Shoes

[pprmntstx]

I have wooden shoe stretchers; however, someone I know stretches shoes by spraying rubbing alcohol in them.  Have you tried that and does it work for you?

[Kachina624]

Rubbiing alcohol is an old, old shoe stretching solution that I always found to be ineffective.  I gave up trying to stretch shoes as the results, even using wood inserts, we're never satisfactory.  If the shoes don't fit, return them and find something else.

[Still Raining]

Be careful, you can stretch too much and tear the sole from the upper.

Just buy wider shoes.

[ECBG]

@pprmntstx 

I always stretch shoes and learned how to because my family owned the largest fine shoe store in town.

Leather is skin; skin has elasticity.  You can rub warm water into the raw side of the leather and put on a tight stretcher for a period of a week or two. 

I have wooden stretchers with metal handles.  Plastic fall apart.

[ALRATIBA]

Yes - the rubbing alcohol has worked for me. 

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@pprmntstx wrote:

I have wooden shoe stretchers; however, someone I know stretches shoes by spraying rubbing alcohol in them.  Have you tried that and does it work for you?

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[gertrudecloset]

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@pprmntstx wrote:

I have wooden shoe stretchers; however, someone I know stretches shoes by spraying rubbing alcohol in them.  Have you tried that and does it work for you?

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I won't be put any alcohol on my leather shoes.  I've seen some people take a bottle, freezer bag or something that will fit inside the length or front of the shoe and put water in the ziplock bag and freeze it.  The theory is since water expands when it freezes it will losen up the shoe.

I tried it once or twice and meh...it worked but not like I wanted it to.

[ECBG]

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

Yes - the rubbing alcohol has worked for me. 

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@pprmntstx wrote:

I have wooden shoe stretchers; however, someone I know stretches shoes by spraying rubbing alcohol in them.  Have you tried that and does it work for you?

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@ALRATIBA 

What stretches the shoe is the fact that alcohol is a liquid, although it dries quickly, which if it drips on the leather can mark the leather and take away the factory finish.  Shoe polish can't repair factory finish, but adds color and a little wax.

Water, of course is wet, it just won't dry as quickly as alcohol.  The shoe still has to stay on the stretcher.  You can't take away elasticity in ine area and not the others.

[ALRATIBA]

@ECBG 

Thanks for the info.  I'll keep that in mind.

I've used the rubbing alcohol method several times w/o any problems.

I don't spray the shoes - I soak some thin socks and put the shoes on and wear them for a while around the house.  I stretch to fit my feet, not a shoe stretcher/form.

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@ECBG wrote:

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@ALRATIBA wrote:

Yes - the rubbing alcohol has worked for me. 

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@pprmntstx wrote:

I have wooden shoe stretchers; however, someone I know stretches shoes by spraying rubbing alcohol in them.  Have you tried that and does it work for you?

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@ALRATIBA 

What stretches the shoe is the fact that alcohol is a liquid, although it dries quickly, which if it drips on the leather can mark the leather and take away the factory finish.  Shoe polish can't repair factory finish, but adds color and a little wax.

Water, of course is wet, it just won't dry as quickly as alcohol.  The shoe still has to stay on the stretcher.  You can't take away elasticity in ine area and not the others.

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[ECBG]

@ALRATIBA 

Be careful.  If you have the "Roman" type of foot you are predisposed to bunions.

[ALRATIBA]

@ECBG 

Thanks for that!  Never saw one of those before.  

Just checked .... looks like I'm Egyptian (or maybe Norwegian) on the right and Mongolian on the left.  

Right foot is my problem foot.  Really loooong big toe!