Dressing to impress is more than just a saying. Wearing heels shows class and is very professional at the same time.
The main reason you would want to know how to make your heels quieter would be in a professional setting like a job.
If you are constantly walking around on hardwood or cement floors, you may notice that your heels can make quite a bit of noise.
This is especially true if you work in some type of hospital setting. Your loud heels can wake up patients and just overall cause a negative experience.
Don’t give up wearing heels just yet because there are a few different things you can do to help quiet them down to tolerable levels.
Once you can differentiate between the different sources of noise, it becomes pretty clear what needs to be done in order to quiet something down.
Heels specifically are loud due to impact noise. Impact noise is the noise created from physical contact. After doing a lot of research, these are the most effective ways that I found to make your heels quieter.
Use Foot Gel Cushions
Foot gel cushions for your heels are a great way to help reduce the sound they make. The reason they work so well is that the gel acts as an agent to help absorb shock or impact.
While you are busy walking down the hallway or office floors, the gel pads absorb a portion of the impact. This, in turn, reduces the sound.
The awesome thing about gel pads is that they are hidden and cannot be seen unless you show someone. Other forms of making heels quieter involve you somehow altering the outside of your shoe.
Gel cushions are an excellent option if you are going to be on your feet all day because they will also help with comfort. They help support your heels as well as prevent your feet from slipping from their non-slip material.
Installing these into your heels is pretty simple. The gel cushions come with a self-adhesive on the back.
Simply peel away the cover and place then inside your heels in the preferred areas. It’s best to probably replace these foot cushions every month or so, depending on how often you use your heels.
This is mainly due to the gel losing its effectiveness with prolonged use.
Use Slip-on Heel Caps
Using heel caps can really make a huge difference in the amount of noise you will make while walking. Heel caps are simply caps that you put at the ends of your heels that absorb shock and impact.
They are made of a rubber-like material which is perfect for impact noise.
These are also great to use if your heels are starting to get worn out as they will help cover the exposed pin and also give you more grip.
These are great when you are on the go because installation is easy. Simply slip the rubber caps onto your heels, and you are ready to go.
It also comes with a small carrying bag which is pretty convenient. Using heel caps coupled with some sort of shoe cushion will probably have the best noise-reducing effects since you are effectively reducing the impact in two different places on your heels.
Diy Felt Heel Cap
A cool do-it-yourself method I found out came from somebody off of a forum. They stated that using a small piece of felt fabric on each of their heels did the trick for them.
Using fabric like this felt from amazon should do the trick. All you have to do is cut out a piece to match the bottom of your heels.
Once you have cut out a piece big enough to cover your shoe’s heel or tip, use super glue to attach the felt. Simply apply pressure for 30 seconds to ensure good contact, and you are good to go.
This is a super cheap option since you can purchase a lot of felt at a small price. They also come in a wide variety of colors, which means that they can easily blend in with whatever heels you are wearing for the day.
This means you will have a lot of material saved up for whenever you need to apply new fabric to your heels.
Install Rubber Soles on Your Heels
Another thing you can do to make your heels quieter is to have rubber soles installed on the heels. The best place to get this done at would be a shoe or boot repair shop.
Simply ask to have a heavy-duty rubber fitted to the bottom of each heel. Rubber is a good sound-deadening material for many different items.
Shoes being one of them. What makes rubber good at sound deadening? For one thing, it is very dense. On top of being dense, it also absorbs shock and impact.
The main source of noise from your heels is impact noise. This makes rubber soles the perfect idea.
This method is hands down the most expensive. Shoe repair shops usually have a fixed labor amount that they will charge on your shoes.
Even if this only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to do, they will probably charge you a minimum of hours’ worth of work which can be pricey.
It might also be a little difficult to find a heel or shoe repair shop as they are becoming less and less common nowadays and are mostly mom-and-pop shops.
Duct Tape Method
This method works best on shoes with thick heels and not a heel tip. The first thing you need to do is wash the bottom of your shoes with soapy water.
This is to ensure good contact with the duct tape. Once your shoes are dry, you will then want to take a rectangle or square piece of duct tape and place it on the sticky ground side up.
Make sure that the duct tape is about 2 mm thicker than the circumference of each heel. This is important. Next, place your heels into the center of each duct tape square or rectangle.
Press down firmly on your heels until the tape creates a good bond with your shoes. Pull the excess duct tape off the sides of your heels.
If you did it right then, you should have a small amount of duct tape left over. Take the leftover duct tape and pull the tape up over the sides of each heel.
The tape should barely be visible when it is firmly pressed onto your heels. If there is too much excess tape, then you should redo this step, leaving less tape next time. Put your heels on and give it a test run.
Walk around on a hard surface and see if it is quiet enough for you. If it isn’t, repeat the process and add another layer of duct tape. You are essentially adding density to your heels which in turn will help to absorb the impact noise.
After about two or three layers of tape, it may start to become more visible. If you still need further quieting of your heels, then it would be best to try a different method out.
This is probably the least effective but most readily available to somebody that needs this done right now. Most people have duct tape lying around the house, which makes this perfect in the case of an emergency.
Purchase Shoes That Have Quiet Heels
There are some heels readily available on the market that are specifically designed to have a quieter heel. Most of these heels come with some sort of extra rubber on the toe area and the heel areas.
These are generally the same ways that we mentioned above, but the shoes come already equipped with soundproofing, so you don’t have to do anything.
The main downside to purchasing heels that are already quiet is that they made not be in your favorite style.
Making your own heels quiet has the benefits of you using any type of heels you want because you are the one doing the quieting.
I recommend purchasing heels that are already quiet if you don’t want to go through the hassle of installing items on your heels every time you want to go out.
Tips for Walking Quietly in Heels
- Instead of physically modifying your heels, you can try to change the way that you walk when wearing them. The main source of noise is caused when your heels impact a hard surface such as a wooden floor. Try to avoid walking on hard surfaces. Try to choose areas to walk on that have carpet, rugs, or other soft materials to help reduce the noise while you are walking.
- Wear heels that fit snugly and are not loose. Wearing heels that are loose can cause them to have a harder impact while you are walking because there is a gap between your heel and the shoe. Be careful not to wear heels that are too tight, or else you will have a horrible day and end up with very sore feet.
- Lower the height of your feet while you are walking. The higher your feet are, the louder the impact noise will be when your heels hit the ground. This may seem silly at first, but it is a good way to reduce your heels without having to purchase anything.
Final Thoughts
There are quite a few ways to help with reducing the noise from your heels while walking. Most of these will depend on the type of situation in which you will be using your heels.
If you are in a work setting and will constantly be on your feet, then I would strongly suggest using gel cushions along with rubber tips on your heels.
If you just need to quickly quiet down your heels for an event, then using something like duct tape can get the job done temporarily.
Just remember that the main source of the noise coming from your heels is impact. Anything that can help reduce or absorb shock will usually work well in this scenario.
With these ideas, you can also create some of your own options at home that can work just as effectively without needing to buy items specifically made for this situation.
