Many of us spend all day on our feet and even if we don’t, we still may end up with uncomfortable feet, even if we stand on them part of the day. Unfortunately, issues such as blisters, strains and painful feet are commonplace, but your feet are about to get much better.
If you’re looking for a way to keep your feet in top shape, your shoes should be your first consideration. There are also other solutions that you may want to consider, including these 14 ingenious shoe hacks that will make your feet the happiest on the block.
After buying some new shoes, take a look at this guide to get them ready to make your feet happy and healthy. They can also keep your shoes looking like new.
How to Keep Your Shoes Clean
1. Restoring Whiteness with Toothpaste
Most of us use toothpaste on our teeth but it is also awesome for your shoes. Apply some toothpaste to an old toothbrush and work it into the dirty spots on the rubber. You can also clean the sides with toothpaste as well.
If you put toothpaste on the fabric of the shoes, wipe it off with a damp towel after a few minutes.
2. Treating Leather with Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is a safe and effective way to remove stains from finished leather. You can buy rubbing alcohol at most drugstores or even at the supermarket.
Using a Q-tip or cotton ball, gently soak it in rubbing alcohol and rub it on the stains. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes and the stain should be gone.
3. Baking Soda for Sneakers
Sneaker odor is one of the most common problems that people experience with their shoes.
If you want a quick way to freshen them up, grab some baking soda and leave it in your shoes overnight.
4. Remove Stains and Scratches
If you have a problem with stains or scratches on a suede surface, a nail file will come in handy.
Use a soft cloth to rub the area of the stain to remove as much of the spot as possible. If it is being stubborn, use some fine sandpaper or a nail file lightly until the stain is gone.
5. Shoes in Vinegar
Vinegar is great for removing orders because of its acidic property. When anything with an order comes in contact with vinegar, the odor is neutralized.
If you are dealing with particularly smelly sneakers, you can soak them in a vinegar solution. Mix 2 cups of vinegar in 2 gallons of water. Dunk your shoes, putting something heavy on stop and keep them submerged for 30 minutes.
6. Shining Patent Shoes with Petroleum Jelly
You can care for patent leather shoes easily and add a shine with some petroleum jelly.
You don’t need to use commercial cleaners, just apply some petroleum jelly or mineral oil on a clean cloth and rub off the scuff marks. Use the cloth to buff the shoes to a shine.
7. Cornmeal for Absorbing Stains on Suede
Cornmeal can be used to rub greasy stains away on suede. Rub the cornmeal onto the shoe and allow it to soak up the grease. Brush it off with a cloth.
How to Keep Your Shoes Comfortable
1. Stretch Your Shoes with a Hairdryer
It is not only important to have clean shoes, you want to make sure they are comfortable as well.
Breaking in shoes is about to get a lot easier, because you can heat them up with a blow dryer to loosen the fabric. Wear warm socks when you break the shoes in as well.
2. Loosen Shoes in the Freezer
If the toes of your shoes are cramped, you can put them in the freezer to loosen them up.
Fill two Ziploc bags with water and seal them tightly. Put the baggies inside of the shoes and let them sit overnight in the freezer.
As water freezes, it expands and it will stretch the walls of your shoes.
Remove your shoes from the freezer and allow the ice to thaw for 20 minutes before removing the bags.
3. Sandpaper on the Soles
One of the issues that many people have with new shoes is that the soles are slippery. You may be able to improve the grip of your shoes by lightly rubbing some sandpaper on the soles when you first buy them.
4. No More Blisters Thanks to Gel Deodorant
When you apply clear gel deodorant to the areas that are most likely to cause blisters in your shoes, the blisters will not be a problem. That is due to the fact that the your deodorant acts as a lubricant.
5. Tape Your Toes Together
When your toes get cramped inside of heels, it can strain the nerve that runs through your toes.
This can be remedied easily by taping your second and third (or third and fourth) toes together. You can use medical tape or scotch tape for this purpose.
6. Beeswax for Waterproofing
Your canvas shoes can be waterproofed using beeswax to keep your feet nice and dry.
Cover the surface of the shoes with beeswax and then heat them with a hairdryer to work the beeswax into the shoes.
7. Soak Your Feet to Soothe Blisters
There are a number of things you can do to prevent foot and heel pain but if you have blisters, that is another story.
When your feet get sore like this, rub some aloe vera gel on your feet to reduce inflammation and then soak your feet in a nice warm footbath.
Via: Little Things
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