How to soften up new sneakers and ankle boots after you've bought them: some truly effective remedies

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We've all bought great-looking, new shoes, only to get them back home and then find them uncomfortable to wear and/or a bit too tight.

Although this might seem like an intractable problem, there are actually a number of solutions you can try at home to "fix" new shoes that you're finding uncomfortable to wear.

Below, we detail some truly effective methods for softening and widening new pairs of sneakers and boots.

1. Wearing them

If your shoes are stiff but not tight, wearing them is a great way to soften them up and make them feel more comfortable.

This method is particularly useful for leather shoes, which will adapt to the shape of your foot over time, and soften up with use.

Canvas shoes can also be softened up using this technique: wear them with thick socks, starting with a couple of hours wear indoors daily (if you can) and gradually increasing the duration of use until properly softened up.

2. Stuffing left in overnight

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Stuffing your new shoes overnight is another great way to soften and stretch them.

For the stuffing, use newspaper or old socks.

A bit of humidity may help facilitate this process if the shoes you need to stretch are leather. Placing your shoes in a box with a damp cloth overnight will provide this humidity.

3. Heat

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Heat can soften leather, allowing it to more easily take on the shape of your foot.

Place your shoes next to a heat source (or direct a hot jet of air from a hair dryer at the hard spots) until the leather softens up.

4. Shoe stretcher

If the above methods do not work, you can try to soften and widen your shoes using special implements - such as shoe-stretchers - which you can insert inside your sneakers or boots and leave in overnight until you get the results you want.

For leather shoes, you can also buy specialized creams which can be applied and left on overnight to help soften up your shoes (and make them last for longer).

Recently, special shoe-stretcher sprays have come onto the market and these are very effective (and especially so when used in combination with shoe stretchers).

What methods do you use to make your new shoes feel more comfortable?