How to break in suede shoes that are pinching or chafing

Stylish suede shoes are the dream of every fashionista. Having seen a beautiful, elegant pair, and even in the color of a handbag or dress, a rare woman will be able to resist buying. Even the fact that the shoes don’t quite fit in size won’t stop you.

It also happens: while I was trying on the shoes, they seemed comfortable, but when I started wearing them, I realized that the new thing was a bit tight.

Despite the fact that natural suede is a pliable and elastic material, breaking in shoes made of suede is much more difficult than shoes made of smooth leather. But there is no need to despair and rack your brains over how to break in your shoes.

Water will help break in suede shoes

You can use a method based on the fact that the liquid softens the suede and it will quickly take the shape of the owner’s foot like this:

• wet socks made of natural material with warm water, wring out a little;
• put on socks and a pair of shoes that need to be stretched;
• walk around the apartment in them until the socks are dry;
• get wet again and walk around again.

To stretch the shoes, one to two such procedures are enough.

You need to be careful when using water. After all, in general, it has an unfavorable effect on suede: the possibility of white spots and even color changes cannot be ruled out.

You cannot dry wet suede shoes with a hairdryer or on a radiator, otherwise they will tighten even more.

When can you stretch your boot top?

An incorrectly selected pair of shoes puts pressure on the shin, which causes not the most pleasant sensations. The material may fit too tightly to the leg and squeeze the blood vessels, which will lead to health complications. If the boot does not fasten by a few centimeters, the situation can be corrected. Genuine leather has good elasticity and strength, which will allow you to alter the boots in a specialized studio or expand the volume yourself.
Almost every product can be slightly transformed, even shoes. If the zipper of your boot does not reach the end by a few centimeters, you can correct the situation and enjoy a new pair. If the zipper only reaches the middle of the shin, and the length of the product reaches the kneecap, it is better to refuse the purchase. Any methods in such a situation will be useless. Attempts will lead to damage to shoes and wasted money.

Soften suede with alcohol

Beer and ethyl alcohol allow suede shoes to expand.
Alcohol is much more effective than water. It softens the skin very well, and with its help you can quickly solve the problem of tight suede shoes.

Regular alcohol will help stretch faux suede shoes wider. Use it like this:

• Dilute the alcohol with cold water in a ratio of 1:2 - this is the standard ratio. For a better effect, you can dilute alcohol with water in half.
• Moisten the inside of the shoe generously with diluted alcohol in those places where it hurts the most.
• Put on your shoes and walk around in them for two hours. The alcohol will evaporate quickly and will give the desired result after the first use. Instead of diluted alcohol, you can use vodka. Treat shoes with alcohol only from the inside. If outside, stains may appear or the color of the new item will change.

It is often recommended to use beer to stretch shoes that are too tight. They do it like this:

• take beer into your hand;
• lightly moisten the inner surface of shoes or boots;
• put them on warm socks made of natural material;
• walk around in shoes for a couple of hours;
• take off your shoes;
• start fighting the smell of alcohol - air your shoes or use a fragrance.

To avoid damaging your shoes, use light beer without dyes.

Pointed socks should not be stretched with alcohol, otherwise they will lose their shape.

Stretch up a size

When stretching suede shoes, you should not expect to add two or more sizes. The parameters of the sole do not change, so you can only slightly increase the height of the boot body.

The fabric must be soaked before stretching. How to do this is described above. Here are a few methods that are widely used today to increase the size of suede shoes:

1. Freezing. You will need a couple of balloons or plastic bags. Fill each of them with water (about half), tie them and place them in the shoes that need to be stretched. Place the shoes in the freezer and leave them overnight. As you know, water tends to expand when it freezes. The material will be subjected to uniform pressure from the inside, which will allow it to change shape. Using this method, you can also increase the volume of the boot top;
2. Treatment with alcohol. Dilute 1 part alcohol in the same amount of water. Use a cotton swab soaked in the solution to treat those parts of the shoe where it rubs or pinches. Put it on and walk around like this for a couple of hours;

Attention! Suede can only be wiped with alcohol from the inside, otherwise it will change color and become stained.

3. Treatment with vinegar. It is produced in a similar way, only instead of alcohol, a low concentration solution of table vinegar is used;
4. Use of special means. In stores you can find foams and sprays that soften suede when applied. Distribute the product over the surface of the product and walk around in it a little. The result will be noticeable immediately;
5. Stretching with a block. This method is used in shoe workshops. The last is a rigid base that is placed in the shoe, and then gradually expanded with the help of special spacers. It can also be used independently at home, and there is no need to pre-steam the fabric. However, it is better to use emollients to speed up the process.

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During wear, suede can gradually return to its original shape in the first stages. To prevent this from happening, purchase softening shoe cosmetics, stuff your shoes with paper while drying, or periodically use a shoe last.

How to soften shoes with paper

It happens that only the toe of the shoe pinches. Then... plain paper will help solve the problem. You need to crumple up a piece of old newspaper and, after wetting it a little, stuff the shoes as tightly as possible into the toe. Wet paper will stretch the shoe in the right place and make it more elastic.

