As we get older, there are inevitable changes that occur in our bodies. Unfortunately, this can make tasks like caring for our shoes and feet more difficult. In addition to our feet getting slightly wider or longer in older adulthood, it also becomes more difficult to bend and scrub shoes.
The good thing is, a solution for your unfamiliar shoe problems exists. From shoe horns to bunion stretchers, FootFitter offers a fix to make shoe care easier for older adults and seniors.
Keep reading to find out how to best stretch, slide, shine and store shoes to accommodate foot and shoe issues associated with aging.
Stretching Shoes
Our feet change over time. While your feet may not be continuously growing as you age, the arch in your feet does significantly decrease. This causes the foot to widen and elongate as it becomes more flat.
While it may be time to hang up your narrow high heels, dress shoes don’t have to be cut out completely. Which means, luckily, you don’t have to completely switch over to a closet full of orthopedic shoes.
A shoe stretcher can help break in new dress shoes or boots and widen them to better accommodate your feet. In turn, wearing your snazzy shoes will no longer have to be an uncomfortable process.
Shoe Stretcher
To most effectively use a shoe stretcher, first spritz the inside of your shoes with a stretching spray. Since the spray easily penetrates the leather, your shoes will become more malleable and allow the stretcher to work quicker.
The holes and nobs on a shoe stretcher are for spot stretching. This is also helpful as we age because arthritis and bunions are common foot problems in seniors.
Instead of ditching dress shoes because of an uncomfortable jetting bone or bump, using a shoe stretcher will help your shoes accommodate your specific feet.
If you need something a little stronger, investing in a shoe stretcher specifically for bunions, corns and hammer toe will ensure the problem is fixed overnight.
The contraption may look a little complicated, but watching the quick video below shows how to use a bunion stretcher with ease.
Sliding Shoes
Sliding shoes on also gets more difficult as we get older. After all, as we age, our ability to balance gets worse. This is due to a number of factors including: decreased muscle strength, joint flexibility, vision and reaction time that comes with age.
When it’s no longer a feasible task to bend over and fumble with stiff shoes, shoe horns comes in handy.
Shoe Horn
Instead of giving up and chucking your dress shoes back in the closet, investing in a shoe horn will allow you to slide on shoes stress-free.
A shoe horn eliminates the need to bend over and struggle with stubborn shoe backings.
Instead, you can stay standing or sitting upright in a chair (depending on the length of the shoe horn you choose).
In addition, this gets rid of the stiff shoe backing problem because the shoe horn holds your shoe open, providing a slide for your foot to easily push into your shoe.
This alleviates the discomfort associated with cramming.
Shining Shoes
Because of decreased muscle strength, shining shoes can become a tedious, long process that leaves you tired and stressed. Instead of doing it by hand or struggling to get to a cobbler, an electric shoe polisher offers you a third and preferable option.
Electric Shoe Polisher
An electric shoe polisher does all the hard work for you. Instead of applying polish and scrubbing back and forth for 20 minutes, all an electric shoe polisher requires is that you turn it on. Heavy-duty motors on the machine buff your shoes and leave a lasting shine in seconds.
READ MORE: “Electric Shoe Polishers: Is It Worth It To Invest In A Machine“
Storing Shoes
Storing shoes on the floor can also prove to be a nuisance. To avoid awkward bending or reaching, boot hangers allow your shoes to share the closet with your clothes and be easily accessed at eye level.
Boot Hangers
In addition to being easier to reach, keeping your boots off the floor will help them maintain their shape. This will increase the longevity of your leather.
With these tips in mind, you now have all the tools you need to continue caring for your feet and shoes stress-free.
