How many times do you get to match the perfect size of your feet with your dream shoes? Isn’t that just traumatic when you can’t get stylish shoes just because of size while shoes of our size don’t look good and stylish enough and make us feel super uncomfortable?
But even if you have accidentally bought a shoe that is bigger than your size, do not lose hope. Cause we got the hacks to let you know about how to make shoes smaller. Yes, it is possible! Simple ways like stuffing something inside or even getting a new insole can help you wear the bigger shoes comfortably.
So why are you lagging in getting the perfect fit of shoes? Read on and know about the magical hacks that you never thought existed! Later on, you will additionally know about different types of insoles to make shoes smaller, and also recommendations for some incredible insoles.
How To Make Shoes Smaller?
Well, this problem is quite hard to solve but not impracticable. Stop stressing because there are some solutions that we brought today to help you to make the big shoes smaller and make them fit your feet! Let’s get started!
Solution-1: A New Insole Can Make The Shoe Fit Perfectly!
Honestly, insoles are amazing to make your shoes fit better. Believe it or not, it seems to be the absolute one to stick to. The insole is actually the pad of your shoe which makes your feet comfortable and warm and made with either foal or leather.
Now the question is how can the insole help you to make your feet fit in your favorite shoes? It’s pretty simple. If you don’t seem to find a shoe of your size and love a shoe bigger than your size then all you have to do is to replace the insole of that shoe with an insole for high arches.
You have to find an insole that is created with thick material. Pull out the original insole of your shoes and replace the thicker insole inside your shoe. Before buying the insole, don’t forget to check if that makes your shoes fit perfectly for your feet or not. Any of the shoes can be dealt with this process including boots, sneakers, heels, and whatnot!
Here are our recommendations of insoles that you can go for. Both of these insoles worked perfectly fine for us. In one word, we wouldn’t doubt to call these “awesome”!
Dr. Scholl’s Work Insoles All-Day Shock Absorption and Reinforced Arch Support
Key features:
- Will make your shoes perfectly in feet ensuring top-most comfort.
- The massaging gel technology automatically massages your feet every time you walk.
- No matter what kind of shoe you use, the great arch support always gets your back from foot pain.
- You can trim it to fit any of your shoe sizes.
Why we like this: first of all, the trimming part. It just lessens all the hassle of wearing and choosing the size based on your shoe size. All you have to do is just trim the insole and use it! The comfortability of this insole deserves a round of applause as well.
Plantar Fasciitis Arch Support Insoles for Men and Women Shoe Inserts
Key features:
- This one is podiatrist-recommended sole shoe inserts with incredible arch support.
- The versatility allows you to use it for any kind of shoes, be it casual or work boots.
- It comes with a shock-absorbing effect to heal you from any kind of foot pain and soreness.
- The gel forefoot and air capsules included cushioning make the shoe fit better in your feet.
Why we like this: we just loved the fact that this one is podiatrist-recommended. You can always be extra sure about this one in case of your feet’ health. On top of that, the cushioning and gel forefoot makes it a more perfect fit for your shoe. What else can you ask for!
Solution-2: Stuff Something Inside
This method is one of the most popular and effective ways of making your shoes smaller. You can pick newspaper, tissue paper, cotton, or any other possible stuff for going forward with this method. You can use small pieces of cloth as well. Just make a ball shape using any of the stuff and put that at the front area of your toe.
It’s not that hard and good enough to help you at a time when you’re in a hurry. But if you want more reliable stuffing, there are available shoe stuffings for you so that you don’t have to roam around and search for things to put inside your shoes. Here is our favorite shoe stuffing that you can get. It is super easy to use and here you can get it on Amazon as well!
Solution-3: Make Your Shoes Shrink!
You can apply this method depending on the type of material in your shoe. If your shoe can tolerate water, then this way will come in handy. This method works uniquely for leather shoes. All you have to do is to spray some water over your shoes and then make them dry by air drying or by leaving them in direct sunlight.
You can also use a blow dryer to dry off your shoes. After getting dried off, you will see that your shoe is fitting perfectly better than before. For leather shoes, you can use a leather conditioner.
