Some boots have heavy, nonskid soles.
In the snow belt, most municipalities expend a considerable effort to ensure their streets and sidewalks can be traveled without too much risk of slipping and falling. For adults, an uncontrolled fall from a standing position can easily produce broken bones, concussion or soft-tissue injuries. Help bolster your safety when walking on ice or slippery floors by making your boot soles non-slip. There are several ways to keep boots from slipping, depending on your budget and circumstances.
Instructions
1. Take your boots to a shoemaker, and have non-skid soles installed. Modern non-skid soles are reliable on most types of flooring, and will give the best overall result. However, this solution isn't always available, depending on the type of boot, its planned usage or the owner's budget.
2. Clean your soles carefully and apply stick-on traction pads. These are available at department and drug stores, and consist of a patch of rough material that creates traction by friction. They have adhesive backing to hold them in place. These pads only work on smooth, shoe-style leather and plastic soles.
3. Cut a shallow grid pattern carefully into the plastic or leather sole of your boot, with a scalpel or box cutter. This will provide a modest degree of traction.
4. Scuff the soles of your boots aggressively on coarse concrete, or with a very coarse piece of sandpaper. Once they've been roughed up, your boots will hold better on most surfaces.
5. Fit your boots with metal cleats, if slipping on ice and snow is your concern. The cleats are held on with a lightweight harness or bungee cords, and turn your boots into the equivalent of a studded snow tire. This solution is suitable only for outdoor use.
