How do I stretch vinyl sneakers? I am hoping for a home remedy.
I've heard of scrunched up wet newspapers but I can imagine that might be messy. I would recommend filling a Ziploc bag with water and putting it in each shoe. Then put them in the freezer overnight.
Perhaps it would be better to put the bags inside the sneakers THEN add the water. Squeeze out as much air as possible and then leave them overnight to freeze. I'm not sure of the science but it's supposed to add half a shoe size to them.
I get the problem quite often but I used wooden stretchers available on Amazon.
Best of luck, Monique :)
You could try warming them. Vinyl becomes much more flexible when lightly heated. Then stuff them with old T-shirts and keep them lightly heated, say near a radiator for a few days
I posted this tip here on Thrifty a long time ago, give it a shot:
i would use shoe stretchers in them ... or if you have a sibling or friend with slightly bigger feet. lett them wear them for a bit :)
Heat them with a hair dryer and then stuff a larger pair of leather or other sturdy shoe into them. Leave overnight.
fill ziploc bags that are quart size but just half full. Insert one in each shoe and toss in the freezer so they expand.
I filled bags with water and stuffed them into leather shoes. I then froze overnight. It did stretch them out. I don't know if it would work with vinyl, but it is worth a try.
Some vinyls will actually crack if they get too cold (I had a pair of tennis shoes left for a few days in the car during the winter crack). Vinyl isn't supposed to stretch line leather will. I would call a shoe repair place and ask them if they can stretch it for you.
