8 Simple & Proven Ways to Stretch Your Shoes at Home

You would not want to put on a tight shoe again after the first experience.

The last time I wore tight shoes, I regretted putting them on because it was so painful that I nearly lost my toenails. That was in 2018.

At that time, I did not know there was a way I could remedy my misfortune. But now I know, and I want to share the tricks with you.

So, did you just buy a shoe and it is too small a size for you? Or, you just want to blow out some aspects of the shoe to fit your kind of toes.

Here, you will learn the 8 simple tricks of how to stretch your shoes. I expect you to follow with great attention.

1. Freeze the Shoes

Sounds freaky right?

Well, the first trick you could take to stretch your undersized shoe is to freeze it. To arrive at a good result, follow these steps:

  1. Get a Ziploc bag (or just any zipper storage bag) and half-fill it with water
  2. Tuck the Ziploc bag with water into the shoe you want to stretch
  3. Put the shoe in the freezer and allow it to freeze overnight.

The magic happens after this!

Well, it isn’t magic actually. As the water freezes, it expands which then expands the shoes. You can repeat this severally until you get your desired size.

PS: This method is not to be used on leather shoes, but fabric shoes and others made from synthetic materials.

2. Use The Blow Dryer Method

A very quick way to stretch your shoe is to use the heat and thick sock method. Good enough, it can work on leather shoes unlike the first method above.

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This method is a bit tricky because as you would want to correct your footwear, you may be getting it out of shape. Hence you would want to be careful enough.

However, follow the steps below to reach a great result:

  1. Wear a pair of thick socks and put on the pair of shoe you want to work on.
  2. Get a hairdryer (blow dryer) and carefully apply the hot air over the areas you want to affect the change for about 20 – 30 seconds. Do not concentrate the heat at a spot to avoid burning the shoe
  3. Apply a leather conditioner or moisturizer afterward to help the shoe cure properly.

PS: If you used this method on a synthetic material, you could manually use your hands to gently stretch the areas to your desired size.

3. Use a Shoe Stretcher

It is really simple. An adjustable shoe stretcher is a tool that can help you blow your shoe to the desired size.

The good thing is that it is affordable such that you can even get them below $20. You could view it on Amazon.

When you get the adjustable stretcher, put it into the shoe, and adjust until it is tightly fitted into the shoe. Do this with care as not to pull the shoe apart.

Keep readjusting the stretcher daily to occupy newly created spaces, until you arrive at your desired size.

PS: This method is recommended for leather shoes.

In this same line, you could also use shoe stretch sprays and liquids. You can exploit this method by spraying the liquid on the tight areas.

Getting one would cost you less than $12. You can view it on Amazon.

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And guess what, you can wear your shoes immediately. This method is suitable for leather and fabric shoes.

4. Use a Shoe Tree

While you are not in your shoes, you might want to keep it in shape while you also adjust the size. A shoe tree would help you do this.

This device looks more like a stretcher, but it is not. While you adjust the stretcher with a screw to blow up the size, you just put the shoe tree into the shoe (mostly adjustable with a string) to preserve the shape.

Nonetheless, it can help you increase the size too. It would also cost you less than $20 to get a pair. So, you could view it on Amazon.

5. Remove the Insole

The quickest trick you can apply to your tight shoe and wear it more comfortably is to remove the insole.

An insole if the foamy pad placed before the outsole pad to give you comfort.

When you remove the insole, you create more space for your leg to fit in better.

On the other hand, while this method is quick you may not all the comfort the shoe would have given you with the insole.

6. Apply the Peeled Potato Magic

Sounds more like when I told you to freeze your shoes right?

Anyway, this method works like magic, but as usual, it is not.

Go to a grocery store and pick a potato that best fits the size of your shoe or the size you want to make it.

Peel it and shape it to model the front of the target shoe. Wipe the potato dry with a towel. Stuck it into the shoes and allow them overnight.

You can use this shoe stretching method for loafers and shoes that are not fabrics. Another perk is that the potatoes can help keep your shoes from bad smell.

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7. Wear the Shoe at Home

This method requires nothing else from you apart from resilience. When you return from your day’s work, you can wear the said footwear.

The shoe will stretch organically on its own, especially when it is a leather shoe.

But before you do that, ensure you let your leg rest especially when you have done a lot of walking in the day.

If the shoe is a new one, walk on rugs and carpets with it so that you will be able to return it good-looking if the need be.

And if the shoe is too uncomfortable to wear, you could try either of the previous methods.

8. Take it to a Professional

Even though you can simply apply these previous methods to stretch your shoes at home, you should not neglect the touch of a professional.

Now, this is why: A professional shoe repair shop has these tools needed to get your footwear into shape and size. So you do not have to buy anything.

You would also enjoy a better touch than the one you might do by yourself. So, simply locate the repair shop close to you and make things easier for yourself.


Conclusion

These are the 8 simple methods of stretching your shoe I wanted to share with you. Do let me know which of these methods you will try.

If it was helpful to you, I will appreciate it if you shared it.


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