If you bought the shoe in your size, you probably won’t need to shrink the entire shoe. Instead, you’re just going to be focusing on shrinking one area of the shoe at a time. For instance, you may want to make the sides of a canvas shoe slightly smaller so your foot doesn’t slip out while you walk.
Avoid getting water on the insole of the shoe, as this can cause it to become smelly, cracked, or discolored. For a leather or suede shoe, focus the water around the top edge of the shoe, which tends to be the stretchiest area. [3] X Research source Adding water and heat to shoes like patent leather heels, coated leather sneakers, or larger shoes, like boots, won’t be effective for shrinking them. In those cases, you’ll need to use inserts to get a better fit.
Don’t hold the blow dryer too close to the fabric. The concentrated heat from the dryer discolor lighter canvas fabrics. For leather and suede, continuously move the dryer around the top edge of the shoe to heat the leather, causing it to contract and shrink. If the leather starts to smell or crack while you’re applying heat, turn the blow dryer off and let the shoes air dry. [5] X Research source
If it still feels loose, re-apply the water to the area and continue blow drying. If they feel too tight, wear a pair of thick socks with them to stretch them out slightly without making them too large. You may need to shrink multiple areas on the shoe, like the sides and the top lip, before you start to see results.
You can purchase leather conditioner at most supermarkets or shoe stores.
For shoes like heels or ballet flats, this might not be a good option because your feet are mostly exposed.
The cushions are about 1⁄6 inch (0. 42 cm) thick, so they take up a small enough amount of space that it won’t look like there’s a big gap between your heel and the shoe. You can find heel cushions at most supermarkets, pharmacies, and shoe stores.
This helps to keep your toes in the same place when you walk. If you have a lot of space in the toe of your shoe, the ball of your foot can slide forward into the shoe, causing the heel of your shoe to slip off when you walk.
If you don’t have an extra insole, you can purchase inserts at the supermarket, pharmacy, or shoe store. This is a useful method for tennis shoes, boots, dress shoes, and heels since no one will be able to see the insole in the shoe.
