Stretching Leather Shoes?

**BoldHighlander** · 17th June 10, 02:51 PM

I have a brand new pair of black leather Romeo's, given as a gift a few months back, that I can't wear much because they are a wee bit tight, painfully rubbing the top of my foot.

My question: what is the best way to stretch a leather shoe at home?

The shoe in question:

**BobsYourUncle** · 17th June 10, 03:08 PM

In my area, you can take a pair of shoes to a shoe repair shop and have them put in stretchers. They will charge you something like 3-5 dollars a day, and will usually recommend 3 to 5 days. You may want to check out what services are available to you locally. Or, if you think you will need to stretch shoes on a regular basis [say, you are frequently in between sizes], you may want to buy your own version of the stretchers that a shoe repair shop will use. Such stretchers are available here: http://www.shoeandfootcare.com/c/sho...FUFM5QodbEmuSA

All of that having been said, there are limits to what you can accomplish by stretching. It may be better to simply get a different pair of shoes that fits your foot better. You might even consider tracking down someone who can make you a pair of bench made shoes individually made and fitted to each of your feet. You may want to consider that buying ready made off the shelf shoes that don't fit, having to purchase shoe stretchers to improve the fit, and then having to live with shoes that don't really fit...at the end of the day it may be more cost effective to get custom shoes. Your dogs will love you for it....just some thoughts...

**Kett** · 17th June 10, 05:13 PM

I have never tried this myself, so I cannot vouch for how well it works - but the following comes from another forum I frequent:

someone else recently asked a similar question and this is what I told them and what I find works fabulously with all my shoes... Take a zip lock baggie (size depending upon the space you are stretching... so if it is a small enough area a sandwich size will be fine, size it up as the area of the shoe you are trying to stretch increases)... fill it about 1/4-1/2 the way with water, close it up, place inside the boot/shoe area that needs to be stretched. (if it is the part going down into the boot, you may need to put tissue paper/paper towels..something to prop up the baggie. Put whole thing into the freezer. Once solid, bring the boot out and allow the ice to partially melt, just enough to be able to slip it back out of the boot. VOILA! stretched. I do that to my high heels all the time, and ballet flats, etc. Works best with leather. If it is faux, you may need to repeat.

ETA: this will stretch it 1/2-1 shoe size for the area

Best of luck to you.

**Tobus** · 17th June 10, 06:43 PM

I purchased shoe trees for both my "good" pairs of (leather) shoes. I found that within the first two weeks, they both fit a little more loosely from the ball of my foot forward. I didn't intend for it to be that way, but that's how it worked. Shoe trees will apply constant pressure, so as the leather begins to stretch a little, it will keep the tension on it.

I would imagine that if you buy a shoe tree that's sized a little on the large side for your shoes, so that it's a tight fit into the shoe, you'll get more stretching action than a properly sized one.

Shoe trees are a good idea anway.

**BoldHighlander** · 17th June 10, 11:30 PM

Thanks everyone.

**Lallans** · 21st June 10, 07:05 AM

I walk a lot (by today's standards) which is partly why I'm blessed with wide feet, and at one point as I passed through the sizes had to buy my very own shoe stretchers to get things to fit without crippling me. A trick worth knowing is to wet the leather- some companies sell special fluids to do that, but those products all smell suspiciously like rubbing alcohol, which is generally at least 50% water as sold. The best solution is of course to buy footwear that fits in the first place, however you can't always tell or can't always find high arch or EEEEE sizes or whatever you need.

But speaking as a frequently frozen Canadian, I simply cannot believe I never thought of the frozen water in the boot trick. Thanks very much for that, Kett! What is the name of that other forum?

**Kett** · 26th June 10, 04:29 PM

PM sent Canuck. I'm interesting in knowing if it really works - could come in handy some day!

**Woot22** · 26th June 10, 04:35 PM

In the Army they seemed to issue everyone a pair of boots that were a bit too small. So what they made us do was put them on then fill them with water and we had to march around all day till they dried out. Believe it or not they ended up being the most comfortable pair of combat boots I ever owned in the Army. Just a thought anyway.

**BoldHighlander** · 26th June 10, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Woot22

In the Army they seemed to issue everyone a pair of boots that were a bit too small. So what they made us do was put them on then fill them with water and we had to march around all day till they dried out. Believe it or not they ended up being the most comfortable pair of combat boots I ever owned in the Army. Just a thought anyway.

Good lord, when was this?
I was in the Army during Desert Shield/Storm, and we didn't have to do this (actually my boots fit rather well from the start).

Now my 2nd cousin (who served in WWII with Merrill's Marauders), had to have his boots custom made. Seems they didn't have size 14!

**Woot22** · 26th June 10, 04:45 PM

Originally Posted by BoldHighlander

Good lord, when was this?
I was in the Army during Desert Shield/Storm, and we didn't have to do this (actually my boots fit rather well from the start).

Now my 2nd cousin (who served in WWII with Merrill's Marauders), had to have his boots custom made. Seems they didn't have size 14!

1995 at Ft Jackson SC if you can believe that dude. Every one of in my platoon were probably "whining" about how tight our boots were fitting. That was the solution the Drill Sergeant came up with and to be honest it really did work great. They were my favorite pair of boots till they wore out in AIT.