How to Stretch Canvas Shoes

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Make tight shoes fit more comfortably with our guide

Co-authored by Penny Simmons

Last Updated: December 7, 2024 References

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Stretching with Heat

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Stuffing Your Shoes

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Manual or Professional Stretching

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Video

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Tips

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Warnings

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.

Best Ways to Stretch Canvas Shoes

For an easy way to stretch canvas shoes, wear them with a thick pair of socks and heat them with a hair dryer for 20-30 seconds. After that, try your shoes on to see if they fit and warm them up for longer if you need to.

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]
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- 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]
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- 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]
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- 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]
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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]
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- Keep the hair dryer a few inches from your feet so as not to burn yourself. ^{[6]
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- Try the shoes on without the thick socks to test their fit. They should be looser. ^{[7]
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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]
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- Try the shoes on and flex your feet around in them until the fabric has been stretched wide enough to accommodate your foot. ^{[9]
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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]
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- Take the shoes out of the freezer, and try them on to test their fit. Repeat this process if necessary. ^{[11]
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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]
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- 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]
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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]
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- Pack the ball of socks tightly to ensure the toes of the canvas shoes receive a good stretch overnight. ^{[15]
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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]
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- 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]
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- Flex your feet to create more room in the shoes while you wear them around your home. ^{[18]
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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]
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- 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]
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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]
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- Shoe stretchers come with bunion plugs that can be attached to enhance stretching in extra tight areas. ^{[22]
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- You should spray a stretching liquid on your shoes prior to using this device. ^{[23]
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- 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]
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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]
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- 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]
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Join the Discussion...

How do you stretch shoes without damaging them?

16

WikiLynxWatcher304

My wife bought me these shoes when she was on vacation and she really likes the way they look on me. The problem is that they’re like ha... Read More

Moe Draper
Shoe Care & Repair Specialist

To stretch out leather shoes that are too tight, purchase your own wooden shoe stretcher and hand-crank them to the appropriate tension to stretc... Read More

WikiMongooseDriver598

When I get new shoes I stretch them out and break them in with 1) THICK socks and 2) heat. I have these thick wool socks that I wear to both stre... Read More

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Tips

Because canvas doesn't have much elasticity or give, it can be really difficult to stretch canvas shoes. ^{[27]
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Expert Source

Penny Simmons
Shoe Care Specialist

Expert 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]
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Expert Source

Penny Simmons
Shoe Care Specialist

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How to Stretch Canvas Shoes

Best Ways to Stretch Canvas Shoes

Steps

Using Heat to Stretch Canvas Shoes

Stuffing Canvas Shoes to Stretch Them

Stretching Shoes Professionally or Manually

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