10 Best Shoe Stretchers in 2021

Buying Guide Questions

The various shoe stretchers above are no doubt the best in the market. Carefully read through this buyer’s guide to get an answer to possible questions you may have and a direction on how to use these stretchers effectively. The shoe stretchers above were carefully selected to ensure you get the quality you deserve.

How do shoe stretchers work? Do shoe stretchers really work?

Shoe stretchers have been around for some time now. Many might have heard about it, how it stretches tight shoes that cause pain to the feet. However, before you purchase from the analyzed best shoe stretchers above, knowing how this tool work is crucial.

How to use a shoe stretcher?

Get a shoe stretcher for the right side of the shoe (left or right foot)

Insert the stretcher into the shoe. This part splits into two;

For stretchers with handle- Turn the knob on the handle to increase the size of shoe stretcher within the shoe

For stretchers without handle – Put in the full foot shape stretcher into the shoe gently.

After inserting the shoe stretcher, leave it for about a day for the best result.

After a day, release the knob or simply remove the stretcher depending on the type you use.

Try your shoes on to feel the difference.

Watch this video if the process still seems complicated.

They come in varieties of shape, length, and design. Each design, although achieving the same purpose, they work in different ways. To fully comprehend how shoe stretchers work, a break down of how each part functions gives a clear understanding.

The foot area

The foot area is common to all shoe stretchers. It can be of wood, strong plastic or steel. This part of the shoe stretcher is usually in the shape of a normal human foot. It takes the form of a foot such that it could reach the corners of a shoe. When a stretcher is in a shoe, it expands the sides of the shoe, broadening it to the taste of the user. While the outsole can not be extended in most cases when using a shoe stretcher, a leather, rubber, or canvas of the upper covering can, however, expand. It broadens the top or the body material of the shoe, and this increases the width and length.

Plug

Plugs are button-shaped instruments that come with the most shoe stretcher. For specific expansion, perhaps around the toe area or the sides of a shoe. There are holes on the stretcher to attach each before putting the stretcher in a shoe.

The heel extender

While many wooden shoe stretchers come in a full-foot design, some stop halfway and have an attached heel extender. Despite the position and design, the heel extender stretches the heel of the shoe to expand it and create more room.

Insider Tip: if you are suffering from achilles tendonitis, don’t let that discourage you from using shoe stretchers, and these are some picks that would help bring comfort to your feet

Do stretchers really work?

Yes, stretchers work wonderfully well in expanding tight shoes. Many users attest to its shoe broadening capability. Besides stretching shoes, it smoothens leather shoes. Wrinkles are common to most shoes after years of use. However, based on tests and comments of people who use shoe stretchers regularly, it keeps shoes in their natural shape and curbs the ugly appearance of wrinkles or folds.

The degree to which a stretcher works also depends on the material of the shoe. Sturdy leather won’t stretch like rubber or vinyl. Simply put, the tougher the content, the less it stretches, this is very common with military boots or construction boots. Some footwears that have an overlapping outsole also expand more lengthwise. For these shoes, the outsole spread to the front, making it possible for a stretcher to enlarge it.

How do you widen shoes that are too narrow?

Widening a narrow shoe is essential to your health. Tight shoes affect not only the feet but extend painfully to the knees and back. Bad knees and pain in the lower back are discomforts that are difficult to live with.

Related: Check the best shoes for back pain here

Widening a narrow shoe is possible in many ways. Let’s look at each process.

Using a shoe stretcher

A shoe stretcher is perhaps the safest way of widening a shoe. It doesn’t involve using any damaging material like water, oil, and heat, which is common to other methods.

Simply insert a shoe stretcher in your footwear and leave it for some hours to expands. After about a day, the shoe would have been stretched and spacious enough to accommodate the feet.

Using a shoe stretcher spray

In this method, the use of the best shoe stretcher sprays makes a world of difference. These sprays work on shoes by expanding areas where the user applies them. Simply spray the tight points and leave overnight. Such points will start to expand. The expansion becomes more pronounce by walking around in the shoe or putting a shoe stretcher.

Using ice zip bag

As effective as this method is, not all shoes can withstand moisture. Given this, based on the water-resistant capacity of the shoe, put water in a zip lock bag and put the bag in the boot. After that, put it in the freezer for the water to turn ice and stretch the shoe.

The heat method

The method requires extra care to avoid damaging your footwear. Put on the shoe and use a hairdryer to generate heat to tight points. Then walk around briefly to give a good stretch.

Related: if you damage your shoes accidentally with this method, then you can use simple shoe glues to fix them

Just walk in them

Although this method won’t give fast results, it works well if done continuously for weeks. Simply put on the tight shoe and walk around the in it for about 10 minutes every evening for about a week or two.

Try any of these methods to widen a narrow shoe or a combination to get fast results.

How long does it take to stretch shoes with a shoe stretcher?

Stretching a shoe with a shoe stretcher takes between eight hours to thirty-six hours, depending on the type of stretcher used. Also, the extent to which a shoe needs to expand is another factor that dictates the length of time the stretcher spends to achieve the job.

If you intend to expand your shoe just a little, then you can expect it not to take more than a day.

However, for individuals suffering from bunions, corns, and wide feet, it’s quite different. The shoe stretcher may need to stay for long in this type of situation. Plugs usually come with many shoe stretchers in a round design. These plugs, when attached to the holes on the shoe stretcher, expand some specific points in a shoe. The plugs expand the toe area to make it spacious, and similarly, the plugs broaden the sides to avail more space for wide feet.

Another factor is the use of shoe stretcher spray. Good shoe stretcher spray softens the material of a shoe. When a shoe stretcher is used after a spray makes a shoe surface tender, it speeds up the time required to expand a shoe. It may take a few hours between six to eight hours.

