Use An Unexpected Cleaning Product To Stop Your Shoes From Squeaking

We all love a dryer sheet, with this tiny little slip making our clothes smell lovely, along with the benefit of removing static from the tumble dryer. Around 80% of U.S. homes have a tumble dryer (per Energy Star), so it's fair to say that the humble dryer sheet is a well-used and well-loved product for its original use. However, beyond their use in laundry loads, there are a number of ingenious uses for dryer sheets that you're probably unaware of. One of the most ingenious of all is using a dryer sheet to stop your shoes from squeaking.

There are a number of reasons for shoes squeaking. New leather shoes can be particularly prone to squeaking as the insoles and interiors of the shoes can rub up against each other, causing friction and squeaking. In addition, rubber-soled shoes can squeak on certain surfaces, such as linoleum and tiles, as friction again builds up. On the other end of the scale, old shoes can squeak as worn parts start to rub against each other, and this can be further exacerbated if you've got water damage or any trapped moisture in the shoes. Although age will inevitably mean you'll need to replace your shoes at some point, utilizing a dryer sheet can help remove squeaky noises until you're ready to upgrade.  

There are plenty of surprising ways to use dryer sheets in your bedroom and closets, with one of the simplest being to stop your shoes from squeaking. All you need to do is take a dryer sheet out of the box and rub it across the soles of your shoes. You can also rub a dryer sheet over the insoles of your shoes in the same fashion if they're squeaking there. 

Dryer sheets have a slight residue on them, as they're composed of either polyester or cellulose fibers with liquid softeners, lubricants, and fragrances embedded onto them. When you rub a sheet over your shoe, some of the coating will transfer, helping to alleviate the slickness that's causing the squeak. While you're removing squeaks from your shoes, it's also worth noting that dryer sheets are a clever way to eliminate smelly shoe odors. Once you've finished rubbing your shoes to remove squeaks, you can stick the dryer sheet inside the shoe and leave it overnight to soak up any funky smells. 

Unfortunately, many dryer sheets aren't biodegradable, although manufacturers are working to improve this. However, you can place your used dryer sheets in your non-recyclable bin, and they will have the added benefit of soaking up smells in there as well, making them a true multitasking product.