Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 5: Stuff the shoes
• Method 2 of 5: Warm up the shoes
• Method 3 of 5: Wet the shoes
• Method 4 of 5: Steaming the shoes
• Method 5 of 5: Freeze the shoes
• Tips

Leather shoes naturally stretch and mold to your feet when you wear them, but when new they can feel tight and hurt. You can make your shoes stretch faster. Some of the methods for this are described below.

To step

Method 1 of 5: Stuff the shoes

1. Stuff your shoes with damp wads of newspaper. Stuff them as full as possible.
   • You can also stuff your shoes with peeled potatoes.
2. Let the shoes dry slowly. Keep them away from direct heat sources such as sunlight and radiators as this can damage the leather.
3. Remove the wads of newspaper (or the peeled potatoes) from the shoes when they are dry.
4. Wear your shoes. Your shoes should now feel a lot more comfortable and not fit tightly around your feet.

Method 2 of 5: Warm up the shoes

You can stretch them by heating up your new leather shoes. However, be careful with this method, as direct heat can damage your shoes. Do not use this method on old leather, as the heat can release the glue and cause the leather to crack.

1. Wear very thick socks. Put on your new leather shoes.
2. Sit in a comfortable place. Take turns heating both shoes with a hair dryer and bend your feet forward and back as much as possible. Aim the hair dryer at the shoes for a maximum of 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Turn off the hair dryer. Keep the shoes on while they cool down.
4. Take off your thick socks. Put on thinner socks or tights. Try on the shoes. The shoes are stretched if you clearly notice a difference. If not, repeat the process.
5. Apply a leather care product or saddle soap. These agents supplement the moisture deficiency caused by the heat.

Method 3 of 5: Wet the shoes

This method is said to be used in the military to stretch new leather shoes.

1. Take off everything except your shoes. Get in the shower. It sounds ridiculous, but the hot water will relax the leather a bit.
2. Wear the shoes for several hours after getting out of the shower. The relaxed leather will mold to your feet as it dries.
   • Your shoes may make a sopping noise when you walk outside (only walk outside or someone will get angry about the wet spots you make on the carpet) with wet shoes, but this is worth it.
3. Apply a leather care product or saddle soap. These agents make up for the moisture deficiency caused by wetting.

Method 4 of 5: Steaming the shoes

Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam with this method. You can put on gardening gloves to protect your hands.

1. Boil water in a kettle. Let the water boil while you treat the shoes so that you can use the steam from the kettle.
   • You can also use a pan of boiling water on the stove.
2. Hold both shoes over the jet of steam coming out of the kettle. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Remove the shoes from the steam. Stuff them as much as possible with dry newspaper or paper towels.
4. Let the shoes dry in the shade.

Method 5 of 5: Freeze the shoes

This method works with most leather shoes, but be careful with expensive shoes in case the leather or other parts of the shoes get ruined by freezing.

1. Fill resealable sandwich bags or freezer bags half or a third with water. Don't put too much water in it, or the bags will burst when you poke them or when they are frozen. Close the bags tightly
   • First check that there are no holes in the bags.
   • Use one bag per shoe.
2. Put a bag in both shoes. Make sure not to push too hard as this can cause the bags to burst and the shoes to get soaked.
   • Push the bags as far as possible into all the nooks and crannies in the shoes.
3. Clear a reasonably large area in the freezer. The place must be large enough for your shoes.
   • Make sure the other things in the freezer don't touch your shoes. This can cause stains or spots of freezer burn on your shoes when you later have to remove the objects from your shoes.
4. Put the shoes in the freezer. Leave them in the freezer overnight. As the water freezes, the bags expand in the shoes and slightly stretch your shoes.
5. Take the shoes out of the freezer the next morning. Let everything thaw for half an hour and then remove the bags from the shoes.
6. Put on the shoes. When you are satisfied you don't have to do anything anymore. If the shoes are still too tight, freeze them again.
7. Apply a leather care product or saddle soap. These agents supplement the moisture deficiency caused by freezing.

Tips

• Buy new shoes in the afternoon because your feet will be more swollen and more tired. That way you will buy shoes that fit you better.
• If your new shoes have smooth soles, go over them with sandpaper to roughen them up a bit.
• Shoe trees keep your shoes in the best possible shape between wear.
• Shoes last longer if you leave them for a day after wearing them. Make sure you have at least two pairs of shoes per season and wear different shoes every day.
• If you want, you can buy a special spray that you can spray on your shoes to stretch them. Spray the product on the shoes, then wear your shoes around the house while they are being stretched. Search the internet for such a resource.