Solution-4: Buying Thicker Socks Can Assist
Another way of making your loose shoes fit perfectly is socks. You can go with either two or three pairs of socks or a thicker sock. Wear two or three socks so that your feet can fit into your shoe. The same will happen if you wear thicker socks. But if you have issues with sweaty feet then this method isn’t suitable for you. Alongside, it’s not suitable for summer days as well.
Solution-5: Attach An Elastic Band: The Stitching Method
If you are pretty good at stitching then go with this hack, if not then avoid this because you might end up ruining your favorite pair of shoes. In order to proceed further with the hack, you will need a few things including thread, needle, an elastic band, and your shoes of course.
Get the pair of shoes and stitch the elastic band in the heel portion of your shoes. By attaching the elastic band you will be able to pull the elastic band and make your shoes smaller every time you want.
Solution-6: Consider A Professional Cobbler To Do The Job
If you don’t want any troubles or don’t want to go with any of the hacks then just simply go to a professional cobbler. They have their own tools and will make your shoes smaller in just a couple of minutes.
Caution: go for a renowned cobbler because otherwise your favorite shoe can be ruined because of the lack of experience.
Different Kinds Of Insoles That You Should Know About:
As stated before in the first place, insoles are one of the most popular and effective ways how to make shoes smaller. There are various kinds of insoles. Though we have suggested two of the best insoles that we are personally satisfied with, it’s a responsibility to let you know about the types. So have a look!
- Foam insoles: for cushioning, support, and pressure relief, foam insoles work the best. So if you want a comfort song with the perfect fit, you should go for this one. In fact, our first mentioned suggestion is a foam insole.
- Gel insoles: along with a better fit, gel insoles provide arch support which keeps your feet from soreness and ache. Our second suggested insole is a gel insole that you can get for yourself.
- Thermal insoles: if you struggle with feet aches and coldness, thermal insoles can help you. These provide a good fitting along with warmth to your feet.
- Leather insoles: lastly, another lifesaver. If you struggle with sweaty feet and searching for a good insole that can protect you from sweets, leather insoles can help you out. With thick cushioning, it makes the shoe fit better in many ways.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can insoles make the shoes smaller?
Definitely. Insoles are the pads inside our shoes. If you replace the insole with a thicker insole then there will be less space inside your shoe. Basically, the insole will fill the empty space inside your shoe and make your bigger yet dream shoes of yours smaller and more suitable for your feet.
What can you put in a shoe to make it smaller?
You can put newspaper, paper towel, cotton even cloth inside your shoe to fill the empty space of your shoe. You can also use ready-made foam stuffings to reduce your hassle. Wearing thicker socks will also help to make shoes smaller.
What is the easiest way of making shoes small?
The easiest way is to use insoles inside the shoe. If you don’t seem to find an insole or DIY hack to make your shoes smaller, then the most convenient way for you is to go to a cobbler. They are professional and they have their own ways of doing so.
What should I do when my favorite shoes are bigger than my feet?
We all know it’s hard to find a shoe that looks good, feels comfortable, and comes in the perfect size at the same time. So if you are getting the other features from a little bigger shoe then get that shoe because there are plenty of hacks that will help you to make your shoes smaller as we mentioned here. You can simply go to a cobbler as well.
Can socks help with making shoes smaller?
Yes. You can get thicker shoes that can fill the empty space inside your shoes. Moreover, you can wear two or three socks as well if you don’t find a thicker one. But taking help from socks to make shoes smaller isn’t a great idea if you got sweaty feet issues.
Wrapping Up
We all sometimes struggle with the problem of buying bigger-size shoes for ourselves. But by now, you already know how to make shoes smaller. So follow our instructions and work just as we have stated the solutions to make your bigger shoes fit perfectly.
In our opinion, insoles are the best way you can stick to them because they are hassle-free. On top of that, insoles can provide you comfort and other benefits as well when you walk. So it will be a total win-win situation. You can have a look at the insoles that we have suggested because we got incredible outcomes from those.
However, you can follow the other methods as well if you want. And for a reliable solution, you can visit a cobbler to fix the shoe that you are willing to wear.
Hi! Mahmudul Kabir here, FootInsider’s chief editor with a bucket of experience in the footwear industry. In essence, he mostly writes about all footwear goods. Mahmud has years of expertise in the footwear industry and is a Chief Editor. Along with our in-depth analyses, his thorough knowledge of the footwear sector and consumer insights are reflected in several opinion pieces on the athletic footwear market.