When you work on a job site, it becomes important to ensure your safety. This is why steel toe boots are compulsory at construction sites, carpentry, and places where job site hazards are possible. Steel toe boots are made of hard and hefty materials, making it difficult to wear them for an extended period of time.
Steel shoes are known to be hard & uncomfortable. However, if you buy quality shoes and ensure regular maintenance, these boots can be best for you.
Let’s see some tips for improving the comfort of your steel toe boots.
Tips to Make Steel Toe Boots More Comfortable
1. Get Used to Wearing Steel-Toe Boots
If you don’t spend enough time breaking them in, wearing steel-toe boots might be uncomfortable. Many workers make the common mistake of wearing their boots straight after purchasing them.
Before you start wearing these shoes at your workplace, wear them for some time at your home. This will make your boots bigger, and by this, your feet will also get used to the material of the boots.
How to Break in Steel-Toe Boots?
Coldwater Treatment
It is a very good and simple way to extend the steel-toe boots. You just need to pour cold water into a ziplock bag and lock it. Place this bag inside each boot and keep it in the refrigerator overnight.
The Stick Method
Just keep a mop stick or broom into the steel-toe boots. Make sure that you are keeping the broom towards the place that makes you uncomfortable.
The Oil Method
In this method, you can use mink oil or other leather conditioner to give your boot a protective coating. While spreading the oil, you need to focus on the areas that make you feel uncomfortable.
Hot Water Method
In this method, you must submerge your boots in a pot of lukewarm water and keep them for around half an hour. Once the shoes are fully immersed in water, remove the excess water and put on your boots for 60 minutes.
2. Use Soft Insoles
Steel toe work has a stiff bottom that is integrated with a steel shank, and thus, the pre-included insoles may be too small, and due to this, you may feel uncomfortable. Thus, consider replacing them with higher-quality insoles.
You can get soft insoles from an online store or a local shop. Try and get the one having good arch support.
Insoles with good support can reduce the pressure in the feet, thereby eliminating the fatigue & pain that you experience by wearing the steel toe boot.
3. Take Off and Fix the Steel Toe Cap
If you wear your current steel boots for a long time, the steel toe head becomes damaged, bent, or even loosed. Due to this, it becomes difficult to wear the shoes, and the risk of getting hurt increases. Thus, you should remove the steel toe cap to make the boots safe.
You don’t need anyone’s help to remove the toe cap; you can do it yourself. You will need tools like a hammer, utility razor, boot glue, and pliers.
4. Use a Bandage
If you are wearing thick socks under your work boots and still feeling the pain, consider applying the bandage around your feet. The bandage will act as an extra cushion, making wearing these shoes comfortable for you. You can even directly buy the most comfortable steel toe boots to ensure safety & comfort.
5. Take Good Care of Your Steel-Toe Boots
Your boots can become more comfy with proper upkeep, and the best thing is it is very easy as well. Remove any dirt or mud on the boots as soon as you reach home after work.
If you are an ironworker, ensure your boots are protected from the typical fire sparks at work. If you work in a salty environment, try a wild vinegar and water solution to eliminate the corrosive salt.
Another way to take care of them is to condition them. In this way, you will not only make your boots elegant but also increases their longevity. Thus, make sure you properly care about your steel boots.
Final Thoughts
So, here we conclude our blog on how to make your steel toe boots more comfortable. If you are someone who wears these shoes at job-site, then these tips will be very useful to you. Also, you can buy the most comfortable steel-toe boots to ensure comfort along with safety.
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