How to Stretch Canvas Shoes

Canvas shoes are comfortable, cheap, and versatile. However, they can be narrow in the toes when you first buy them, so breaking them in takes effort and patience. You can stretch canvas shoes with DIY methods such as using heat, stuffing them with newspaper and socks, wearing them around the house, using a stretching device, or taking them to a cobbler. If one method doesn’t work, try another until you find one that makes your shoes fit right.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Heat to Stretch Canvas Shoes

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1
Microwave canvas shoes for a quick way to stretch them. Put your shoes in the microwave on high for no longer than 30 seconds. The heat from the microwave will make the fabric more malleable to your feet.^{[1]XResearch source}
- Make sure there are no metal pieces in the shoes before putting them in the microwave. Make sure the eyelets in your shoes aren’t metal, too.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Take the shoes out of the microwave and put them on right away while the material is still warm. Walk around with them on for a minute.^{[3]XResearch source}
- After a minute, they’ll start to cool down, so take them off and put them in the microwave again for 20 seconds. After 20 seconds, wear your shoes again, and they should be widened enough.^{[4]XResearch source}
2
Use a hair dryer on the shoes while wearing socks. The heat from the hair dryer will soften the fabric for stretching. While wearing thick socks, put your shoes on and aim a hair dryer at them for 20-30 seconds.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Keep the hair dryer a few inches from your feet so as not to burn yourself.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Try the shoes on without the thick socks to test their fit. They should be looser.^{[7]XResearch source}
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3
Use steam to soften canvas shoes for stretching. Steam will relax the shoe fibers and make them more malleable to the shape of your feet. Boil a kettle of water and hold your shoes over the steam for 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn yourself.^{[8]XResearch source}
- Try the shoes on and flex your feet around in them until the fabric has been stretched wide enough to accommodate your foot.^{[9]XResearch source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Stuffing Canvas Shoes to Stretch Them

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1
Stuff your shoes with bags filled with water and freeze them. As water turns to ice, it will expand in the tight areas of the shoes and stretch the material. Fill two small zip-lock bags with water and seal them tightly. Place the bags in the shoes all the way to the toe area, and put them in the freezer overnight.^{[10]XResearch source}
- Take the shoes out of the freezer, and try them on to test their fit. Repeat this process if necessary.^{[11]XResearch source}
2
Stuff newspapers into the toes of your shoes to widen them. By wadding up and tightly packing newspapers into the toes of your shoes, you should be able to create some wiggle room for your toes.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Leave the newspaper in your shoes over night to give it time to stretch the material, and then remove it in the morning. Repeat this step if there’s still not enough room.^{[13]XResearch source}
3
Stuff a ball of socks in your shoes to widen them. Similar to the newspaper, socks can also be used to stuff your shoes and widen them overnight.^{[14]XResearch source}
- Pack the ball of socks tightly to ensure the toes of the canvas shoes receive a good stretch overnight.^{[15]XResearch source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Stretching Shoes Professionally or Manually

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1
Wear your canvas shoes around your house if you can. By wearing new shoes around your house, you can break them in while doing daily tasks and sitting at your desk.^{[16]XResearch source}
- Starting in the morning, wear the shoes with thicker socks and go about your day performing daily tasks such as doing the laundry, cleaning, or watching T.V.^{[17]XResearch source}
- Flex your feet to create more room in the shoes while you wear them around your home.^{[18]XResearch source}
2
Use a ball and ring shoe stretcher to widen problem areas. This should provide immediate results, and this type of stretcher can be left in your shoes overnight.
- Decide which area of your shoes needs the most stretching, and place the ball inside the shoe with the ring on the outside.^{[19]XResearch source}
- Put the arms of the stretcher together over the area of the shoes giving you the most problems. You should see progress immediately, but you can leave the stretcher in your shoe overnight to make sure it makes enough room for your feet.^{[20]XResearch source}
3
Use a two-way shoe stretcher to stretch the whole shoe at once. If the entire shoe feels too tight rather than one area, a two-way stretcher widens and lengthens the entire shoe.^{[21]XResearch source}
- Shoe stretchers come with bunion plugs that can be attached to enhance stretching in extra tight areas.^{[22]XResearch source}
- You should spray a stretching liquid on your shoes prior to using this device.^{[23]XResearch source}
- When the solution saturates the fabric, turn the knob of the stretching device one full turn every 8 hours. You may leave the stretcher in overnight.^{[24]XResearch source}
4
Go to a cobbler for a professional shoe stretching. A professional can use a shoe-stretching machine to either widen or lengthen your canvas shoes.^{[25]XResearch source}
- Cobblers charge between $10 to $20 to stretch your shoes. It’s also one of the safest ways if you don’t want to be bothered with a DIY method.^{[26]XResearch source}

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Tips

Because canvas doesn't have much elasticity or give, it can be really difficult to stretch canvas shoes.^{[27]XExpert SourcePenny Simmons
Shoe Care SpecialistExpert Interview. 19 November 2020.}
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Warnings

If you don’t have a microwave, do not use the oven as a substitute. Ovens are hotter than microwaves and will melt your shoes.^{[28]XResearch source}
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