How am I going to sneak up on people with such noisy shoes?
January 28, 2008 5:13 PM   Subscribe

My shoes are noisy. How can I get them to be quiet?

I have a beautiful pair of mens leather loafers that I bought last year. These aren't cheap shoes. They come from a very nice brand and cost me several hundred dollars. The problem is that they go CLOMP CLOMP CLOMP when I walk around on hard surfaces, namely the sidewalk. I though breaking them in would quiet them down but after several months, they are still pretty noisy. I'd like to keep them as they are the most handsome pair of shoes I own. Is there a way I can quiet them?
posted by cazoo to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)
 
Best answer: Maybe replacing the heels and having a rubber half-sole put on? I just replaced the heels on a pair of boots, and was amazed at how much quieter they are with the new heels.
posted by chez shoes at 5:30 PM on January 28, 2008


Your gait may diminish some of the clomping sound. I prevent high heeled shoes form clomping and clicking by making a point of landing on the ball of the foot. Don't slam the entire foot down at once and don't start on the heels. Land on the ball of the foot, if you aren't already.

Another option is to take the shoes to a shoe repair shop and explain the problem. Maybe the outsoles can be replaced with a less noisy material. Does the bottom of the heal have a layer of rubber? If not, maybe this simple addition will cut down on the noise. On preview, chez shoes said it.
posted by LoriFLA at 5:37 PM on January 28, 2008


Remove the tongues? Sorry, couldn't resist.

It's possible to buy rubber heels that you glue on. It's an easy enough job to do, but the glue is nasty smelling stuff, so wear gloves, use newspaper and do it outside. They'll probably wear out faster than the plastic heels, but they'll absorb more of your tread, and make less noise.
posted by Solomon at 5:38 PM on January 28, 2008


Response by poster: I'll look into replacing the heels. It seems to be my only choice I think.
posted by cazoo at 7:24 PM on January 28, 2008


In theatre, when we have very noisy shoes we glue felt on the bottom. It works great, just make sure to walk carefully on marble floors!
posted by thebrokenmuse at 9:17 PM on January 28, 2008


My brother will probably buy those shoes from you, as he thinks shoes that "click" when walking are a sign of distinction.
posted by Grither at 5:33 AM on January 29, 2008


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