How to Shrink Rubber Sandals

Rubber sandals are obviously made from rubber and you know fully well that rubber material is known to be flexible but also durable. Rubber material being flexible means that it is capable of shrinking and expanding when needed.

That is why in this article I will show you the various steps that you can use to shrink your rubber sandals. If your sandals are too loose and you want it to fit you properly, you should consider taking the steps to properly shrink your crocs.

3 Different methods to shrink rubber sandals

You can shrink rubber sandals with the following methods:

  • You can shrink rubber sandals in natural sunlight
  • You can shrink rubber sandals in the dryer machine
  • You can shrink rubber sandals with the hairdryer

Making use of natural sunlight

This is basically one of the easiest and most affordable ways to shrink your rubber sandals. This is because you do not need to buy any third-party device, unlike the hairdryer method where you need to buy a hairdryer.

This sunlight method is good for you if you do not want to spend a dime while shrinking your rubber sandals. This method does not require so many steps like that of the other methods.

When you want to shrink your rubber sandals with sunlight, here are the following steps that you should take:

  • Step 1: Get the rubber sandals off your feet
  • Step 2: Remove insoles
  • Step 3: Get a good spot for sunlight
  • Step 4:Leave in the sun for long hours

Step 1: Get the rubber sandals off your feet

The first thing you need to do is to ensure that you have taken the rubber sandals completely off your feet and you are prepared to leave them under the sun.

Once you have gotten them ready then you should move ahead to the next step. 

Step 2: Remove insoles

The next step is to remove any insole that may be present in your rubber sandal. Trying to shrink your sandal with the insole present may prevent you from getting the full effect.

That is why you need to take out the insole, that is if the sandal has any.

Step 3: Get a good spot for sunlight

The next thing you need to do after taking the insole out is to look for a good spot where the natural sunlight is coming from so that you can leave the rubber sandals under the sun so that the heat from the sun is heating the rubber sandal directly.

Once you find the spot, leave the sandal under there for long, for about 3 hours or more so as to get results.

Step 4:Leave in the sun for long hours

When you are done leaving the rubber sandal under the sun for long hours, you can go ahead to remove it from the direct sunlight. You will see that you will already see results.

This method is cost-effective, however, it is also time-consuming. If you know you would not be using your rubber sandals the next day, you can go to make use of this method.

Making use of the drying machine

This method is not time-consuming at all and it requires little effort from you. All you need is to know how to operate the dryer machine. If you want something so fast you should go for this method.

  • Step 1: Using this method, you need a dryer machine and also two wet towels
  • Step 2: Dip the towels in hot water
  • Step 3: Ensure that you wrap the two rubber sandals with the hot towels
  • Step 4: Put the rubber sandals wrapped in the hot towel in the dryer machine and turn it on
  • Step 5:All is sorted, switch off your dryer and keep in a safe place

Step 1: Using this method, you need a dryer machine and also two wet towels

The first thing you need to do is to get the dryer ready by adjusting the heat settings and also setting the timing.

When you are setting the heat you need to set it to the lowest temperature possible, also when you are setting the timer, you should set it to about 10 to 15 minutes.

The purpose of doing this is to ensure that the rubber sandals get a steady low temperature for a long period of time so that the heat will not damage the rubber in the process.

Step 2: Dip the towels in hot water

The next thing you should do is to dip the 2 towels inside hot water and ensure that you squeeze the water totally from the two towels. Ensure that there is no excess water in the towels.

Step 3: Ensure that you wrap the two rubber sandals with the hot towels

To secure the rubber sandals in the towels, you can make use of rubber to tighten it. The purpose of doing this is to ensure that the hot towels do not come off while the rubber sandals are in the dryer machine.

Step 4: Put the rubber sandals wrapped in the hot towel in the dryer machine and turn it on

Since you have already set the timer and the heat then you can leave it already. Remember to stand in front of the dryer machine while the machine is on. It is just for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 5: All is sorted, switch off your dryer and keep in a safe place

At this point, you should have gotten your desired result. Then you should switch off the hairdryer. Take out the shoe and keep the towels aside, you will see that you already have your desired result.

Making use of the hair dryer

This is another easy method that you can use to shrink your rubber sandal. This process is a little bit similar to that of the dryer machine, but here the difference is that the hairdryer is in your hand and you can always control the heat manually.

For this, you will need a hairdryer and two towels.

  • Step 1: Wet the two towels and remember to squeeze out all the excess water from it
  • Step 2: Wrap the towels around the rubber shoes
  • Step 3: Take the hairdryer and ensure that you set the heat to medium
  • Step 4: Heat the rubber sandals to all parts

Step 1: Wet the two towels and remember to squeeze out all the excess water from it

The purpose of wetting the towel is to ensure that the heat from the hairdryer is not directly heating the rubber sandals.

Step 2: Wrap the towels around the rubber shoes

This time you do not need to secure the rubber sandals with a rope, this is because you are holding them in your hands, so there is no possibility of the towels falling off.

Step 3: Take the hairdryer and ensure that you set the heat to medium

When you want to apply the heat to the rubber sandals, ensure that you keep it at a distance and do not hesitate to adjust the distance when the need arises.

Step 4: Heat the rubber sandals to all parts

When you are sure that the heat has been set to medium, you can go ahead to heat the rubber sandals to all the parts of the sandals.

Ensure that you heat all the parts and corners of the rubber sandals. You can continue heating until you get your desired result.

At this point, you must have been done heating the rubber sandals with the hairdryer. You can take out the towel and check to see if the rubber sandals are properly shrunk.

These methods are something that you can do on your own without so much hassle. It promises that you will also get your desired result when you are done with any of these methods.

Why do people shrink rubber sandals?

Rubber sandals are shrunk in order to make oversize or expanded rubber sandal reduce or stay true to size

When you purchase your rubber sandals and you see that it is wider than your feet but you do not want to return them, you can go ahead to shrink them by making use of any of the methods described in this article.

Also, people shrink crocs when they have worn it a couple of times and it starts to expand wider than the size of their feet.

How to protect yourself while trying to shrink your rubber sandals

When you want to protect yourself while you shrink your rubber sandals, it largely depends on the method you are using.

Here is how to protect yourself while trying to shrink your rubber sandals depending on the method you are using:

Use an umbrella

While making use of the natural sunlight method, you may want to protect yourself by making use of an umbrella (on Amazon), that is if the sun is too hot and you react to the very hot sun.

While you want to place your shoe under the hot sun you can go ahead to make use of an umbrella to protect yourself from the heat.

Wear rubber flip flops and use gloves during drying with the machine

If you are making use of the dryer machine, one way that you can protect yourself is to ensure that you wear rubber flip-flops (on Amazon) and also wear some protective gloves (on Amazon) to prevent yourself from possible electric shock.

Also, ensure that your hands are not wet while you plug and turn on the dryer machine.

Conclusion

Rubber sandals can be shrunk with about three different methods. I have shared these three different methods that you can use to shrink your rubber sandals in situations where they might be too loose for you.

The good thing is that you can always choose from any of these methods you want to use. If you want a cost-effective method you can go with that of the sunlight method.

But take note that this method takes so much time. If you want something fast you can use the dryer machine method.

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