Quite often it happens that you buy new shoes in an online store, or in a regular shoe store, and then only at home realize that they are too tight in your toes or in width.
The situation is especially critical if the shoes were purchased for work, since you will have to suffer during long working hours. In order for new pumps to stretch on their own, you will have to wear them for at least several weeks.
However, you shouldn’t despair and put your long-awaited purchase on a distant shelf, because you can try to stretch them yourself. Below are some of the most relevant methods, but before resorting to them, you should familiarize yourself with the following important nuances:
- Products made from genuine leather stretch the fastest and with the highest quality;
- Textile shoes, as well as products made from natural leather substitutes, can lose not only color, but also shape;
- It is best to use specially designed products for stretching;
- Shoes that are overstretched or damaged during stretching are not covered by the warranty.
Varnish (varnish) shoes
Patent leather shoes are quite finicky, since the hard walls of the product can put pressure on the foot, contributing to the development of calluses and wounds. That is why this type of shoe should be purchased very carefully so that the product fits exactly in size to your feet.
However, if a mistake is made, and the shoes are tight in length or narrow in width, many people think about the possibility of stretching the pumps at home.
So, let's look at whether this can be done and how.
Of course, shoes made of varnish can be stretched, but not all of them.
It is very important that they are made of genuine, thin leather so that the material is elastic and soft.
Important! You can only stretch patent leather shoes in width, since it is simply impossible to lengthen shoes. But even when stretching a piece of clothing, it is important to be very careful so that the shoes do not lose their shape. Many people prefer to take everything into their own hands and make their shoes more comfortable using the means at hand. For such cases, we present several methods that can help, but remember that the result is not one hundred percent:
- You can quickly stretch patent leather shoes with the help of a friend whose feet are one size larger than yours. Let him walk around in them for a while, after which you will be able to wear your shoes again without any problems;
- Fat cream and hair dryer. This method is very risky, because prolonged exposure to hot air has a detrimental effect on the varnish coating;
- Alcohol, cologne or vinegar. The use of these products can also cause damage to the varnish coating. The idea is to apply one of the indicated products to the inside of the shoe, after which you should put a thick, cotton sock on your foot and walk around in the shoes for a while. Wait until the material is completely dry. Please ensure that there are no wounds or damage on the feet;
- Boiling water or steam. This method should also be used only on the inside of the product. The point of the method is to pour boiling water inside the shoes, or hold it over hot steam for some time. After this, you need to put on your shoes, after putting on warm, thick socks. You should stay in your shoes until all the moisture has completely evaporated;
- Ice. Of course, low temperatures have a very adverse effect on the varnish coating, but at the same time, thanks to ice cubes, you can quickly stretch shoes that are too small for you. You just need to pour cold water into plastic bags, place them in the shoes, and then move the entire structure into the freezer. Through basic physics, your shoes will become slightly larger because water tends to expand when it freezes;
- Terry towel. This method involves placing the problem shoe along with a damp towel in a plastic bag, which must be left closed overnight. In the morning, take it out of the bag, put it on and walk around until the moisture disappears;
- Specially designed stretchers. In addition to other “folk remedies”, you can also use professional cosmetics for shoes. It is less dangerous for the material, including varnish, but you must strictly follow the instructions.
Information. In order not to risk the life and appearance of the purchased pair, you can use the services of shoe workshops. There is special equipment, thanks to which you can very quickly adjust shoes to the desired size.
How to quickly break in patent leather shoes
For comfortable wearing, shoes can be held over boiling water with the inside down.
- Boiling water, which is recommended to be poured inside the shoes, will help you quickly wear polished shoes, then put them on a terry sock and walk until the shoes cool completely.
- A more gentle method would be to use steam. The shoes should be held over boiling water with the inside down.
- You can also try stretching your shoes with water and a terry towel. Soak the towel in hot water, wring it out well and wrap it around each shoe separately, then place it in a plastic bag and seal it tightly. You should leave your shoes in this condition until the morning. After drying, you can wear it again, but with comfort.
Is it possible to quickly expand the width of new
Of course, it is absolutely impossible to stretch shoes that are too tight in a matter of minutes. However, according to real reviews of existing folk remedies, several of the fastest-acting ones can be identified:
- Hot water in combination with thick socks will allow you to wear out genuine leather shoes in no time;
- Special stretch foam is also a great option. It should be selected specifically for the type of shoe that needs to be stretched;
- Vaseline, castor oil, and fatty cream will quickly increase the size of shoes made of genuine leather, as well as those coated with varnish;
- Alcohol products are also suitable for leather, suede, patent leather shoes;
- By freezing it is best to stretch shoes made of artificial leather, as well as fabric;
- Using paraffin or soap you can quickly soften the heel of new shoes that chafe.
