9 Effective Ways to Stretch Sneakers and Leather Shoes

Are you worried about buying a pair of sneakers or leather shoes that are too tight? You want to find a way to stretch your shoes instead of buying new ones. To stretch your shoes, there are certain formulas to help you "fix" your feet. Celidior will suggest you some small tips below.

Problems that happen to your feet when you wear tight shoes

If you are wondering why you need to stretch your shoes, you should know about the effects of wearing tight shoes. If you wear tight shoes for a long time, you will suffer consequences that you do not expect.

What happens to your feet if your shoes are too tight?

If you wear tight shoes, you will experience conditions such as:

• Difficulty standing due to foot pain
• Deformed toes, blisters between the toes
• More serious conditions for the structure of the toes such as hammer toes, mallet toes and bone spurs
• Even more serious conditions such as: bunions, flat feet syndrome, numbness, inflammation and pain in the heel bone or toe joint
• There may be a loss of cartilage in the joint connecting the toes and the foot

How to stretch sneakers and leather shoes effectively

Because of the above consequences, if you accidentally buy tight shoes, immediately apply the way to stretch the shoes. Whether sneakers or leather shoes, you can apply some small tips as follows:

Use ice

You can use a bag of frozen water to create a hard object to shape the shoe to be wider than the original. But you need to note to use a clean and intact plastic bag to avoid dirty shoes or water leaking into the shoes.

Stretch shoes with ice

Steps to follow:

• Step 1: Put water in 2 plastic bags, you can adjust the amount of water to your liking then tie the bag tightly
• Step 2: Place the water bag at the corner of the shoe you want to expand
• Step 3: Wrap the shoe, then put it in the freezer for about 8-10 hours
• Step 4: Take the shoe out and wait 20-30 minutes for the ice to melt and your shoe has been expanded

Using a hair dryer

In contrast to the above method, this method uses high temperatures to stretch leather shoes and sneakers. When using a dryer, you will need the support of a few pairs of socks and note that this method does not apply to suede shoes.

Dryer – effective shoe stretching method

Steps to follow:

• Step 1: Wear one or more pairs of socks depending on how wide you want them to be and put on your shoes
• Step 2: Dry around the shoes on medium heat to stretch and widen the shoes

Using potatoes

Using potatoes is also a very useful way to stretch shoes for everyone. Because potatoes have a shape similar to a shoe last, and have the right hardness, they can also replace a shoe tree.

Stretch leather shoes with potatoes

Steps:

• Step 1: Clean 2 or more potatoes (divide each side 1-2 potatoes)
• Step 2: Place the potato in the corner of the shoe you want to widen
• Step 3: Leave the potato in the shoe overnight and you will get the width you want

Rolled or fabric sock fillers

This method is also quite simple and somewhat similar to the above method. However, because socks and fabric are stretchy and elastic, it will take more time. When not using shoes, stuff socks or fabric into the shoes to keep the shoe shape fixed and stretch if you stuff more.

Stuff socks or thick cloth into shoes

Use specialized solutions

Shoe stores and shoe repair shops usually sell a special solution for stretching shoes. This solution comes in a spray bottle for easy use and quick results.

Stretch shoes with specialized solution

But if you spray directly on the surface of the shoe, it will fade the fabric because its main ingredients are water and alcohol. It is best to spray on the inside of the shoe to limit this problem. Once sprayed, you can wear the shoe as usual, the shoe shape will gradually stretch and fit your foot.

Use talcum powder

Another good tip to stretch your shoes is to use baby powder. Baby powder helps reduce friction between the surface of the instep and the shoe, keeping your feet dry and eliminating shoe odor. Just sprinkle a little baby powder on your feet before putting on your shoes to make them easier to wear.

Sprinkle a little baby powder to make shoes easier to wear.

Moisturizer

To stretch your shoes simply and effectively, you can use moisturizer. Apply a little moisturizer to the inside surface of the shoe, the heel.

Soften shoes with moisturizer

The leather will be softer, and you will not have chafed feet or sore feet due to tight shoes. You can apply 2-3 layers of moisturizer to soften the shoes with hard materials.

Keep shoes dry

Another effective way to stretch your shoes is to keep them dry. Because if exposed to a lot of moisture, your shoes will easily shrink. You can keep the silica gel packets that come with your shoes. They will help absorb moisture, keeping your shoes dry.

Store shoes in a dry place

Therefore, you should limit leaving your shoes in places with high humidity. Keeping your shoes dry also helps increase their lifespan, the leather is always beautiful and new, and does not peel.

Wear shoes around the house many times

New shoes usually don't have much elasticity, so you will feel a bit tight when wearing them, causing pain in your toes.

Wear shoes a lot in the house before taking them out to use.

Wear shoes indoors before wearing them outside

Therefore, a little tip is that when you first buy shoes, wear them indoors to increase their elasticity. Your feet will also get used to the shoes more before wearing them outside.

Some notes when buying shoes that fit your feet

With the above ways to stretch shoes, you will no longer worry about the problem of tight shoes when you buy them. But if you carefully choose the right shoe size from the beginning, you will save more time, and the shoes will not lose their shape.

If you keep buying tight shoes, you will spend time and effort to make them wider. And the shoes will not be as beautiful as the first time. Therefore, when buying shoes, you should pay attention to the following:

Buy shoes at the right time

According to research, your feet can expand in the evening, up to 8% larger than in the morning. Therefore, you should consider not buying shoes in the morning. It is best to buy shoes in the evening so that the shoes fit your feet and are comfortable.

Try the shoes carefully before buying.

Try the shoes on carefully.

When buying shoes, don't just look at them and rush to buy them, thinking that they will fit your feet. Try them on and then buy them. When trying on shoes, you should pay attention to a few things as follows:

• Your toes should be able to move freely in the toe of the shoe
• The heel should fit snugly and not slide up and down when moving your feet
• Walk around the store a bit to check the shoes more carefully

A rule when buying shoes is to trust the feeling of your feet and not the words of the salesperson. People may tell you that shoes will stretch out over time to fit your feet. But in reality, the tightness of the shoes will affect your feet and your health.

Choose shoes according to your feelings

You should also bring the type of socks you usually wear when wearing shoes to choose the most suitable shoes, avoid trying on shoes with bare feet. This will lead to a difference in the width and tightness of the shoes when trying on and when actually using them.

With the above ways to stretch shoes, you will not have to worry too much if your shoes are too tight. Apply the methods shared by Celidior and be confident with your favorite shoes.