How to stretch tight suede shoes at home?
How often does it happen that the boots or suede shoes you like are a little too small, but the store doesn’t have the right size... But you really want to buy this particular model! Buy - and then rack your brains: what to do with it next? For such emergencies, there are different ways to stretch suede shoes.
Wear to carry
Natural suede itself is a fairly elastic and pliable material, so sometimes (especially if your favorite boots are only half a size too small) it’s enough just to wear them in for a while at home, walking around the apartment while doing housework.
You shouldn’t do this right away in “hiking conditions”, putting on suede shoes “out in the open”. Firstly, if your legs are very tired, and the destination is still far away, it will not be possible to take it off along the way. Accordingly, the matter may end in calluses. Secondly, on the street, shoes will quickly lose their presentable appearance due to dust and abrasion.
In addition, natural wear-in is not the fastest process. By the time the desired level of comfort is achieved, you may have to buy a new pair.
If the long-awaited effect does not occur for a long time, do not rush to ask someone with a larger foot size than you to help you. There is a very high risk that in the end the shoes will wear out faster, but will become much larger than needed. “Over-trampled” suede looks very unattractive.
We speed up the process with water
If you need to stretch your favorite shoes quickly, this should be done while they are wet. To do this, use slightly damp socks. That is, moistened with water, but well wrung out. First they put them on their feet, then they put on their shoes and walk until the socks dry. This method is suitable for both natural and artificial suede. Here we must remember that stretching occurs quite quickly: one or two times will be quite enough, there is no need to be too zealous.
When only the sock is pressed in, you can push moistened and tightly crumpled paper into it. After it dries, the effect will be noticeable.
Do not use too thin paper for these purposes - toilet paper, napkins, corrugated paper for making flowers. You won't be able to wet it slightly: it will immediately turn into mush. Newspapers are also not suitable: they will certainly leave traces of printing ink on the inner surface, which will stain socks or tights.
Water in the form of steam is even more effective. In addition, steam makes the appearance of the suede surface more attractive. Using steam it is easy to make shoes a size larger. The main thing is not to “oversteam” it. Shoes or boots should warm up over a container of steam and become slightly damp, but not wet. In this form they need to be worn for a couple of hours.
It often happens that suede boots are too narrow at the top and fasten with great difficulty or do not fasten at all. You can also stretch them wide in this area by steaming. Only for this you need not to hold the product over steam, but to use a moistened piece of flannel and an iron. The boot is unbuttoned and unfolded, laid face down on the surface and steamed through the fabric with a hot iron.After this, the material will become more elastic and can be easily stretched to the desired size. In this case, the boot will fit perfectly according to the shape of the foot.
Do not stretch boots with fur inside in this way. There will be no effect, since the steam will not pass through the thickness of the fur.
In addition to these methods, you can expand narrow suede products using:
- vinegar;
- vodka (or diluted alcohol);
- store-bought extension sprays;
- special tensile struts.
Vinegar stretch
Acidified water may be somewhat more effective than regular water. Here, ordinary table vinegar 6% will come to the rescue, which any housewife probably has in her household supplies. It must be diluted with water to such a concentration that the water becomes slightly sour. Moisten the outside of the suede with this solution until slightly damp.
After this, you can put on narrow shoes and walk around the apartment. Or you can stretch the boot top with your hands to the desired size (if that’s the case), and then fasten it on your foot and walk around for a while.
Alcohol method
Alcohol or vodka is often used to stretch shoes, even those made of simple leather. But for suede this option is also quite suitable. To expand a narrow model, the product is treated with this composition only from the inside. Otherwise, it may “eat” the color or leave unsightly spots and streaks. It is also necessary to achieve a state of light humidity. The further algorithm is the same: put it on and walk for 2–3 hours.
Attention: this method is not suitable for stretching models with long noses. Alcohol treatments will ruin their beautiful shape.
The most convenient way to apply these solutions is to use a spray bottle. It can be purchased at a flower or hardware store.
Other options
In addition to these methods, you can stretch shoes that are tight, for example, using special stretching sprays that spray softening liquid or foam. These cans can be found in shoe stores. After treatment with the spray, you will also have to walk around the room in shoes or boots for a couple of hours.
On sale you can also find spacer devices for gradual mechanical stretching of tight shoes. A special screw mechanism allows the spacer pin to increase in length, gently stretching the shoe, since the length must be increased very slowly, over several days.
Just don’t confuse the spacers with the plastic or wooden pads that are used to stretch leather and lacquered models. They can turn elegant shoes into “trodden overshoes.”
How not to spoil it?
Delicate materials also need to be handled delicately. In order not to harm your favorite shoes, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- Do not soak suede items in water. They will lose their shape and develop unsightly stains.
- You cannot speed up the process of drying shoes on your feet using a hairdryer, since this material cannot withstand prolonged exposure to high temperatures.
- For the same reason, do not dry such boots or shoes near heating appliances or radiators.
- Don't try to stretch them by putting bags of water inside and putting them in the freezer. This method is very effective for natural leather. Suede is much softer and deforms much more easily. When water freezes, it can expand the shoes too much and ruin them completely.
Well, one last thing. Constantly wearing tight shoes can lead to foot deformation. Therefore, it is better not to abuse such purchases.Moreover, in case of failure, if suddenly the new thing stretches more than necessary or becomes deformed, it will no longer be possible to return it to the sellers.