Not everyone can afford to buy new shoes often, but you can try to correct the situation - for example, return them to the store if they are new, stretch the shoes in a workshop, or try to do it at home.
Breaking in new shoes
Everything becomes clear after 30 minutes of wearing new sandals, boots or moccasins. If a callus appears on the heel, your feet are swollen, or your toes rest on the toe, the last is small and puts pressure on your foot, then the shoes are too small for you. The solution is to try to wear the new thing without pain or harm to health.
It is important to understand how much the shoe needs to be stretched. It is easier to spread the model wide: if the block is tight, this can be fixed in a couple of days. If you get the wrong size, it's more difficult to increase it. Use the methods described in the article: the result will not take long to arrive.
Professional shoe stretching
There are often cases when, when trying on a new pair of shoes, it seems to fit the foot perfectly, but during wearing it turns out that the shoes are tight, causing discomfort while walking. In this situation, there is the only correct way out - professional shoe stretching.
Precautionary measures
No matter how urgent the desire to put on new shoes, sneakers or ballet flats, take your time, proceed carefully. Before you start breaking in new shoes, we recommend that you review the following precautions:
- Don't try to endure the pain. Discomfort when walking affects the foot, spine and the body as a whole.
- Check the material for paint and decoration resistance.
- Apply chemical compounds with gloves, protect your hands from boiling water or alcohol.
- Study the material: after an unsuccessful attempt to increase the size, patent leather may crack or lose its luster, and leatherette may have cracks and stains.
- Do not use greasy cream, Vaseline, or vegetable oils when stretching suede or velor shoes.
You can increase your shoe size at home. Be careful, because not all stretching methods are safe for shoes. If you overdo it, the sole may come off, the seams may come apart, and the last may become deformed. After this, the appearance of the shoes will be completely ruined. Natural suede or velor are more delicate materials than smooth leather. You need to stretch velor shoes very carefully and accurately, using the methods that we will discuss in the article.
How do they stretch shoes in the workshop and how much does such work cost?
The easiest way is to take the shoes to a workshop, where they will be stretched to the desired size. Masters use several stretching methods, first taking measurements from your foot to accurately adjust the size and shape. Thus, you can increase the width, volume, and girth of the top of your shoes. ATTENTION! Please note that even in a workshop, in most cases, you will not be able to change the length of your shoes if the design of the item does not allow it.
This more hassle-free method will cost you an unknown amount - it all depends on the type of shoe, the place in which it presses, the prices of the shoemaker, and the region. For example, in Moscow and St. Petersburg it will cost approximately 600 rubles to stretch shoes, in Orel from 400 rubles, in Rostov from 500.
To find a master and find out the cost of his services, use search engines - maps will show you the location of all the workshops in the city, many of which will have their own page on the Internet or at least a working phone number. Having chosen an organization convenient for its location, compare prices and reviews and head to the most optimal place.
How are shoes stretched in the workshop?
To professionally stretch shoes, a number of measures are taken. There is a hot stretch, performed on special machines, when shoes are put on attachments, for each part of the foot separately - if it is uncomfortable in the heel, then the attachment will correct the heel; if in the lower leg, then the attachment is designed specifically for it. Therefore, it is important to mention all the places where the shoes press in order to achieve the best result.
Having given your shoes to the workshop - no matter whether they are women's, men's, children's, shoes or sneakers - you can be sure that you will get back a comfortable product that fits perfectly on your foot, but if this is impossible to achieve, then conscientious craftsmen will not even undertake for work.
Is it possible to stretch all the shoes?
It can be more difficult to change the parameters of shoes when they are made of artificial material. Products made of suede, leather, nubuck, and textiles are best stretchable; it is more difficult to work with leatherette, because it is more subject to deformation and rupture, which creates a risk of damaging the shoes.
Boiling water
Grandmother's method. Simple but effective. You need to pour or dip your shoes in hot water for a few seconds, and then wear them with a thick sock for about half an hour. After breaking in, the shoes should be completely dry. This is a rather aggressive method, so we advise you not to risk expensive new sandals. A gentler way is not to pour boiling water over your shoes, but to hold them over steam.
