Find some really great shoes that are just a bit too tight, or that fit just right when you tried them on but have since put a squeeze on your foot? There are ways to give it that like-a-glove fit in a hurry, here are the top four ways to stretch your shoes to get that perfect fit.
*Be advised, using any of the water techniques on leather could cause discoloration. Personally, I think this can add to the character of the shoe, but it in general water doesn’t mix well with dyed leather.
Wet Sock Shoe Stretching Technique
My favorite way to hurry the break-in process of my leather dress shoes is the wet sock trick. This technique will give you the most custom fit since it targets the areas that are tight on your foot.
I take the thickest pair of socks I own (usually my ski socks, or two pairs of gym socks), dip them in water, place them on my foot and put my shoes on. You want to wear them around the house for about a half hour, making sure to flex your foot and walk in a somewhat exaggerated manner. Then, take a dry pair of thick socks and wear them around for as long as you can, ideally until they are dry again. If you can’t wear them until they are dry, then be sure to use adjustable wooden shoe trees or stuff them tight with newspaper to prevent the leather from shrinking back to the original size.
Wet Newspaper Stretching Technique
A great way to stretch the toe box or width of the shoe, since you stuff the newspaper in the front of the shoe. This technique is pretty simple, you need to dampen a bunch of newspaper, and stuff it into the front of your shoe as tight as possible. The water will soften the leather, and the tightly packed newspaper will put pressure on the leather, allowing it to stretch.
Leave the dampened newspaper in the shoe until it has sufficiently dampened the leather (about 20 minutes). You then want to replace the wet newspaper with dried newspaper, again packing it in very tight until the shoe is dry. I suggest even leaving it overnight, or wearing them around while still damp to mold the shoe a bit better before airing them out for regular use. The newspaper will re-absorb the water and help with the drying process while keeping pressure on the leather to stretch.
Wooden Shoe Stretchers
A pretty tried and true way to get results, and especially helpful if you have irregular feet and need to custom fit several pairs of shoes over time, would be to purchase a shoe stretcher. These are usually made of wood and allow small screw adjustments to various parts of the shoe, focusing on trouble areas. It is pretty self explanatory, but can take awhile to dial it it to get just the right fit. Using water to dampen the leather can aide in stretching the leather shoes a bit quicker, just make sure it dries with the stretchers in place.
Fire and Ice – Heat and Freezing Shoe Stretching Methods
Freezing your shoes can work in theory, although I am a bit more hesitant to try these as it can put a lot of pressure on the leather, and may result in unwanted stretching. I am more on board with the heating method, similar to fitting ski-boots, for trouble areas and hotspots.
For this, you want to put your shoe on, preferably with some thick socks to increase the pressure on the hotspot. Moisten the area with water and use a blow-dryer in a sweeping motion to go over and dry the area while putting as much pressure on the area as you can (flex your foot and simulate walking in an exaggerated way). Repeat until you feel the area loosening.
As for the freezing method, stuff large, thick ziplock sandwich bags into your shoes (while laced tightly) and fill with water. Place in the freezer overnight to begin the stretching process. The theory is the water expands when turning to ice, and it will stretch your shoes. This may or may not work depending on where the water expands to, which is why I have never employed this tactic myself and wouldn’t recommend it.
Let me know which methods work best for you, or if you have your own method, please share it in the comments below, I’d love to hear what has worked to get your shoes fitting just right!
Leave a Reply