All The Latest Hacks
Being a parent is tough. Whether you're a parent-of-one or a parent-of-five, it’s going to be a busy time. So, why not save time and energy in one aspect of parent life that can be a grueling process - kids’ shoes.
Whether you’re buying them, sizing them, or making them good as new, here are some hacks for you!
Sneaker Scuffs
Kids are always active. Eventually, their sneakers will scruff and master that wear-and-tear look. However, this is easily fixed. Just grab an eraser and scrub off the sneaker scruffs.
This should get them looking like new in under a minute. You can also try using toothpaste, scrubbing with a toothbrush. This also works a charm!
Cleaning Suede
Suede mightn’t be the first safe material choice you think of when buying your child new shoes. But then you see them and they just look too adorable to pass up. Then you find yourself a few days or weeks later researching how to keep them clean.
Fret not! Just use bread to scrub the stains off of suede shoes. Yes, that’s right. Bread!
Smelling Sweet Like Tea!
Kids aren’t the most hygienic-minded. If they had it their way, they'd run all day in the same clothes they go to bed in. In short, they can get stinky. And they’re runners suffer the brunt of it.
Instead of throwing them inside the washing machine all the time, try placing tea bags in the shoes. Not only do the tea bags smell nice, but they’ll also absorb all those not-so-pleasant odors.
A Fresh Smelling Recipe
Another ridiculously easy fix to banishing smelly shoes only needs two ingredients; your favorite essential oil, and a paper towel.
First, fold the paper towel in half so it’s the size of your kids shoe. Then put 4-6 drops of essential oil on the towel. Place the oil-dropped side facing down in the shoe and leave overnight. And voila! Fresh as a daisy!
No More Squeaks
While we’re on the topic of scent, who doesn’t love the smell of baby powder? If your child is walking around like Spongebob and his squeaky shoes, we have just the fix for you.
Sprinkle some baby powder inside your kids’ shoes to get rid of that annoying squeak.The science behind this one must be special, because it’s a working miracle!
A Huge Time-Saver
This small trick is for every parent who knows the struggle of un-tying shoelaces, only to tie them again, and again, and again.
Abolish the risk of tripping and save time by installing a pair of no-tie shoelaces on their favorite shoes. Simply fasten them on the inside of their runners and watch those lace-ups become slip ons.
The Cutest Touch
If you want to go a step further with this and make it a little cuter, we got you covered. Using elastic shoelaces, tie as normal using a single knot on top. Cut the loose ends, and using another piece of thicker lace, tie a bow. Then sew the bow to the single knot securely.
Repeat with the other shoe and you have a deceitful pair of ‘lace-ups’. For extra excitement, use any material or colour for your bow and they’ll feel like new for your little one.
A Simple And Quick Repair
Kids are always running around so it’s to be expected that they’ll have a fall every once in a while. Sometimes they’ll even tear up the sole.
A quick fix here is to sand the rip down to add more friction and traction and then glue it back together with a strong adhesive. Leave it to rest for a few hours and it’ll be good as new.
A Fun Footprint
It’s not always easy to convince your kid that they don’t need new shoes when all they want is something new and shiny to look at.
Glueing an imprint stamp on the bottom of their shoes might just do the job. They’ll delight over leaving footprints of their stamp behind. Another cool thing to do is to glue glitter to the straps, sides of old shoes.
A Hacking Mystery
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
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!
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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
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.