We continue the topic of the effects of heat, because leather items become much more elastic when heat treated. A stream of hot air must be directed to particularly tight and hard places and warmed up for about 10 minutes. Then our constant “helpers” come into play - thick socks. Their application is the secret of success. Walk like this for 15 minutes and evaluate the results.
Even if a stone sharpens, it will definitely stretch your shoes. There are several ways here. You can wrap your shoes in cotton cloth soaked in warm water. After about half an hour, remove the material and lubricate the skin with any oil. Check the effect after a day. Another tip: soak wool socks in very hot water, put them on, and put them on. Walk around the apartment for 30 minutes.
How to stretch shoes at home?
You can correct uncomfortable shoes at home, using improvised means. - Boiling water. The fastest way to stretch your shoes yourself. Pour hot, boiling water over the shoes in which you are uncomfortable and pour some inside. Wait a little until the shoes cool down to a tolerable state and put them on, walk in them for about half an hour and during this time the material may be deformed exactly to fit your foot. - Alcohol. Soak a cotton pad or cloth with alcohol-containing liquid and wipe your favorite shoes inside and out. Put them on a thin sock and wear them until the moisture disappears.
- Castor oil or Vaseline. The principle of using both of these substances is the same - treat an uncomfortable pair with them inside and out, put them on your bare feet and, enduring the unpleasant sensations, stay in them for 20 minutes. It is also one of the fastest methods of stretching shoes compared to others. - Steam. A painstaking method - you need to hold an uncomfortable shoe over boiling water so that it is evenly heated from all sides by the heat of the steam. Next, we put it on the sock and walk for half an hour.
ATTENTION! This method can be dangerous, since you can actually get burned by too hot steam.
- Warm socks. The most famous method of how to stretch shoes at home. We put on the unlucky shoes on a thick sock and walk as long as we have enough patience, then, after giving our feet a rest, we repeat the action several times. - Vinegar. Wipe your shoes, boots or boots from the inside with a three percent solution and leave it like that for 10 hours. Then try on the shoes - if they still feel tight, then repeat the manipulation again. - Paraffin. We rub shoes in tight places with a regular candle and leave them for 8-10 hours, most conveniently overnight. Then wipe it off and try it on; if nothing has changed, it is advisable to rub it again, repeating the procedure three times.
- Newspapers. We also wet uncomfortable shoes and press the newspapers tightly inside, leaving them like that for 3 hours. If the shoes are not dry, then we tamp a new batch of newspapers, throwing out the old one. After drying, you need to try on a pair and if it does not become more comfortable, you can repeat everything again or move on to other methods of stretching shoes.
- Cold way. Suitable only for shoes made of high-quality material. We put well-tied disposable bags of cold water into a tight pair and place the shoes/boots/shoes in the freezer. As water freezes, it will expand and stretch the shoes. So you need to keep it for 4 hours and when removing the packages, be careful so as not to damage your favorite item.
Preparatory work
To restore patent leather shoes to their attractive appearance, you will need to follow simple steps. First of all, shoes must be carefully prepared for restoration. For this:
- I need to wash it. An ordinary soap solution will do. It is important to use warm, but not hot water. You need to add a little soap to make the water soft. Use a lint-free cloth, moisten it in the prepared solution and wipe the product thoroughly.
- Wipe your shoes dry. A paper towel will help remove excess moisture. With its help, you need to wipe the product and leave the shoes to dry for at least 3-4 hours.
- To prevent the product from losing its shape, you need to stuff it with paper.
After the shoes have dried, you can begin restoration work: removing scratches and restoring color.
We offer the following shoe repair services
The VILINI shoe repair shop is located in the center of Moscow. Equipping the VILINI shoe workshop with professional tools and equipment allows you to repair shoes of any complexity. Masters - professionals in their field carry out: repair of luxury shoes, urgent repair of shoes, replacement of heels, stitching of uppers, restoration of shoes, stretching of shoes, shoe cleaning (dry cleaning), heel repair, prevention of shoe soles, zipper repair, production of insoles, replacement of instep supports. You can also purchase shoe care products, liquid leather and other accessories for everyday use.
