Squishy shoes blues

March 31, 2006 2:06 PM

Squishy noise when I walk, help!

I got a nice pair of Timberlines a few years age. Lately, the left shoe makes a "squishy" noise while I walk. The sound is coming from the heel, if I walk on the balls of my feet there is no sound. I also don't hear anything if I'm walking on something soft, like carpet.

I've looked, but I don't see any holes. These boots are in great shape, I really don't want to dump them. Can anyone suggest a fix?

posted by Marky to clothing, beauty, & fashion (11 comments total)

Is it squishy, or more of a creaky/farty noise? I've got the latter, intermittently, in a pair of REI hikers that started when I drowned the shoes. The only suggesting that I might have is to take out the footbed and powder the hell out of it.
posted by notsnot at 2:13 PM on March 31, 2006

I have a German friend who says she's always heard that if your shoe squeaks it means you stole it. Maybe you can send someone a check?
posted by StickyCarpet at 2:34 PM on March 31, 2006

Haha @ StickyCarpet

I have the same problem with a pair of GBX boot-shoes (I call them shoots). At first they didn't squeak at all. Then after a couple months the right one started and now the left one has started too! I've tried everything I can think of including WD-40.
posted by willmillar at 2:40 PM on March 31, 2006

I should avoid this, but I cannot help myself.

As someone one said, "If the shoe farts, wear it."

It's better said out loud.
posted by vers at 2:58 PM on March 31, 2006

They're not too common anymore, but you might be able to find a cobbler to fix it. I'd guess you have some water trapped inside. .. they probably need to be partially taken apart, dried out, and then repaired.... and, ideally, resealed so that it doesn't happen again.

While he was at it, a cobbler could most likely put new soles on the boots as well, if you wanted. Total cost ... probably thirty bucks or so.

Shoes are so cheap these days that fixing them isn't often that economical... there are still some boot repair places around, but you may have to hunt a bit.
posted by Malor at 3:31 PM on March 31, 2006

Are you sure you don't mean Timberlands?

If that's the case, they seem to have an excellent warranty policy.
posted by Neiltupper at 4:21 PM on March 31, 2006

I have a German friend who says she's always heard that if your shoe squeaks it means you stole it. Maybe you can send someone a check?

HAHA... My grandpa said that "if your shoes squeak, they aren't paid for". Same idea ... didn't know anyone else said that sort of thing.
posted by nimsey lou at 4:23 PM on March 31, 2006

Oh boy. I had a pair of Timberlands, and they were extremely squeaky. I went to the store about a week after I bought them, and they exchanged them for an identical pair. Within a week or so, these too were squeaky. I went to the store, and the clerk actually had the audacity to suggest that it resulted from my posture or my gait (I had never had this problem before with any other pair). Finally, I replaced them for a similar model. After a couple of weeks (I had since relocated back to Vancouver) these too were squeaky. I felt embarassed and shy, but eventually decided to go again. This time I pushed the clerk, insisting I couldn't be the only person with this problem, and he confessed that he had seen a whole lot of people with the identical problem, and that this was a problem with Timberland shoes that year (last year.) He offered that I pick any pair of shoe in the store, regardless of price. I picked a more expensive pair (though far from the most expensive) and it served me well without squeaking.

There is more to the story that I kept out for the sake of brevity, including a trip to a shoemaker who examined the shoe and told me there was nothing he could do, that he had seen many Timberlands with this problem, and that it was a problem with the construction of the shoe.

Point is: you don't have to suffer being mocked by your shoes with every step you take. Go to Timberland and confront them about this.
posted by ori at 5:29 PM on March 31, 2006

It seems to me like some moisture has gotten stuck deep inside somewhere. Maybe you can set it up with a hairdryer blowing into it on medium or low and let it sit for a few days.
posted by Rhomboid at 3:21 AM on April 1, 2006

I used to work at Nike, and now know too much about shoes... the squishy or 'farty' sound is because some of the glue in the layers of the sole has 'failed'. This usually happens when the sole is punctured and water gets in, or can just happen when the shoe got a crappy glue job at the factory. This also happens in air-sole shoes if you puncture the bag. Most companies will replace the shoes, though you may need to send back to the manufacturer; sometimes the store you bought the shoes from will consider this kind of frivolous, and not want to hassle with the return.
posted by efalk at 4:52 AM on April 1, 2006

Btw, I wouldn't recommend blasting shoes with a hairdryer, or even tossing them in a clothes dryer. Heat will cause the glue to fail more then moisture will, odlly enough
posted by efalk at 4:54 AM on April 1, 2006