the spot where the bottom meets the boot shaft, over that stitching line.
Put your fingers at each end and stretch it tightly against both sides – then let go so it sticks in place.
How To Stop Cowboy Boots From Squeaking
Squeaking noise from cowboy boots is also frustrating as it distracts our attention. The good news is there is a solution! We have some tips on how to stop cowboy boots from squeaking so you can enjoy wearing them without being embarrassed by the noise they create each time you take a step.
As most of the cowboy boots come with breathable leather, it’s easy to stop your boots from squeaking with regular maintenance of your boots. It does not matter whether your cowboy boots have pointy toes or square toes, you just need to condition the boots.
Still, if you hear squeaking noise from your cowboy boots, find the squeaking area and apply the overall solutions described based on the area.
Final Words
Since the dawn of time, people have been trying to find solutions to keep their work boots from squeaking when they walk. Some tried duct tape, some tried baby powder and some even went so far as to use bacon grease! But none of these methods were really successful in keeping your feet warm and dry.
After reading the guide to stop squeaking, we assume that you are no longer in a problem with the squeaking problem of your work boots.
