Oofos sandals are some of the best recovery footwear around, but they’re notorious for squeaking. Learn why your Oofos is squeaking and how to fix it.
Here’s why your Oofos is squeaking
Sandals and flip-flops, like your Oofos sandals, for example, are made of three layers. The squeaking noise is caused by air trapped in the midsole, sole, and footbed.
The air in these components squeezes out when you walk, causing the squeaking noise. Often, the bottom layer, also known as the footbed, is the main culprit for this noise.
Also, Oofos sandals are made of OOfoam, a closed-cell foam developed by Oofos that may cause your foot to slide on the bottom of the sandal, causing a squeaking noise.
That said, as a proud Oofos sandals owner, I do think they’re not as noisy as regular flip-flops because they don’t slap against your heel hardly because of the heel-cupping design.
Oofos sandals do make a little “suction noise”, not as quiet as sneakers but not terribly noisy either. The comfort on Oofos sandals is worth 10 times the noise they make in my opinion.
How to stop Oofos from squeaking
Because of the OOfoam material, a suction noise can occur when your foot is sliding on the bottom of your sandal, especially if you are having sweaty feet.
The back of the sandal can also pop off the floor when you walk, causing that dreaded squeaking noise. The best thing you can do is to sprinkle some baby powder.
All you have to do is to shake a bit of baby powder on the inner soles, et voilà. Baby powder is designed to absorb moisture, so it will keep your feet nice and dry.
Using baby powder is most effective on PVC and rubber sandals, as these don’t absorb moisture like sandals with leather insoles. Fortunately, Oofos sandals are waterproof.
There are other methods recommended by other websites, like using petroleum jelly, WD-40 (an oily lubricant), and poking holes in the soles, but I think they’re simply bad advice.
The goal here is to reduce the squeaking noise without causing discomfort and destroying your Oofos sandals. I’m not going to advocate adding oil to your sandals – they’ll become slimy.
If you can’t bear the squeaking noise caused by Oofos sandals, but you’re not ready to invest in another pair, check out these cheaper Oofos alternatives that are better yet affordable.
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