I am sure that this is not the first time that you have experienced your shoe sole cracking, this is something you are going to experience in shoes that you have used for a while.
There are reasons why your shoe sole is cracking, that is what I will share in this article.
Also, I will be sharing different ways that you can prevent your shoe soles from cracking.
When you are aware of the various ways that you can prevent your shoe soles from cracking, it will help you to know how best to wear your shoes in order to make it last and prevent the sole from cracking.
Take a look at the various ways that you can prevent the sole of your shoes from cracking
Table of Contents
- Ensure you have more than one pair of shoe
- Do not expose it to so much water
- Invest in a shoe tree, store them properly
- Don’t let your shoe soles stay in the sun for too long
- Clean your shoe soles regularly
- Avoid walking long distances
- Keep the shoe sole free from dirt and moisture
Ensure you have more than one pair of shoe
This is the very first thing I usually advise people to do if they want their shoe soles to last long for them. As simple as it may seem, it works so well.
The idea of having more than one pair of shoes works in such a way that it will prevent you from wearing just one pair of shoes daily.
This is one of the things that cause your shoe soles to not last long for you, when you begin to wear the same pair of shoe for long, the soles will be more prone to cracking due to constant use.
When you have more than one pair of shoes, you can begin to rotate the shoes, you can wear one pair today and wear the other pair tomorrow.
When you do so this regularly the sole of your shoes will be less prone to cracking. Instead, the sole of the shoes will last long for you.
Let me advise that you have at least two to three pairs of shoes, depending on how frequently you go out, you will be able to rotate the shoes properly, making it less likely to have a cracked sole.
Do not expose it to so much water
This is something that a lot of shoes out there have in common, shoes that are not waterproof. They are not supposed to be exposed to so much water.
What I mean by this is in situations where it might start to rain and you wear your shoe out, you already know what will happen.
Your shoe will get soaked or drenched in the rain making the sole of your shoes gradually deteriorate, thereby exposing it to cracking.
Also, when you want to wash your shoes, you are not supposed to submerge them in water for too long, when you do this you are putting your shoe at the risk of having a cracked sole.
The sole may not crack immediately, but it is as a result of you leaving it and submerging it in water for too long that the sole of the shoe will begin to deteriorate and crack with time.
Shoes and water are not supposed to be in close contact, especially for long period of time. You are only exposing the sole of your shoe to getting cracked.
Invest in a shoe tree, store them properly
One thing that determines how long your shoes will last for you is how you store them.
If you store your shoes recklessly they will definitely deteriorate fast and even begin to crack before you know it.
That is why you need to invest in a shoe tree. What exactly is a shoe tree? A shoe tree is a tool that has the shape of a foot, it is usually placed inside a shoe to preserve the shoe, to also make it last longer for you.
When you do this properly, you are becoming conscious and careful of how you store your shoe. When you store your shoe in a really good place, it is less likely to develop any form of crack on the sole.
You will never go wrong by investing in a shoe tree. When you have inserted the shoe tree in your shoe, you should go ahead to store to shoe in a very cool and dry place.
Don’t let your shoe soles stay in the sun for too long
This is another thing I usually advise those who want their shoes to last long for them to do.
There are some days that the sun can become so hot and if you are the type that leaves your shoes outside for so long under the sun, you are putting your shoes at the risk of having a cracked sole.
I recommend that if you want to leave your shoe outside to sun dry, it should not be left outside for too long.
What you are to do is after an hour, you should take your shoes and store them inside. This is very important for the lifespan of your shoes.
When you expose your shoes to direct sunlight for prolonged period of time it puts your shoes at the risk of getting a cracked sole. It gets even worse when the sun is so harsh.
I do not recommend you leave your shoes outside under the sun for too long. When you are done sun-drying it, take it inside and store it in a cool dry place.
Clean your shoe soles regularly
I cannot overemphasize how important it is that you should clean your shoes on a regular basis.
Most times when you wear your shoes out, you get exposed do dust and dirt, when you leave the dirt on your shoes for too long it can go as far as damaging your shoes thereby causing the sole to crack in due time.
