It’s no surprise that nowadays all of us own numerous pairs of shoes suitable for each activity; for example sneakers, boots, event shoes, etc.
Not only that, but we can also have shoes with different materials, such as leather, suede, faux leather, canvas, etc.
Sometimes, we might not avoid the situation that there will be a pair that doesn’t fit and they really need you to apply a few methods to make the shoe wider.
Workwear Magazine has previously mentioned the ultimate ways to stretch shoes in general, but today, we will be specifically going into more detail on how to break in leather boots fast at home.
Besides that main issue, we also suggests good tips in preserving leather boots on a daily basis. Let’s get started for now!
7 Methods on How to Break in Leather Boots Quickly
1. Ice water
This is probably the simplest, easiest, and most effective way to do it. What you need to do is follow the instructions below:
Step 1. Clean the outside of your shoes.
Step 2. Take a plastic bag, add a moderate amount of clear water. Make sure your plastic bag is not leaking.
Step 3. Put the water bag into the shoe.
Step 4. Then, put them all in the freezer for about 8-10 hours.
In the next morning, you will definitely have a more comfortable shoe. However, if your shoes are too expensive and fussy, especially classic vintage shoes, you should not use this approach.
2. Potatoes
Depending on how stretchy the shoes you want, you can use 1 or more potatoes. The operation is also very simple.
You peel off the potatoes, wash them and after that, place them on the heel or toes of the shoes, depending on where you want to widen. Leave it on overnight, and you’ll see the difference the next morning.
If you are not satisfied, you can continue the process until the desired width is reached. Note that after using potatoes, our shoes will be wet. So, as the shoe stretches, we use silica to absorb moisture in the shoe.
3. Moisturizer
Applying moisturizer seems strange and new. When applied with moisturizer, the skin of our feet becomes softer. This moisturizing principle applies completely when you want to widen your leather shoes.
This way, you will apply moisturizer to your feet. Pay attention to apply more on the parts of the feet that have much contact with the shoes, such as heels or toes.
When the leather shoes are soft, the more you walk, the pain in your feet become less. You gradually feel a lot more comfortable.
For this method to work best, you should continuously apply it for many consecutive days (4-5 days) until you reach the desired width.
4. Wear the boots to walk indoor constantly
This approach usually applies to newly purchased shoes that are not too tight. You can wear them to move indoors daily. However, make sure your feet don’t get swell when using the method.
After 1-2 days of wearing and moving, your new shoes will loosen slowly. Or, you can also ask someone with a bigger foot size to put on the new shoes. This is also a very quick way to help your shoes wider.
5. Add cloth or socks inside the boots
If you choose to do this, do it every day. After you stop using your boots, place the prepared fabric or sock roll inside them.
This will both keep the shoe shape from going flat, while also allowing the slightly tight pair to expand.
However, this way of widening the shoe takes more time and is more suitable for keeping the shoe shape.
6. Specialized sprays to make shoes wider
You can find this magic spray at shoe stores or shoemakers. These specialized sprays will quickly enlarge your leather boots without spending too much time or effort.
However, they have a huge downside: easy to discolor your shoes. Therefore, when choosing this method, you must pay attention to buy high-quality products. At the same time, strictly follow the instructions for use.
7. Shoe stretcher
Boots or shoes are usually designed according to standard sizes, and our feet are of a variety of shapes. Therefore, it is very easy to understand that the shoes do not fit the feet.
The manufacturer has come up with a specialized tool – a shoe stretcher. They not only make your leather boots bigger but also help to keep them in shape.
If you can’t find this tool, you can take the boots out to the shoe repair shop for help, where the cobblers will apply professional ways to break in shoes effortlessly.
*Important note: Absolutely do not break in leather boots with heat. Although this is a very popular stretching shoe method, they are not intended for leather shoes. For simple reasons, heat can peel off leather or take away the form of leather boots.
How to Avoid Choosing the Wrong Boot Size
Choose boots that exactly fit your feet: If you can, choose a pair that fits your feet and does not need to stretch as much. You can do this by:
- Measure your feet every time you shop for shoes: Feet come in three dimensions, and all sizes include not only length but also width and height.
- Measure both feet: Most people’s feet are the same size, but some people have not equal legs, some even have one leg bigger than the other.
Try a pair of larger ones if the shoes you choose are tight, even if you think you usually wear a certain size. Shoe sizes can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and you will know if the shoe fits your feet by just trying it on.
Check size standards, ie: European, British or American sizes; men’s or women’s shoes: Even when size standards are listed, there is no strict correspondence between American and European shoe sizes. So if you are familiar with one standard and not the other, try the sizes nearby.
Buy shoes in the afternoon or evening: At that time, your feet are at the biggest size because you have to walk and stand all day.
4 Things to Pay Attention to When Preserving Leather Boots
1. Remember to dry the boots carefully
You may already know that leather shoes and boots should be kept as dry as possible.
If you wear leather boots on a rainy day, after returning home, you should not put wet boots in the shoe locker immediately since they can become moldy, damaging the appearance of the skin, and also retaining an unpleasant odor.
You have to dry the outside of the boots, add a little newspaper/ dedicated silica to absorb moisture. On humid days, you should put the boots in plastic boxes or zip the bags to ensure air moisture does not penetrate the boots.
2. Do not wear regular leather boots every day
It’s a bit odd if you have spent money to invest in a good pair of boots and have not been wearing them for the whole week. But, if the boots are “exploited” too much, they will also quickly crack, deteriorate and fade.
If you are determined to wear boots 24/7 then make sure that those boots can only serve you for a short time.
If you really love leather boots and want to continue with them for a long time, wear loose boots, like once in 2 days. This is a reasonable period of time so that the sweat in the boots can dry clean before continuing to use, avoiding odors and mildew.
3. Do not expose boots in the sun
Even if you want to keep your boots dry, do not let your boots get exposed to intense sunlight. Sunlight can cause the skin color of boots to fade, making them look old faster.
Perhaps this is also a reason why leather boots are popular in the autumn and winter when it is mildly sunny, but not during the dazzling summer.
If you have a habit of leaving boots and footwear outside the door, then be careful not only on rainy days but also on sunny days. It is best to leave the boots indoors.
Even if you have leather boots in the shoe cabinet, you should pay attention if the shoe cabinet is right next to the door or in a place prone to sunlight.
4. Use more protective sprays to protect leather boots
Leather boots also need the same care as the way you apply suncream on your skin. If you have spent a large amount of money to buy a pair of genuine leather boots, do not hesitate to invest a small amount to buy a specialized spray bottle for leather boots.
This product will help your boots be less dirty and damaged if they are flooded with water. With the spray protect boots, you can also be more confident when striding everywhere with your face up, rather than always looking down to worry about your boots.
Conclusion
So, that’s all the best approaches on how to break in leather boots fast you can apply at home. Remember that the most time-saving to do at first is always choosing a pair that fit your shoe size correctly.
Hope you find this article useful. In case you have other great methods, please let us know by commenting below.
Thank you for reading!