Sudden Unexpected Shoe Failure

This has been discussed before. It seems shoes can disintegrate after a certain time, whether worn or not.

Motto seems to be, wear them, don’t put them away as you might get a shock when you finally bring them out of your wardrobe.

It’s because they use cheap glue in the mass production which deteriorates quickly. I try to buy better quality shoes in sales , haven’t had any disasters with Camper or Josef Siebel boots, Birkenstock sandals or Merrel, Berghaus or Ecco trainers, many I’ve had for several years.

There was a post about this very subject early last year.

sorry calender girl

I had that, late 90's, office based, merrily doing the figures (I was in accounts) and I felt cold air down there! Pushed my chair out and found that my shoes at the toes had come apart,.this was around 11am! Gave people in office quite a chuckle. Took an early dinner and drove into town (elastic band around my toes to keep shoe together) and walked into the ONLY shoeshop! My feet are size 8 and not one pair of shoes at size 8, that I liked, fit me! That and the selection was crap. Stilettos or granny flats, neither that I liked (i was 25ish) heels for me, I prefer the blocky type and they didn't have any. I then thought mens! I.went back in a damn comfortable pair of men's ankle boots (think hiking boots!) I wore trousers at work so they actually looked ok!

Supervisor (who never liked me anyway, never bothered me, I'd been there since I left school, she'd been there 6 months) said "Really? Are they really suitable?" I told her I'm paid to do accounts, comfort helps!

Never worn narrow, standard width footwear since. Now, older, my feet appreciate it.

I have never had that happens since the 1960’s when my high heels were always snapping off. Maybe drink was involved.

My lovely Ecco sandals and Ecco boots did something similar , the soles crumbled as i was out walking
It is something to do with a rubber substitute used

How odd. The only time I’ve known anything like this was when both the soles of my trainers came adrift by Ayers Rock. Obviously not made for that sort of heat.

DB wide fit expensive shoes. A few years old and scarcely worn. I hobbled home

I think this has been talked about before (I'm not complaining!) and we found it seemed to be Hotter shoes it had happened to.

For no apparent reason I went flying on my way to the local shop. Friend was with me, there were no wet leaves or anything else to account for it.

Only some time later I found that the heel part of the sole had come off, and underneath was much more slippery. I’d got them sale-reduced, but these were relatively expensive Marc Jacobs loafers.

Nearly all of my shoes have fallen apart as described. The worst offenders were M&S sandals where the sole just crumbled.

That's what happened to the Hotters I sold on ebay as immaculate.
The lady who bought them sent them back, and the bag was full of crumbs and dust!
I thought perhaps a mouse had got its teeth into them.

I’d sorted shoes out to donate, but thought I’d wear a pair of Russell & Bromley heeled court shoes for one last time. Just as well I didn’t wear them outside, as not only did the upper part company with the sole, but the upper split across the front. I think they hadn’t been worn for so long that the leather had dried out and perished.

The softer, more cushioned, soles used in trainers, walking and fashion shoes are more likely to be a polyurethane mixture now. What used to be leather soles have been replaced by this product.

Storing them, not wearing them, for perhaps a couple of years or less can lead to the water that this product absorbs breaking down the entire sole ….. leaving a ‘smashed sponge cake’ sole when you put them to good use again.

Last summer I wore a pair of ‘Camper’ flats with leather uppers on a sea front walk to lunch. Perfect condition but not worn for maybe 2 years? As we left the restaurant, I felt something sticking to my shoe - it was the remains of one sole. We took to the beach for our walk home where the 2nd shoe became just an upper after 10 minutes. If both shoes and soles aren’t leather now, I know I need to wear them a lot and not leave them in a cupboard to plan their own demise 🫣.

My husband had this happen to two different pairs of Eccos one was a shoe, one was a walking type boot.
I think it's probably a rubber substitute degrading as someone said above - the shoes were hardly worn.

I was about to say that happened to a pair of my shoes a couple of years ago but then I had that deja vu feeling. I’ve found the other thread and Marydoll posted an interesting google explanation of the cause.
www.gransnet.com/forums/style_and_beauty/1308282-Disintegrating-shoes-Pt-II

This happened with a pair of Clark’s back in the 80’s. We’d just threaded The Needles on the IOW (another topical subject) when dh said “what’s that mouldy old sandwich you are treading on?” Yes a disintegrated sole. I had to hobble from the boat to the car park 😂

aggie

My lovely Ecco sandals and Ecco boots did something similar , the soles crumbled as i was out walking
It is something to do with a rubber substitute used

There was a problem with Ecco footwear. My walking sandals cost about £65 some years ago. The soles literally crumbled as I wore them. Big chunks falling out. Took them back to the shop and he gave me an instant refund and said there was a fault with the materials used so no problem.

Yes, it’s hydrolisis which breaks down the polymer chains in polyurethane soles. That's why boxed shoes come with a sachet of silica gel inside.

I use interior dehumidifiers. I buy LIVIVO brand via Amazon but others are available.

Pop one inside wardrobes or wherever you keep your shoes and keep an eye on how much water is collected. You might be surprised at just how much.

I wear Pavers/Sketchers shoes and they never seem to wear out or fall to bits. This is good of course, but I can get awfully tired of them and have no excuse to buy new ones.

I had my favourite pair of hotter boots disintegrate!
I was taking a weekend away and I thought I had something stuck to the sole of my boot. On checking at the train station I discovered the heels of both boots were just falling to pieces!
I just had to get on the train and buy a new pair in Inverness, from hotter, I’m a loyal customer.
I had had the boots for several years but I wore them infrequently. I keep my shoes on a rack in the cupboard that houses the boiler so it’s definitely not damp. I had always wondered if they were too dry.
I’ve learned, I now wear my boots daily for the winter months, I have four pairs I wear in rotation. If they fall apart I will at least “have had the wear” of them.

The soles of my lovely knee length leather Clark's boots split right across.

They weren't very old and the leather and zips were still perfect. The local cobbler did his best to mend them but it didn't last and I had to bin them.