Glue will help
To return a torn piece of skin to its place, you can use glue or nail polish. To be confident in the results of your work, you should use professional glue for patent leather. If you need to quickly eliminate the defect, then you should use ordinary nail polish.
Apply a small amount of the substance to the cleaned area and press, leave in this state for the required time. The glue packaging indicates the drying time of the product.
If you decide to use nail polish, then you need to decide on the color scheme. To eliminate scratches and minor tears, apply a little varnish to the problem area. Leave in this position until the substance dries completely.
An obligatory step is the application of varnish fixer. This measure will allow you to preserve the results of the restoration work longer. After 2 weeks it is recommended to repeat the procedure.
Professional shoe stretching
Professional stretching of leather and suede shoes in width and length in Moscow.
European equipment.
You get excellent results without affecting the appearance and durability of your shoes.
Profitable terms.
Possibility of cashless payment
High level of service
Accurate adherence to deadlines
Probably, many of us have found ourselves in a situation where an unexpectedly favorite pair of shoes began to feel unpleasantly tight and you might even think that they had shrunk by half a size. A similar situation can arise when buying new shoes, when for some reason there was no fitting or it did not reveal any tightness. In any case, there is only one way out - stretching the shoes.
Causes of scuffs and scratches
Factors contributing to the appearance of defects on the surface of patent leather shoes:
- factory defects - non-compliance with production technology;
- weather conditions - excessive exposure of patent leather to sunlight or moisture;
- contact with objects - for this it is enough to trip over a stone, step or step on your foot;
- improper care - cleaning or washing with hard brushes, sponges, use of chemicals not intended for shoes;
- sudden changes in temperature - drying near heating devices, as well as frost below -10 degrees - provoke cracking of the varnish.
Patent leather shoes are not recommended to be worn every day; exposure to dust and dirt leads to scuffs and tarnishing.
Restoring patent leather shoes using dyeing
To dye patent leather shoes, you can use a professional dye, which can be easily purchased at a specialized store. You need to apply dye to the prepared surface. The procedure must be carried out using rubber gloves.
- Take a clean and dry sponge.
- Spray dye on it.
- Treat the surface with a sponge.
- Leave the product to dry for several hours.
Patent leather shoes will allow you to create spectacular looks for dry autumn, summer and spring.
Helpful Tips:
- Stretch any shoes gradually so as not to make them too loose.
- In order for the skin to acquire its original appearance after stretching, at the end of this procedure, be sure to apply a special cream to the outer surface. By doing this you will not only protect the products from the influence of negative stretching factors, but also give the shoes an ideal appearance.
- Do not subject expensive shoes made of thin leather to such harsh methods as treatment with boiling water and freezing.
- Don’t rush to break in new shoes using harsh methods. Maybe after a couple of days, they will stretch to the desired size, because natural stretching is, although not the fastest, but the most effective way of stretching. In this case, the shoes do not become deformed and fit exactly according to the shape of the foot.
- Treat hard shoes with fish oil or castor oil, and then polish them with a woolen rag or brush.
- If the shoe pinches in a certain place, then drop wax or paraffin from a burning candle onto this area and place the shoe on the last. After a few days, the shoes will stretch in the right place.
- Before stretching your shoes, inspect them, clean them, remove the insoles and, if possible, remove all accessories and decorative elements (laces, buckles). Also determine what material the shoes are made of to help you figure out which method you should use.
Important! There is another innovative solution that will allow you to stretch shoes without harm to your feet, not in a workshop, but at home. At the same time, you don’t even have to limit yourself in wearing products. Buy special silicone stickers - they are available from different manufacturers in different shapes and sizes:
- in the form of small drops for point stretching of shoes; in the form of strips that are convenient to place on the backs and front;
- in the form of large elements suitable for lining under the sole of the foot.
Having pasted such pads, you can absolutely safely walk down the street in new shoes, and after a week, take them off and continue wearing shoes that are already suitable in shape and size.
