Disintegrating shoes Pt II

Ooh my mum used to say "went home", too.

Two pairs "went home" this week as my welsh auntie used to say .Soles came off both hardly worn so its not wear related .The sole of one pair seemed hollow so nothing to glue them back to.My OH who is very handy with most things says the other pair have soles that need a specialised glue so we'll see if the local cobbler can fix them .
Irritating because they are both sandals that I had hoped to wear this year .I cant find anything similar online

I asked Google.

PU consists of long polymer chains that are gradually split apart due to the effect of moisture. As a consequence, PU loses flexibility over time and gradually becomes brittle. As the shoes reach an advanced age, this can lead to signs of disintegration in the soles

So there you have it!

Perhaps it is something to do with the flexible, cushioned soles and heels?

I have just binned a pair like that tonight. They were years old, not cheap, but hardly worn.

I sold a pair of shoes on Ebay (so they must have been a "make" and not my usual cheapies) and the buyer contacted me with pictures of the sole all disintegrated.
I think they were Hotter or something.

I had never heard of this happening to shoes, but my husband was clearing out his shoes and right at the back of the wardrobe he found a pair he had forgotten about must have been bought maybe 5 years before! Not really expensive still in the box put them on off he went shopping all fine until he got half way round the supermarket aisle he felt a crunch and one shoe started crumbling the heel fell off turned the corner and the other one started falling to pieces the sole came away, he was mortified! We had never heard of this sort of thing happening

Same thing has happened to my MBT sandals that I hadn’t worn for a couple of years. I had planned to wear the shoes and sandals that I already have rather than buying new ones for the summer so I think that I will haul everything out of the wardrobe and wear as many as I can this summer.

Db shoes fell apart, they had lots of life left. I think the glue must have become brittle

I was at the doctors having blood taken when I noticed black rubbery stuff on the carpet. When I realised my shoes were disintegrating I was mortified. I left the surgery on tiptoe.

I've had this problem with Hotter and other brands. The moral is ....wear them don't save them! I suppose we should be glad that they are eventually biodegradable! (I think).

It’s happened to me twice now, both times were Hotter shoes. Both were shoes I hadn’t worn for at least a couple of years. My last surviving comfy Hotters are starting to go now as well, but tbh, they owe me nothing, I’ve worn them so often.

@silverlining48
I didn't buy them locally so can't take them back. I put them in the dustbin yesterday so they're now in some landfill site.

I wonder is it just the black soles ? I have resurrected another pair of Ecco shoes with grey soles , just worn them yesterday and today and ok so far

It happens! It happened to me at a concert. They were shoes I had not worn for a while, been in a box. It is a well known problem.

Same thing happened me with a nice comfy pair of Ecco shoes I hadn’t been able to wear them due to nor being able to tie the laces , but last weekend I managed and wore them for two days but yesterday when I tried to walk , the soles left a black trail or rubber crumbs ,! In the bin now ?

I had a similar experience recently. Tried on an almost unworn pair of Clarks ankle boots I’d put away 4 years ago as I couldn’t wear them with a prescription orthotic support. They felt comfy and I thought I’d try them around the house without the bulky support to see if I could walk ok in them. Within a few steps I felt they were so comfy my feet were sinking into them. Then I realised they were! The soles spread out onto the floor and disintegrated. It took me the next 2 hours to scrub the black tarry marks from the floor.

Found Jo and Joe shoes at garden centre. Lovely loafers. Incredible number of colours. All leather . £25 or less. On line too. Seem to be doing well. Am size 4.5 and 4 fits. Think they do wide as well. Worth a try.

There was a recent thread on this subject and all the shoes which were disintegrating were expensive brands.
I had never heard of this happening to anyone, certainly not to me, maybe because I don’t buy these expensive shoes.
Currently wearing Aldi £5.99, 3 or 4 years old, good as new and I expect them to last a few years more.
I would take them back and complain. That is really annoying.