Attention! Under no circumstances should you use greasy cream, Vaseline or oil to stretch suede products, as permanent stains may remain.
Tension pads
It often happens that when buying shoes online, the size may not match yours. As a result, the boots are tight and cause discomfort. Special ski or snowboard boots cause particular pain.
Attention! They are made from particularly durable materials, so you won’t be able to stretch your snowboarding or skiing boots using standard methods with alcohol, hot water or ice.
In this situation, “heavy artillery” comes to the rescue - wooden stretching blocks. They are sliding heads based on spring ties and allow you to increase your ski boots by one size. You shouldn't count on it right away.
The entire boot processing process will take about a week.
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To do this, you need to insert stretch pads inside and spread the heads as far as the shoes will allow.
Boots should always be kept with pads inside in a warm place, preferably near radiators.
Additionally, several times a day you need to unwind the spring tie a few millimeters and warm up the shoes with a hairdryer.
Quickly stretch at home with a hairdryer
Using a hair dryer to stretch shoes is best reserved for synthetic materials. The point of this method is to put thick socks on your feet, then shoes that need to be stretched.
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Next, the shoes need to be thoroughly heated with a hairdryer. The material becomes soft and pliable. After turning off the device, you should leave your shoes on for a while so that they take the shape of your feet.
To enhance the effect, you can wet your socks and apply a special cosmetic foam to the inside of the product to stretch the shoes.
How to stretch leather shoes with water
Many people purchase leather shoes for daily use, but their inconvenience is discovered only after the start of active use. In this case, you may simply not have the opportunity to take the shoes to a workshop or try to wear them while walking around the apartment. Therefore, quite often you can come across the question of how to quickly stretch leather shoes at home. In fact, there are many similar methods that are very effective.
One of the most effective methods, which still raises many doubts among many, is the use of an ordinary thick bag of water. The essence of this method is that a bag filled with water is placed inside leather shoes. It is noteworthy that thin polyethylene bags should not be used as containers, as they can simply tear, which is very undesirable. After this, the shoes are placed in the freezer for a while so that the water in the bag freezes. As you know, water expands when it freezes, which allows you to stretch leather shoes both in width and slightly in length, without experiencing discomfort and without wasting extra time going to the workshop.
One of the methods that can be applied to genuine leather products is to use boiling water. Boiling water needs to be poured inside the shoes and kept in this form for 5-10 minutes. After this, the water is drained, and after cooling, the product is put on and worn. You can enhance the effect with cotton socks, which should also be pre-wetted and the shoes should be worn until they are completely dry.
Too narrow or hard back
Stretching can be done using some of the methods described above. For example, the “freezing” method. You need to stuff the sock with dry, crumpled newspapers, and place a bag of water in the heel area. When frozen, the toe will remain unchanged, but the heel will expand. In a similar way, you can use the “newspaper” method, only we place dry newspapers in the sock, and “stuff” the heel tightly with wet ones.
You can also smear the heel with Vaseline, castor or sunflower oil and walk like this for several hours until the heel becomes wider.
You can also use the old “grandfather’s” method. Place a wet cloth in the heel, let it soak in moisture, and then tap the back with a hammer from the inside through the same cloth - the back will stretch a little.
A regular solid antiperspirant deodorant can help stretch the backside. They need to rub the inside of the heel, and then put the shoe on a thin toe and walk around until the heel stops rubbing. For the best effect, wrap the shoe box in a damp terry towel and leave it there for 3-4 hours. You can watch the video below to see how to do this correctly:
How to stretch rubber boots
We figured out how to stretch shoes made of natural and artificial leather. But what to do if your rubber boots are too tight? It is worth noting here that only shoes made of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC for short, can be stretched. This synthetic material, unlike rubber, has plastic properties.
Your actions are as follows:
- Prepare a bowl of cold water and boil water in a kettle separately
- Pour boiling water into each boot and wait about half an hour
- Pour out the water and let the boots cool slightly for a few minutes
- Put on a warm sock, or better yet two, and put on your boots
- Stand with both feet in a basin of water
- While the boots are cooling, actively move your toes and shift from foot to foot, stretching the shoes
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Under the influence of boiling water, the polyvinyl chloride will become more plastic, and cold water will help it “harden” again. You can first walk around in your boots, and then take them off and put them in a basin. A thick sock performs two functions at once: it prevents your feet from burning when you put on boots, and it increases the thickness of your feet, thereby helping the PVC stretch.
In a similar way, you can stretch almost any PVC shoes, be it rubber ballet flats or beach flip-flops.
