Try on the shoes to see which parts need to be smaller.

Put the shoes on and stand

with your feet flat on the floor, and then take a few steps. Check to see which places on
the shoe aren’t touching your foot, and decide which parts need to be smaller for the
shoes to fit more snugly.[1]
 If you bought the shoe in your size, you probably won’t need to shrink the entire shoe.
Instead, you’re just going to be focusing on shrinking one area of the shoe at a time.
 For instance, you may want to make the sides of a canvas shoe slightly smaller so your
foot doesn’t slip out while you walk.

Dab an ill-fitting area of the shoe with water until it is damp but not saturated. Dip
your fingers into cool water and pat the water onto the shoe. Continue this until the
fabric is damp but not dripping wet. Focus the water on the areas that are the most
stretched.[2]
 Avoid getting water on the insole of the shoe, as this can cause it to become smelly,
cracked, or discolored.
 For a leather or suede shoe, focus the water around the top edge of the shoe, which
tends to be the stretchiest area.[3]
 Adding water and heat to shoes like patent leather heels, coated leather sneakers, or
larger shoes, like boots, won’t be effective for shrinking them. In those cases, you’ll
need to use inserts to get a better fit.

Apply heat to the wet fabric with a blow dryer on the medium setting. Hold a blow
dryer about 6 inches (15 cm) away from the area where you applied the water. Turn the
dryer on and set the heat at the medium level. Leave the dryer on until the fabric is dry
to the touch.[4]
 Don’t hold the blow dryer too close to the fabric. The concentrated heat from the
dryer discolor lighter canvas fabrics.
 For leather and suede, continuously move the dryer around the top edge of the
shoe to heat the leather, causing it to contract and shrink. If the leather starts to
smell or crack while you’re applying heat, turn the blow dryer off and let the
shoes air dry.[5]
1. Put on the shoe to see if the fit has improved. Once the area is dry, put the shoe
back on your fut and stand up with your feet flat on the floor. Take a few steps to see if
the the fabric feels tighter. If it does, your shoe has shrunk.[6]
 If it still feels loose, re-apply the water to the area and continue blow drying.
  If they feel too tight, wear a pair of thick socks with them to stretch them out slightly
without making them too large.
 You may need to shrink multiple areas on the shoe, like the sides and the top lip, before
you start to see results.
2.