The Proper Way to Stretch Shoes

Does this shoe-related scenario sound familiar: You go to a shoe store, find a great pair of shoes and try them on, buy them, take them home, and ultimately discover that they don't fit as well as we thought they did. Or you realize that when you add your favorite pair of socks, there's no way you'll be able to squeeze these special shoes on? When this happens, you don't have to automatically toss out the shoes; there are ways to work with these tight shoes to make them more comfortable and finally wearable.

One of the first things you can do is look online for inexpensive wooden shoe stretchers. Usually costing about $30 or less, these shoe stretchers can be bought to match your foot size, and you can keep them throughout your life to use for any pinching shoes you may buy in the future!

Using a wooden shoe stretcher is simple: just insert it into the shoes or boots that you want expanded, and leave them alone for a few days to do their thing for your footwear.

Keep in mind that shoe leather and skin are essentially the same thing, so it's important that you don't overstretch the leather - it won't shrink back to its original size. As soon as you work the stretcher into the shoe you'll have a good idea of how much stretching is actually necessary - the harder it is to fit in the show initially, the more stretching you'll need to do.

Another solution that you can use along with a shoe stretcher is to try one of the wide variety of stretching sprays now available. These alcohol-based sprays are made to dry fast, and if you spray them on your shoes or boots while your feet or the stretchers are in them, you can boost the speed of the whole process considerably.

These sprays are a better answer than water, which can stain leather, and because they dry so rapidly you can have the option to wear your shoes much sooner. You can use the sprays on a small area of the shoe that is tight, or over the entire surface of the footwear.

Such sprays and spray bottles are sold online, can be bought inexpensively, are delivered to your home, and can be used independently or in conjunction with a wooden shoe stretcher.