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abovebasic · 12 years ago

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Shoes too tight? No worries! We have tips!

STRETCH NEW SHOES TIPS

*Source from Wikihow

Wear your shoes at home. This is the easiest option: if your shoes are not so tight as to be completely unwearable, simply put them on and wear them around the house, until they have adjusted to your feet. This might take a couple days, but it's so natural, it's practically organic!

Wear thick socks and add heat. Put on the thickest socks you have, and squeeze your feet into the shoes (leather only). Heat the tight area of the shoes using a hairdryer and bend your feet back and forth as much as you can for 20 to 30 seconds.

Remove the heat source but leave the shoes on until they have cooled. Try the shoes on with your normal socks or stockings.

Repeat until the shoes have stretched enough. Once stretched, apply leather shoe conditioner to restore the moisture that might have been depleted by the heat.

Note: heating shoes could weaken glue bonds—use with caution on vintage shoes

Freeze them with a bag of water. Fill a hole-free sealable sandwich bag, thick balloon, or similar plastic bag about one third to halfway with water and seal tightly, one bag for each of your shoes.

Place a bag inside each shoe and push into place so that it fills your entire shoe. Place your shoes in the freezer, and let them sit until the water freezes, or overnight. As the water freezes, it will expand into your shoes, gently stretching the leather.

Remove from the freezer and let them thaw for about 20 minutes before trying to remove the bags. Try the shoes on again to see how the shoes fit and repeat if needed.

It's recommended that you don't use this method on expensive shoes.

Stuff your shoes with wet newspaper. Scrunch up wet newspaper, and stuff it into your shoes. Stuff in as much as the shoe will fit, but be careful not to distort the shoe shape when using this method; if the shoe appears distorted, remove newspaper and re-stuff until the shoe shape looks right.

Let the shoes dry. Remove the newspaper and try on the shoes. There should be more give.

Note that this method can also include freezing the shoes for added expansion. Wet socks can be substituted for newspaper.

Use a rubbing alcohol spray. Fill a spray bottle with 50 percent rubbing alcohol and 50 percent water. Spray the inside of each shoe and wear for about 20 minutes.

Alternatively, simply rub alcohol directly onto the parts of the shoe requiring stretching.

Quickly put the shoe or boot on while still wet, as the alcohol will dry quickly.

Another variation is to take a pair of cotton socks, soak them in rubbing alcohol and squeeze out the excess. Put on the socks and wear with the shoes until the alcohol dries. Repeat several times if necessary.

Do the mashed potato. Peel a spud (a big russet is best), and push it into the shoe overnight. Make sure it is large enough to create a small bulge in the shoe.

Potatoes do not smell bad (they actually trap odor), and any potato residue left over will easily wipe off with a damp cloth.

Use a shoe-stretcher on leather shoes. A shoe stretcher is shaped the same as a foot and is usually made from wood, such as cedar or maple, with screws and adjustments that help to stretch the shoe.

Look in the closet-organizer section of your local hardware or organizational stores, or check out garage sales and thrift stores.

A shoe stretcher can adjust width or length (check its ability when purchasing) and will fit in either the left or right shoe.

Known as "dry stretching," a shoe-stretcher can take several days for it to have an effect; check the fit every now and then.

Some shoe stretchers include little buttons you can insert into holes for localized stretching, for example to fit over an area with a bunion or corn.

Use a shoe-stretching spray or oil in conjunction with the shoe-stretcher. You'll find the spray or oil at shoe stores, shoe repair shops, or from wherever you purchased the shoe-stretcher. The spray or oil will help to make the shoe material a little more supple, helping it to stretch evenly and speeds up the process.

Hire a pro. Take your shoes to a professional cobbler for stretching. Some have machines that can gently apply pressure and heat to shoes to stretch them just the right amount.

The precision and ease of using this service can be well worth the effort and cost, especially for expensive or delicate shoes.

Notes:

Go slowly, and be patient. Stretch the shoes a little bit, then try them on, then stretch the shoes some more. The reality is that shoes, like clothes, are made to approximate general size and shape. It is still up to each individual to break in or mold the shoe to fit her or his particular foot shape, and provided the shoe isn't impossibly tight, wearing the shoe regularly and gradually for more and more time is the most effective method for stretching it.

Always purchase your shoes well in advance of when you need to wear them so that you have adequate time to break them in, especially for dances, proms, and weddings.

Make sure your shoes won't be ruined if they get a little bit of water on the inside if you use the water in a bag method.

Don't freeze or heat vintage shoes; it might be the last you see of the shoes!

Don't heat plastic, PVC, etc., shoes. They are not meant to give and applying heat risks releasing toxic fumes.

If you use heat to stretch shoes, be aware that many of the adhesives used in constructing shoes are heat-based.

If you use a shoe stretching spray with your feet, wear old socks because the fluid might make the dye in the shoes bleed a bit.

#STRETCH NEW SHOES TIPS

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