How to make new shoes more comfortable

Shoes take patience and a little know-how to get the most out of them. Here's some ways to make walking a little easier.

Nearly all shoes stretch over time, but if your new shoes are too tight to wear right away, try wearing them around the house to break them in. If this doesn't work, try one of these remedies:

• Stuff shoes as tightly as possible with crumpled wet newspaper and leave to dry out slowly, then wear the shoes for a few hours.
• For leather shoes, put on thick socks and squeeze your feet in. Heat the troublesome area for 20 to 30 seconds with a hair dryer while bending and unbending your toes.
• Swab the insides of leather shoes with rubbing alcohol, concentrating on the tightest areas. Put the shoes on and walk around for a few minutes.
• Another strategy is to soak an old pair of socks with rubbing alcohol. Put them on and wear the shoes.

Eliminating unwanted friction between parts of a shoe is the way to cure squeaks:

• Spray the squeaky area with an aerosol lubricant, or dust it with talcum powder.
• If the squeak seems to be coming from the inside of the shoe, partially lift the inner sole and dust inside with talcum powder.
• If the tongue is rubbing against the laces, apply saddle soap or a similar leather conditioner to the tongue and re-apply as necessary.
• If a heel is loose, take it to be repaired professionally, or try to secure it with a strong glue.

If you buy a new pair of shoes that just aren't the perfect fit, there are a couple of tricks to get you out and walking in no time.