Do you know how to stretch the toe box of shoes?
The ideal pair of shoes you’ve found, look extremely beautiful and the shine is extremely stylish. They, in fact, look so good that you could go to war for them. They are the best, not only because they look good, but that you and they would look very attractive together.
You rush to try them on, but as soon as you put them on, there comes along a problem. They don’t fit. What do you do now? You can’t leave the perfect shoes just because they don’t fit. What you’d want to do is stretch the toe box of the shoes.
Now you would be wondering, “How can I actually make my shoes bigger than they already are?”
Well, you can be sure that it doesn’t require some complicated science or some heavy machinery to do so. You do not even need to be a shoemaker with years of experience. All you need are regular household items, you can go a bit extra and order a stretching kit if you buy into that. Now you should know one thing:
These methods won’t help make Cinderella’s glass slippers fit Bigfoot, but they will surely help in one thing. They would make the shoe size go up by ½, and will even keep it that way:
Step by Step Guide on How to Stretch the Toe Box of Shoes
So, how to accomplish this stretching, and what will you need to do. Dive in:
1. The Good Old Water Bag Trick
5th grade science will tell you that water will expand when frozen but it won’t tell you how to stretch your shoe using the quality of expansion. Do it tonight and you’d have your shoes ready for your office tomorrow. Here’s what to do:
i. Get a Zip-lock bag or multiple ones. Just make sure they are the “freezer strength” kind. Fill them up with water until they’re half full, remove all the air.Make sure they don’t leak!
ii. Put the bag (or bags)ensuring that you have snugged the water bag(s) into the shoe. Especially into the place that you want to stretch.
iii. Put it in the freezer, until it is completely frozen. Depending upon your freezer this may take anywhere between 4 to 8 hours.
iv. Take them out and remove the water bags, your shoes are bigger now. But if they still don’t fit, repeat the steps again.
Sometimes, moisture may cause the shoe to shrink,
2. The Shoe Trees (or Shoe Rags)
These help preserve the shape and size of the shoe and prevent moisture from shrinking the shoe. You can buy these online easily, and there are versions that come with the ability to be adjusted according to the size of the shoe. However, if you don’t want to go for a shoe tree, and want an “at home remedy” instead, then you can stuff the shoe with rags. Any rags would do as long as the shoe is completely stuffed.
3. Silica Gel
Ever wondered why there is a pack of Silica Crystals in a shoe box? The basic idea is that Silica Gel is water and moisture absorbent. As stated above, moisture can actually make your shoes smaller than they are, and talking about your favorite pair of shoes, no risks can be taken in maintaining their size. So it is recommended that you put a pack of silica in each shoe. It’ll help you avoid the time consuming task of stretching the toe box of shoes
4. Proper Shoe Stretching Equipment
If your problems are not being solved by the water/ice home remedy, you can try to go for a shoe stretching tool. These are available, both online and in shoe repair shops. They have to be used with a spray-able liquid that helps in the shoe stretching process, and it usually comes along with the shoe stretcher.
This might help you stretch your shoe, more than the water/ice method. There are multiple kinds available in the market and if you don’t want to be confused at the moment you’re buying the stretcher, keep reading on:
- The simple stretcher is operated by a single knob, this can increase the length of your shoe if the leather is pressing a bit hard on the toenails.
- Two-way stretcher, you know you need this if your biggest or/and smallest toe hurt a lot after a long day. This stretcher not only increases the length of the shoe but can also help increase the width of the toe box.
- There is a longer version of the two way stretcher available. The extra torque helps you stretch tougher leather and other boot materials.
- Proper Fit Stretcher, this is the kind that can help you expand all areas of the shoes, to create the custom fit you need in order to be happy with your shoes.
5. Professional Shoe Repair Services
Sometimes none of the above methods work out for you. It may be saddening but all hopes are not lost. In this case, you can go to a professional shoe repair shop. They can do a lot more than DIY remedies, ever could, be it the toe box or any other part of the shoe that doesn’t fit right, and makes your feet numb or aching after a long day at the office.
Well, these repair shops have machines that can target specific areas in your shoe to stretch and expand. You can tighten up the place that is loose and loosen up the parts that wrap too tightly around your feet.
Verdict
Stretch the toe box of the shoe if you feel pain after taking off those shoes. Make your shoe perfect, in order to get them fit your feet in a perfect way.