Do you feel pain or get blisters whenever you wear your new work boots? Do not worry, you are not the sole sufferer. Wearing a new pair of perfect-sized work boots feels tight on the feet. Hence, some people prefer to buy bigger size boots. However, after using it for a considerable period of time, the boots become stretched and loose.
Now you know most of the work boots get expanded over time. Unfortunately, till the boots stretch, your feet have to suffer. With this in mind, we have brought forward some effective techniques that can relieve you of pain and blisters by stretching your work boots in a short time.
Just as tight work boots are uncomfortable, so are loose work boots. That is why we recommend detecting which part of your feet feels pressed before stretching your work boots. Otherwise, the perfectly fitted area will also get widened. Most of the time, people complain of feeling compressed at their toes and ball girth.
Read the following methods to stretch your work boots. Even if you feel pressed at your toes and ball girth after following the methods, you should consider buying work boots for wide feet.
In This Post
Widen The Boots With A Boot Stretcher
Boot stretchers can stretch work boots and relieve you of discomfort and pains because of the wrong size shoe. It does not only relieve you of pain but also allows your feet to breathe well.
Insert the stretcher into your work boots and stretch it to your required extent. While stretching it, be careful that you do not overstretch it; otherwise, the leather surface of your work boots will crack. Now let the stretcher remain in the boots for a few hours. Once a couple of hours has passed, put the boots on and check how they fit. If you think the boots need further stretching, repeat the same process.
Apply Stretching Spray Or Oil Conditioner
There are many brands available in the market that offer stretching spray and oil conditioner. It can easily widen your work boots.
Keep your boots in water to soak for 10 minutes. After soaking, wipe the boots of water and apply a generous amount of oil conditioner or mink oil to your boots. Try to apply oil to your boots at night so that they can get the whole night to become soft.
Stretching spray can be effective in any type of shoe such as work boots, loafers, dress shoes. Unlike other methods, it works fast. To apply stretching spray, wear protective gloves. Spray on the boots inside and outside. Before spraying, check whether your spray is allowed to be used on both inside and outside of the shoes. Spray until your boots are sufficiently saturated. Let the boots rest for 30 minutes and do not touch them. Once the time has passed, check the boots by wearing them and repeat if necessary.
Use Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol has been used for decades to stretch fabric. Some shoe designers still use rubbing alcohol for stretching the boots. When you apply some alcohol to your boots, it will cause the fabric of the boots to expand.
Pour some rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle. You can also use isopropyl alcohol, but do not use it directly. Direct use of isopropyl alcohol can damage the leather and make the color dull. Mix an equal amount of isopropyl alcohol with water and pour it into a spray bottle. Now spray alcohol on your boots until they are wet. Now put the boots on and let them dry on your feet. You can use a fan to dry your boots. The alcohol stretches the boots and when the boots dry, they are shaped according to the size of your feet.
Exert Heat Through A Hairdryer
Using heat is an easy way to stretch boots. The main advantage of this process is that it does not consume a lot of time. However, you need to maintain extreme caution as you will be dealing with heat.
Connect a hairdryer to an electric source. Now switch on the dryer and apply heat to your boots. Remember not to use excess heat or else it will fade the color of the leather. Blow heat until the leather of the boots is warmed and soft. Wear the boots while they are warm. Let the boots cool down while wearing them so that they bear the shape of your feet.
Fill The Boots With Newspaper
This method seems weird and useless, but it really works. This method does not expand boots much. So if your boots feel a little tight, you can follow this method.
Damp some newspaper in water and crumple them. Now stuff the crumpled newspaper into the boots. Use your hands or other solid material to stuff the newspaper so that it sits perfectly inside the boots. Keep the boots until the newspaper is dry. When the newspapers dry up, they will become hard and expanded. As a result, the boots will also be widened.
Wear The Boot With Thick Socks
Although this process works well, it takes a long time to get the final result. You need to continue this method for several days at a stretch. Well, the best part of this process is that you do not need any extra ingredients such as alcohol, stretcher, and oil conditioner.
Put on thick woolen socks or a couple of socks together. Now wear your boots and keep them on for at least two hours. You can tread around your house or go for a walk. At first, the boots will feel tight, but do not worry. It will not cause any pain or blisters in your feet because of the soft thick socks. Gradually, you will feel the boots are not so tight anymore which means they are expanding.
Freeze The Boots
Everybody knows that the surface area of water increases when water is solidified. We will use this theory to expand your boots.
Get sealable plastic bags into the parts of the boots you want to stretch. Fill the bags with water and seal the bags well so that the water does not come outside and wet your boots. Now put your boots in another plastic bag or polythene and close the opening. Put the boots into the freezer and keep them there overnight. Get the boots out of the freezer the next morning and remove the outer polythene or plastic bag. Keep the boots in sunlight for some time and pull the sealed bags out. Put the boots on and check the size.
Last Words
Work boots have become a regular company of many people because of the comfort these boots provide. Unfortunately, the comfort is somewhat compromised when these boots are tight on the feet. Well, the good news is that you can solve this problem by yourself without any professional help. Resort to the above techniques to stretch your work boots successfully.