Fix creases with a steam iron
Make no mistake about it – preventing shoe creases is a dozen times better than fixing them, but if you want to give your creased basketball shoes a newer look, this tip might come in handy. Grab a wet cloth and put it on top of the creases of your sneaker, and gently rub over it with a steam iron. It won’t eliminate them completely, but it’ll make a huge difference nonetheless.
Get rid of squealing shoes
Squeaky shoes that you can hear from miles away, it’s not exactly the best thing there is. Luckily, there’s an easy fix for noisy and squeaky shoes. Grab a bit of baby powder and put some underneath your inner shoe sole. It’ll allow for better cohesion between both parts of the shoe, and less squealing as a result.
Switch up your shoelace patterns
There are dozens of different ways to tie up your shoes, and you can find plenty of great shoelace patterns that’ll give your footwear a distinctive look. Tired of seeing criss-cross patterns all the time? Just swap it out for another style!
Easily widen your boot shafts
Boots that have a firm grip on your leg are never comfortable, so it may be worth taking some time to widen those boot shafts. All you need is a couple of newspapers. Simply stuff the shafts with the papers, and pull them out when you want to use your boots. Simple as that!
Heel caps are true lifesavers
For someone who loves their shoes, the thought alone of a heel breaking is absolutely terrifying. It’s worth investing in a couple of heel caps that will quickly allow you to fix shoes with broken heels.
Stinky shoes? Tea bags to the rescue!
Smelly shoes with a noticeable odor – nobody likes them. There’s a quick solution to eliminate nasty smells. Put unused tea bags in your shoes, as they’re absolutely great at absorbing unpleasant scents.
Widen shoe toes in the freezer
There’s a great method to loosen up the tip of your shoe, which is often the one spot where footwear is too tight. Grab an airtight bag filled with a little bit of water, and stick it in the toe area. Let your shoes rest in the freezer overnight. Because water expands when it becomes ice, the shoe toes will be a little bit wider than before.
Have more control over your shoes with heel grips
If you’re planning a long night wearing heels, you can already imagine the pain and discomfort you’re going to feel at the end. Ease some of that pain and increase your movement by inserting a handy heel grip.
Use panty liners to absorb sweat
It may sound like a weird thought, but panty liners are great at absorbing sweat. Less sweat in your shoes equals less smelly odors, and it’ll naturally keep your shoes fresher longer. Simply put them in the soles, and you’re all done.
Fix scuffs with some vaseline
There are dozens of uses for vaseline or petroleum jelly, and restoring shoes is just one of them. Apply some petroleum jelly on a cotton swab, and rub gently until the scuff is gone. Works best on a patent leather shoe.
Add wool into your soles
This tip is particularly useful during the winter. If there’s one material type that you can associate with warmth and comfort, it’s wool. Just insert some wooly fabric whenever you might think your feet need some warming up.
Tape your toes when wearing heels
This may seem a bit odd and unnecessary, but there’s a scientific reasoning behind it. Heels aren’t exactly comfortable by definition, and there’s a lot of strain placed on the nerve directly between your second and third toe. The best and easiest way to help relieve some of the tension, it to tape the toes together. Not too tight, otherwise you’ll cut off blood circulation.
Clean shoes with a magic eraser or toothpaste
The pristine condition of your brand-new shoes is something that doesn’t last very long, but you can keep your kicks looking new with magic erasers or simply by rubbing some white toothpaste all over it. They’ll do a great job of scrubbing off scuffs, and it’s cheap too!
Clean suede shoes with pieces of bread
Suede is a delicate material to handle, and cleaning with a regular cloth can sometimes make things even worse. Instead of cloth, just use some bread to get rid of stains.
By Jonathan Maes | Life Hacks