New Hacks
It’s hard being a parent. Whether you have one or five children it’s never easy. One aspect of parenting is normally a challenge – their shoes.
If you need to buy them, size them, or make them look good again, here are a few shoe hacks that will help when it comes to your child’s footwear.
Scuffs
Youtube / PhanDuy US
It’s inevitable that your children will end up scuffing their shoes. They generally don’t mind and own the scruffy look. But this can be mended with ease. Take an eraser (maybe even your child’s) and rub the scuffs away.
They should look much better with just a little bit of effort. Toothpaste is also known to get rid of scuffs quite easily.
Suede
Youtube / PhanDuy US
Ever seen a child with suede shoes? As uncommon as it might be when a child is rocking them they’re adorable. Then after a few days, you’re wondering how to get them adorable again.
Don’t worry! Bread actually makes a really good scrubber to get stains off of suede. We don’t know why, but all you need to know is that it works!
Tea
The Home-made Experiment
Children aren’t always the most hygiene minded individuals. Generally, they’ll wear the same clothes to bed and even the next day. Basically, children can be smelly. And their shoes normally suffer the most.
Instead of using the washing machine every time, taking a tea bag on putting it inside the shoes can help a great deal. The tea bags will absorb all the smells you don’t want and they’ll freshen the shoes with their nice scent.
Oil And Paper Towel
Youtube / Liz Nierman
Another good fix for shoe odor only requires two things: essential oil and some paper towels.
Take the paper towel and fold it once so it’s roughly the same size as the shoe. Put 5 drops of essential oil on the towel and leave it overnight inside the shoe. The next day it’ll be odor free.
Squeaks
Youtube / DIY Pinto
Since we’re already talking about smells, everyone likes the smell of baby powder right? If your child’s shoes are squeaking as badly as Spongebob’s then this will fix that problem.
Pour some baby powder inside the shoes and listen to the squeaks disappear! The reasons behind how it works are an enigma, but it works!
Time-Saver
Youtube / Laceez No Tie Shoelaces
Shoelaces can be challenging for little ones. This generally means that the chore falls onto the parents. Tying them, then untying them, and so on.
Take away the risk of your child falling over their own laces with a neat trick. Tie the laces inside the shoes. Now the shoes have magically become slip ons!
A Cute Addition
Credits
Another thing you can do if you want to go even further is using elastic shoelaces. Take the laces and tie normally but add a single knot at the top. Trim any loose laces and using some thicker laces, tie a cute bow. Now all you need to do is sew the bow on the knot you made earlier.
If you combine to two hacks you’ll have a beautiful pair of slip ons that appear to be lace-ups and they’ll be cute to boot. Feel free to use any material or color that takes your fancy and your kid will love you for it.
Jury-Rigging
Credits
Kids are active individuals and they often fall and will end up wearing their soles. We have a quick and simple fix for torn soles.
Just sand wherever the tear has occurred so there’s more friction and then simply glue it back together. After a few hours left to dry the shoe will seem new again.
Footprints
Youtube / TechManZ
It’s sometimes hard to convince your child that their shoes are still fine and they don’t need a new pair once they’ve gotten bored with their old ones.
Taking an imprint stamp and securing it to their soles may keep them entertained over their old shoes. They’ll love leaving behind interesting imprints. Glitter can also keep them happy with their old hard working shoes.
A Hacking Mystery
Credits
This next hack is one that has been trending as of late. A hack we weren’t all too sure why it was happening or what it was for.
Turns out the parents that are glueing coins to their kids’ shoes are walking 10 steps ahead of the game. They have it all sussed out. And here’s why they do it.
A Simple Home Remedy
Credits
Sometimes kids just want to make noise. They want to dance and make music with their feet. They want to tapdance but it can be hard to know if this is a lasting passion or a phase. You don’t want to invest yet, and you don’t have to.
Glue or tape coins to the end of their shoes and save yourself the expense of buying tap shoes!
Cute, Wearable, Arts And Crafts!
Credits
Another way to save money is to spruce up their old plain shoes with a DIY paint job. Acrylic paint works incredibly well on sticking to most surfaces and will leave a shiny finish.
You could also use markers and stencils and let your kids freehand draw the shoes themselves. Not only is this extra fun for the kids but you also might end up with a mini Picasso on your hands.
Missing Socks Solution
Credits
It’s getting late, you need to leave but you can’t find them. Any of them. If you don’t find them soon, you’ll be late for work and they’ll be late for school, sockless. You frantically search until you give up, and reuse yesterdays. It’s ok, it happens to everyone.
Never lose those teeny tiny socks again and wash them in a lingerie bag.
Playing Favorites!
Credits
Out of all these simple and effective hacks, our favorite out of the list has got to be the DIY tap dancing shoes. No wonder parents kept this one quiet!
It makes you wonder what other strange things parents are doing to keep themselves out of parental misery. Whatever it is, it’ll be hard to beat the look of those coin-glued shoes!
No More Creases
RetroSnickers
Make no mistake about it – preventing shoe creases is a dozen times better than fixing them, but if you want to give your creased basketball shoes a newer look, this tip might come in handy.
Grab a wet cloth and put it on top of the creases of your sneaker, and gently rub over it with a steam iron. It won’t eliminate them completely, but it’ll make a huge difference nonetheless.
Tight Toes? No Problem
Better Remake
There’s a great method to loosen up the tip of your shoe, which is often the one spot where footwear is too tight. Grab an airtight bag filled with a little bit of water, and stick it in the toe area.
Let your shoes rest in the freezer overnight. Because water expands when it becomes ice, the shoe toes will be a little bit wider than before.
Patches
Credits
There’s no denying that shoes eventually wear out, and heel linings are often one of the things that are broken down first. But you can give the inner heels a new life!
If they need repair, simply patch some material over it and nobody will be able to spot the difference. Denim, for example, is an absolutely great choice!
Remove Water Stains
Harper’s Bazaar
After being exposed to water, some leather shoes have the tendency to develop water stains.
They’re a pain to remove, but a splash of vinegar and an old toothbrush is all you need to keep these ugly stains away. Simply dip the toothbrush in some white vinegar and polish them out!
Make New Shoes Comfortable
The Krazy Coupon Lady
Getting new shoes is often double-sided. After all, you’re happy with your new footwear, but breaking in new shoes can’t exactly be described as fun.
The best thing to do when starting to use new shoes is putting on thick socks and blowing any tight or uncomfortable spot dry. The heat will loosen up the material and will make your feet get used to their new surroundings much faster.