Will shoe stretchers work on sneakers?

Yes, shoe stretchers work on sneakers. There are many shoe stretchers for sneakers in the market. Stretching sneakers is possible due to the responsive materials used to produce them. Majorly, most sneakers are of foam or rubber materials. These materials are not as tough as leather, so expanding them to give more room in a shoe is very much possible.

Naturally, at times, when you purchase a sneaker, it can be very firm in the first few weeks of wearing it, but as time goes by, the firmness reduces because of stretching. Your feet stretches the material of the pair of shoes. The shoe stretchers for sneakers work similarly by putting pressure on the material to cause expansion along the width and length.

You have to be careful when trying to use a shoe stretcher to avoid over-stretching. While it’s not wrong to stretch for long periods, the time a shoe stretcher spends in a sneaker should be different from a leather shoe. For sneakers, a break down of time is necessary to get the accurate fit. After inserting a stretcher, leave it in the shoe for about six hours. Then put it on to test the widening, if it’s okay. If you still feel tightness, insert the stretcher again and leave for some hours. Keep repeating this process until you feel it’s comfortable.

Caution!

As we have seen earlier, it’s essential to monitor the use of a shoe stretcher in sneakers. But added to that is the use of shoe stretcher spray. Using the best shoe stretcher Spray indeed can simplify the process of shoe widening. However, a word of caution here is to be careful such that stretching sprays do not damage your sneaker. Even if you get the best shoe stretcher spray like-” foot matters shoe stretch spray” and “footfitter shoe spray,” always remember to use them in little quantity to avoid any damage.

Most shoe stretching sprays soften thick leathers. You must understand why it’s essential not to use too much on your sneakers. If strong leather can become soft, how much less rubber or foam material of a sneaker, you certainly do not want a very light upper for your sneaker, so endeavor to use just a little spray on your sneakers and let the shoe stretcher complete the broadening.

Can you stretch shoes to a size bigger?

Yes, you can stretch your shoe to about 0.5 inches ( half an inch) or a bit more but not bigger than one inch. Most shoes may stretch to half an inch. For most leather shoes, however, the expansion is within 0.5 increase due to the material. While for sneakers made of foam or rubber, the increase in size may exceed 0.5 inches and extend to one inch.

While it’s true that stretching to a bigger size is possible, do not expect a huge increase. For example, let’s say you bought a pair of shoes of size eight, and you feel uncomfortable after testing them. Although the shoe is your size, the tightness reduces after a stretch of about half an inch. But on the other hand, if you wear a size nine and you purchased a size eight, do not expect a full one-inch increase. Even if you get an inch increase, the shoe will allow your foot in but will remain a little tight. Always endeavor to get your size.

A rare situation that may require an increase in size is when a foot is bigger than the other. While some may recommend a bigger pair and filling the side of the smaller foot with wool or pad, you can, however, buy a smaller size that fits one foot and expand the other. Perhaps the right foot is half an inch bigger than the left. In such an instance, an increase is possible. Simply insert a shoe stretcher in the bigger foot side to get an expansion that would make it comfortable to wear, this is commonly asked by boxers as they need to constantly shift left and right in their shoes while boxing or training.

How can I stretch my shoes for wide feet without shoe stretchers?

Wide feet is a condition that makes the feet bigger than normal shoe size. It means if you purchase a shoe of size 9, your feet will find it hard to fit in along the width. Stretching your shoe is necessary to give the feet a comfortable fit.

A shoe stretcher is not the only instrument or method of widening a shoe if you have wide feet.

You can use the ice method to increase the width of the shoe. Get a bag or nylon container that can hold water, then fill it with water and put it in the shoe. Ensure it touches both sides of the shoe then place it in a freezer. When the water freezes, it stretches the width of the fabric and creates more space for the feet to fit in nicely.

Another method is walking in the shoe. Although it will feel tight, nonetheless, try to walk in it for about ten minutes for some evenings. Do this for some weeks to get a considerable widening.

You can try the heat method. You’ll need a blow dryer for this. Wear thick socks and put your feet in the shoes. Then apply heat from the dryer to the tight sides of the shoes for the material to soften and expand to the size of the feet.

You can employ the use of shoe spray. This technique is similar to the heat method. The spray, when applied to the sides of the shoe, will loosen the material of the footwear and cause it to expand. Subsequently, walking in it will prove more effective.

The old potato trick can also do magic. Peel some potato and mold it into the tight points of the shoe then leave it overnight. This method also broadens the places targeted while molding the potato and allows individuals with wide feet to wear shoes comfortably.

With all these methods, you can stretch your shoes without purchasing or using a shoe stretcher. They are “do it yourself” methods that work well.

Conclusion

Shoe stretchers are easy to use. In fact, amongst all methods of shoe widening, it’s the easiest. They come in different designs and are built to ease tightness and prevent blister and pinch.

The shoe toe stretcher has a combined job of not just widening a tight shoe but increasing the toe area of the shoe for individuals suffering bunions or plantar fasciitis and want to avoid extra pressure on the base of their feet. Overall, besides stretching a shoe, shoe stretchers are very much useful in getting a shoe back to shape. When wrinkles start to appear on a leather shoe, especially wooden shoe stretchers, they are helpful in this situation. It smoothens the wrinkles of the shoe and gives it a new look.

Remember also that to hasten the process of widening your shoe, the use of shoe stretcher spray is vital. The spray on its own softens the covering of a shoe, be it leather, rubber, vinyl, or foam. However, when the action of a spray stretcher is backed by the use of a shoe stretcher, it gives a faster result. So, as you contemplate purchasing a shoe stretcher for sneakers or corporate leather, use the above buying guide to get the best shoe stretchers in the market.