Use toe protectors or toe caps, insert shoe pads or insoles. Make sure to choose shoes that fit perfectly and use shoe conditioners.
How to Prevent Toe Holes in Shoes
Did you ever find yourself in a situation where you dressed up for your long-awaited occasion and when you put on your favorite pair of shoes, you discover holes in it? Being disappointed to bits, you think how your shoes end up like this.
Apart from the embarrassment, toe holes in shoes can also be harmful to your feet. However, you can always prevent toe holes in your shoes by following the procedures below.
Toe Hole Prevention Inserts
You can find plastic insert products online that are designed to prevent creases in the toes of shoes. These inserts are specially built to protect from damage to your shoes, which is popularly known as ‘Shoe Armor’.
Even the price of Shoe armor is a bit high, it’s definitely worth it as you don’t want to get toe holes in your expensive shoes instead.
Some shoes offer built-in shoe armor or insoles for durability and a longer lifespan. Get a pair of shoes with built-in armor or you can buy the prevention inserts separately. Also, you can take your pair of shoes to a cobbler and add or stitch a few patches from the inside manually to prevent toe holes.
Different types of orthotics (corrective insoles) are perfect for people having feet that are shaped uniquely or that are different sizes. These custom-made shoe inserts are prescribed by a doctor to treat deformities or foot conditions. If you have such difficulties you can try using them and it will also help to prevent toe holes.
Choose Shoes With Accommodative Toe Boxes
If you have large or wide toes than usual, shoes with thin and inadequate toe boxes might worsen the situation. If the toe box does not have enough room, the friction between your toes becomes obvious. Your toes will constantly struggle to make some room and will end up expanding and damaging the inner shoe material. So, make sure to choose shoes with a bigger toe box while buying one.
Quality Shoe Conditioners
A shoe conditioner not only makes your shoes look shiny from the outside but also helps to strengthen the material. It makes the material texture more flexible, which results in less wear and tear.
Using good-quality shoe conditioners and applying them at least once a month will strengthen the outer surface of your shoes.
Trim your Toe Nails Regularly
As ridiculous as it sounds, your sharp toenail can be one of the main reasons to get holes in your shoes. Sharp and long toenails provide constant friction to the inner part of your shoes. From time over time, your shoe material gets corroded and holes form. Trim your long and sharp toenails regularly.
How Do Toe Holes Form in Shoes?
There are several reasons to form toe holes in shoes. However, friction is the main culprit of toe holes in shoes. As your toes are continuously in a rubbing motion with the front part of your shoes, the material wears out from the inside out.
The mesh of your toe box is delicate, and depending on the quality of shoes you buy, it can easily wear away. This is is one of the main causes of toe holes in shoes.
Excessive Use
Overusing a pair of shoes may cause it to tear up at the toes or any other place. Poor shoe maintenance can also cause this. Harmful chemicals or materials, even water, fire, and so on can weaken the built of shoes and eventually form holes.
Misfitting Shoes
Ill-fitted shoes will make your feet uncomfortable. Your toes will constantly struggle to make some space and will end up expanding and loosening the insides of the shoe material. In such a situation, the shoe may open up at the toe area for getting overextending, and the hole will keep getting worse over time.
Wide and Oddly-Shaped Feet
If you have wide or unique shaped feet, they are most likely to expand the shoes which may result in tearing them up. Make sure to check the size while buying a new pair of shoes.
Having unique or oddly shaped feet may cause a lot of trouble to find the perfect size of shoes. Find a podiatrist to help recommend solutions and give you directions on how to purchase or custom-make shoes.
Wrong Use of Shoes
Using walking shoes for sports, exercise, or other high-impact activities, may lose their durability. Shoes are designed for different purposes and you need to make sure to avoid damaging your shoes by wearing the same pair of shoes everywhere.
Inside of Shoes Wears Out
Over-pronation is a term where your foot rolls inward more than normal when you walk or run. Overpronating makes the outer edge of your heel hit the ground first, and then your foot rolls inward onto the arch.
The weight distribution is unequal throughout the foot in this case and causes your shoes to wear quickly on the inner edges of your shoe soles. So as a result, the inner portion of your shoes wears out even faster than the outside.
Ideal Space Between Toes and Shoes
There should be at least a 1-inch gap between your toe and the shoe front. To measure with the longest toe, there should be about a 1/2 inch between the end of your longest toe and the end of the front of the shoe. That space will limit the contact between the toe box and toes no matter how you walk. It will increase the durability of the shoe and give you a much more comfortable feel.
Should Your Big Toe Touch Your Shoe?
No, as we mentioned earlier, the shoe should leave at least half an inch between the longest toe and the shoes’ toe box. If you got small hands, the size is about equal to the size of the tip of your index finger. This way you can determine your perfect pair of footwear easily.
FAQ
Q: Why do my pinky toes poke holes in my shoes?
Ans: The main reason for toes poking holes in the shoe is a smaller toe box compared to toe width and length. It creates friction in the toe box and, finally, wears out the shoe with holes. Also, shoes with poor material are most likely to make holes sooner.
Q: Why do socks get holes in them?
Ans: Holes in socks appear more frequently if the fabric is very thin. Also if they are worn very often without shoes, the socks die sooner than expected. Sharp and long toenails and not allowing the socks to dry flat can also cause holes in them. Use fabric softener to help protect your socks and make sure they are not dried by a cloth dryer.
Bottom Line
Even though there’s no way to make any pair of shoes last forever, by following the instructions and proper maintenance, your favorite pair of shoes might last for even years. Beware that wrong size and misfitted shoes not only wear out your shoes early but also cause various feet problems. Take care of your feet today, they will take care of you for the rest of your life.
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