Stretching Boots

What about an old-fashioned wooden shoe stretcher? Traditional yet effective.

I heard that leaving a damp towel inside the boot overnight or something helps...

Obviously stuffed into the boot, not just lying there like a piece of lettuce

If they're leather, something that my mum does is put some rubbing alcohol on them, then walk around in them for a while. Don't know if that's something that would work with cloth boots.

Make sure you do this before you want to use them around people, because you will smell like an alcoholic for while.

Yes they are leather. I will raid my dad's side of the wardrobe for the rubbing alcohol it and see if that works. Will it not mark them though???

As sad as this is I have hunted the internet, shops for over a year for these boots and I finally found them yesterday - so determined to get them cosy and comfy before I start going walkies in them .

I'd test the alcohol on an unobvious bit of the leather beforehand to see if it marks it; caveat lector - don't blame me if it all goes wrong.

for doc martens i recommend sitting with the boots on with your feet in a hot bath for an hour or so then walking about in them but i dunno if this would work with these ones and also thats not stretching so much as 'breaking them in'

I've taken a pair of boots to the cobblers before to be stretched I really wanted the back part around the heel stretching, but they said they only stretch the front of the boots. Don't know why.. It still worked though

Mind me asking - how much it was???

It was quite cheap! Only about £5.. may have been less because it was a while ago now and I can't remember. Wasn't any more than that though, suppose you could always ask first

One of my friends swears by putting a potato inside shoes for a few days to stretch them out. She buys shoes in a smaller size when they're in the Schuh sale because they very often don't do her size but they fit after she's put a potato in them for a few days.