You need to dry shoes stuffed with paper naturally (without the help of radiators or other heating devices).

The size of the lump should not be very large. Keeping paper in your shoes for too long is also a bad idea.

Photo tips on how to stretch suede shoes

Read here How to remove resin from clothes - effective methods for removing various types of resins at home (150 photos)

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High temperature will help expand shoes

Another assistant in solving the problem of how to quickly break in suede shoes is steam. To increase the size of such shoes, you can simply hold them over boiling water for 10–20 seconds, then put them on and walk around in the problematic shoes for a couple of hours.

You can use a steamer or steam iron to treat shoes with steam.

You need to work carefully so as not to get burned.

Another way to stretch suede is to pour a little boiling water inside the shoes. Under the influence of high temperature, the shoes will become pliable. If you put the shoes on immediately, they will mold to the shape of your feet. There is no need to be afraid that boiling water will ruin your shoes. If you don't add too much of it, there won't be any marks left on the suede. It is not recommended to go outside immediately after these procedures.

What not to do

Do not use aggressive substances, because they can damage the material or ruin its color. You shouldn't get your shoes too wet either. Wetting suede can cause deformation of the product. You can ruin your shoes if you immediately try to stretch the shoes too much.

At the time when attempts are made to make the size larger on your own, you should not go outside, i.e. take long walks. Wet suede material will attract dirt.

Do not dry soft, velvety skin near a radiator or other heater. Even if the shoes were the appropriate size, after this procedure they may become tight.

It is not recommended to entrust the increase by wearing it in to another person whose feet are larger. Such actions may result in the product becoming larger than necessary.

Ice will help stretch the suede

A very original way to stretch shoes that are too tight is to freeze plastic bags filled with water in them. It lies in the fact that when water freezes, its volume increases, and the expanded bags from the inside stretch the suede. After this procedure, the shoes will become half a size longer and wider:

• fill thick plastic bags with water (half the volume), tie;
• put the bags in the shoes (the entire volume of the shoes must be filled);
• put shoes in a plastic bag;
• put the bag of shoes in the freezer overnight;
• Remove the shoes from the freezer and leave them at room temperature until the ice has thawed a little to remove it from the shoes.

Instead of plastic bags, you can take inflatable balls.

You need to use only balls or bags that have been tested for strength, so that they do not burst at the most inopportune moment, because suede does not tolerate strong moisture.

Leave it in the freezer

Another slightly extreme method for stretching suede shoes involves placing them in a very cold place, such as a freezer.

The processing process is as follows.

1. Place the bag in the shoe and pour water into it. It is necessary that the water is distributed throughout the entire volume of the shoe.
2. Leave the boots in the freezer for 8-9 hours, or overnight. Suede will stretch due to the fact that during the freezing process, water will turn into ice, increase in volume and take up more space.
3. In order to remove the bag from the shoe, you need to let the ice melt a little and decrease in volume. Otherwise, the shoes will be damaged on the inside.
4. Leave the boots until completely dry.
5. If the effect is insufficient, you can repeat the freezing again.

We use potato peelings

Potato peels do a great job of stretching new suede shoes.
If the housewife is preparing potatoes, peeling this vegetable will be useful for stretching tight suede shoes.

• Stuff your shoes tightly with potato peelings.
• Leave in tight shoes for 12 hours.
• Take out the cleaning and check the result.

Last for increasing shoe size

There are special lasts with spacers, thanks to which you can significantly stretch your shoes in length or width, even without pre-wetting. They are available in advanced shoe workshops. This method is safer and more reliable. But there are often long queues for this procedure. You can buy such a block and use it at home yourself. There is nothing complicated about this: put a shoe on the device, tighten the mechanism to the desired size and wait for the suede to stretch.

If you treat the suede with a softening aerosol before placing the shoes on the last, stretching will occur faster.

How to break in faux suede shoes at home

It will not be possible to stretch faux suede shoes as quickly and easily using the above methods, because this is a finicky material.

When using any of the proposed methods for breaking in suede shoes, you need to remember that the stretching process takes place in several stages. After each of them, you need to try on the shoes and check whether the desired effect is achieved. If necessary, continue the procedure. You should not rush in this matter, as the natural material can stretch so much that the shoes become too spacious.

Faux suede

Artificial suede differs from natural suede in that it is based on woven or non-woven fabric. In the latter case, the pile is simply glued onto it or its role is played by looped threads. Woven fabric is made from microfiber threads, which become lint during processing on special equipment.

This method is more complex and the material obtained in this way is quite expensive, although, of course, less than natural suede.

The advantage of artificial suede is that it has higher strength compared to its natural counterpart.

This material has no defects, does not fade over time, and is not afraid of exposure to ultraviolet radiation.

However, due to the lack of pores, it allows air to pass through less well, but in general this does not cause serious inconvenience.

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You can stretch shoes made of artificial suede in the same way as those made of natural or nubuck. The main thing is when purchasing softening agents, make sure that they are marked “for suede” and, upon completion of the procedures, thoroughly dry the product.