Cleaning the shoes regularly helps to keep the dirt and dust out of the shoes. Most especially when you focus on the soles, when you are cleaning your shoes you should not neglect the soles as well, the soles play a significant role in your shoe.
When you are back from wherever you went, one simple hack you can use to keep dirt and dust off the soles of your shoes is to gently tap the shoes outside so that the dirt can fall off.
You can also go as far as making use of a brush to get rid of whatever dirt that must have gotten stuck in the sole.
The more dirt that get accumulated in the soles of the shoes, the more likely the sole of the shoes begins to deteriorate and gradually starts cracking.
Avoid walking long distances
A lot of people are usually guilty of this. It gets worse when you have just one pair of shoes, that is why I usually recommend you get more than two pair of shoes.
Having just one pair of shoes will be so bad if you are the type of person that walks for long distances on a daily basis.
One thing I recommend is to try taking a cab, or a bus to reduce how often you walk. Better still, get yourself more than a pair of shoes.
This will help to rotate how often you wear each of these shoes. When the soles of a shoe crack, it is usually as a result of too much usage and extended trekking.
When you trek too long, due to the constant friction and impact the sole of the shoe has with the floor, the sole of your shoe will gradually deteriorate and even get cracked.
Keep the shoe sole free from dirt and moisture
Shoes do not like moisture at all. Moisture is one of those things that contribute to how quickly shoes can deteriorate and get the soles cracked easily.
When there is so much moisture in your shoes, it can result in the rapid growth of bacteria on the shoes which can cause the material of the shoe sole to break down easily, thereby leading to the sole getting cracked easily.
Keep moisture completely out of your shoes, to do that, you can stuff your shoes with newspapers, ensuring that the soles are also protected, you can remove it after a week to ensure proper breathability in the shoe.
Do not also forget that dirt should be completely kept off the soles of the shoe, I have already explained this earlier in this article.
Dirt can cause the sole of your shoe to get cracked if you do not consistently take out the dirt.
Once you keep moisture completely out of your shoes, it will last for you and your soles will also not tend to deteriorate or get cracked easily.
Why do shoe soles even crack?
There are several reasons why the soles of shoe crack, that is what I will explain in this segment of this article.
This will enable you to know those things that can result in your soles getting cracked.
The two main reasons why shoe soles crack is because of :
- Hydrolysis
- Friction
Hydrolysis
Hydrolysis is the chemical breakdown of the Polyurethane polymer that is present in the sole of shoes.
When this happens, there is a physical breakdown of the Polyurethane sole when it is attacked by water. That is why it is not advisable to keep your shoe where it will get exposed to water or get drenched in water.
The more the sole of your shoe gets in contact with water for long, it is more likely to get the sole deteriorated and cracked.
Friction
Friction is one of the major reasons why the soles of shoes crack, it happens in both insoles made of leather and rubber as well.
Friction is the force that opposes the motion between two surfaces in contact, because of this friction that occurs between the sole of your shoe and the floor.
Friction causes the sole of your shoe to deteriorate, especially when you are the type that walks long distances. The more you walk, the more you are likely to get your sole cracked.
That is why I suggested that you get at least two pairs of those so that you can rotate the shoes, you will not have to wear one pair of shoes about three times.
This is what contributes to the soles of your shoe getting deteriorated and cracked easily. When you rotate your shoes, you are less likely to get the sole of your shoe cracked.
Now that you are aware of what makes the soles of shoes crack, you are going to be more careful when it comes to how frequently you wear your shoes and how you take care of your shoes.
Conclusion
Cracking of the sole of your shoe is something that can be prevented. I have shared various ways that you can prevent the sole of your shoe from Cracking.
The easiest of them all is cleaning the shoe regularly and also making sure that you do not expose or submerge it in water for too long.
If you can afford it, you should go ahead to get yourself one or two more pairs of shoes because this will help to increase the lifespan of your shoe and or even prevent the sole of the shoe from cracking.
It is very important that you take good care of your shoes so that you do not lose the shoe you just newly bought.
If you want to store your shoe indoors, you should ensure that where you are storing it is free from moisture, dust, and dirt.
These are the things that contribute to the sole of your shoe cracking. You should take your time to go through this article to understand fully why the soles of shoes crack.
