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How to stretch boots in the calf?

2021-12-01

The autumn season is in full swing, and we finally managed to find the boots of our dreams according to the latest trends. After trying them on they look perfect. We go out on the street in them and... suddenly it turns out that our dream boots pinch our calves. Fortunately, there are solutions for everything. And how to stretch the uppers of boots? We present a few effective solutions!

How to stretch leather boots in the calf?

Leather is a hard and rigid material. These properties make leather shoes more durable. On the other hand, however, it can have a negative impact on the comfort of the shoes. Sometimes it may happen that boots, which seemed to fit perfectly on the day of purchase, the next day turn out to be uncomfortable, and wearing them causes painful blisters. In order to stretch out your calf boots, it is worth trying them on first. After a few days, the leather should stretch and fit the shape of your leg. Remember to wear thick socks for this.

This will reduce the risk of painful abrasions. Before storing the shoes in a cupboard or a box, fill them with crumpled paper or newspapers. This way you will fix their new shape. Badly fitting leather shoes can cause painful abrasions and burns. Another effective way to solve this problem is to break the hard leather or widen the upper. Such services are offered by shoemakers. However, before you use the help of professionals, it is worth trying home methods to widen the upper of your boots.

How to stretch the uppers of boots? Home Remedies

The first home method to widen the upper of your boots is to use righthanders. You should put them in the shoes and leave them for some time. If you don't have risers, a good alternative will be thick socks. We can stuff boots' uppers with them. It is best to leave the socks in the shoes overnight. Instead of them we can use paper or newspaper.

What else can we do to stretch the boots in the calf? Apart from stretching the upper, we can try gently smashing it with a hammer. How to do it? You should tap gently on the seams from their inside. However, if our boots are lacquered, you have to carry out this process extremely carefully, because the force of the blows may cause unsightly cracks on the surface of the boot. Another way to stretch the uppers of boots is to use steam. Boil the water in a pot and then heat the boot uppers over it. We put thick socks on our feet and when the material becomes warm and moist, we put on the boots and walk around the house in them.

This way, the material is sure to spread. On the other hand, if we do not want to use steam, we can use a dryer. In this case we act similarly - we put on thick socks, put on shoes and then warm up shoes with warm air from a dryer. Thanks to higher temperature, widening boots' uppers will be easier. A good solution is also to buy a special foam for stretching shoes. It is enough to spray the inside of your boots with it and then put the lasts there or walk around the house in your boots. The listed home methods on how to stretch boots in the calf will be most effective for shoes made of soft leather, eco-leather or other flexible materials.

Professional expanding of boot tops

If home methods of widening boots' uppers didn't work out, don't experiment and don't perform more invasive "operations" on the boots. In such situation we should leave the expanding of boots' uppers to a qualified shoemaker or furrier (a specialist in processing leather).

Masters of footwear industry will effectively stretch the uppers of our boots, taking into consideration the material they are made of, of course. A very often used solution is sewing in a kind of a rubber wedge by the zipper or cutting the upper in the place of the seam and "picking out" a certain fragment of the material. The cost of such service should fit in the range from several to several dozen PLN.

Also read:

How to wear long over the knee boots?
What color should I choose?
How to clean suede boots?

Show more entries from December 2021

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