Despite all those office jobs out there, tired feet are a reality for so many of us. This is especially true when we have our shoes on all day, confined to the warmth, but with little breathing room. Comfortable shoes are of course helpful, as our breathable, cotton or wool socks, however, feet carry us not just throughout the whole day, but throughout our whole lives, so I’d say they deserve all the love they can get. Here are 12 ways of giving them that tender loving care. Some are classic tips I already knew, but others came as a surprise to me. What’s certain is I’m going to be passing this on to everyone else whose feet may have had a long day.
1. Foot bath with baking soda.
Tired feet after a long walk or shopping in town? Mix 3-4 teaspoons of baking soda per liter of water and enjoy a truly relaxing (not to mention, deodorizing) footbath.
2. Tape your toes together.
Do you want to dance around in your new shoes for a whole evening without getting sore feet? The solution is tape. Use a thicker kind of tape to wrap your second and third toes together. Between those two toes lays a nerve that creates pain when squeezed, which often happens when you walk in heels.
3. Make your sneakers white again.
Toothpaste has many uses outside of cleaning your teeth. It works especially well as a cleanser for dirty sneakers.
4. Get rid of bad smells
Add a dry tea bag in your shoes overnight, and the smell will be gone the next morning. Not bad!
5. Avoid blisters when jogging.
The holes at the top of your running shoes serve a purpose. Lace them up to reduce the risk of foot blisters.
6. White vinegar to remove salt stains.
You can easily make your own mix of water and vinegar to clean your shoes. Mix water and vinegar in a bowl, gently apply the mix to your salt stains with a cloth or towel.
7. Loosen up tight shoes.
Stretch out your tight shoes by placing a sealable bag filled with water in them. Place the shoes in your freezer overnight. (Note should not be done with shoes in sensitive materials).
8. Waterproof your footwear.
Don’t have any waterproofing spray on hand? Grab a wax candle and hairdryer instead? Rub your shoes with the candle, and then heat with the hair dryer. Seconds later, your shoes will be waterproof!
9. Classic housewife tip.
An ancient trick for stubborn stains is to make your own water/lemon juice mix. Soak a cotton ball and gently rub the stains out with the solution.
10. Avoid newspapers.
Never use newspaper to wipe your shoes effectively. It can leave ink stains on your shoes, which then become extremely difficult to remove.
11. Sandpaper + suede = yes.
Do you have really stubborn stains on your suede shoes? Try to treat them with a very fine-grained sandpaper. Be very gentle, being careful not to press too hard with the sandpaper.
12. Better grip.
Use that same sandpaper to rub the bottom of your shoes in order to give them a better grip. Don’t have any sandpaper handy? Try using a nail file.
Know others whose feet can use some tender loving care? Pass these clever tricks on to them!
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