Restoring Old Shoe With Hole in It

Right now I have one pair of sneakers/running shoes. These shoes are about a year old and about 4-5 months ago my one year old Labrador chewed a small hole in them. This hole gets pretty annoying and these are the only running shoes I own. Most people would just buy new shoes but I think it would be a good idea to restore them because I can save money and it this could be a valuable experience in learning how to restore a pair of old shoes. In addition to patching up the hole, I will also clean the shoe with natural products because it is quite dirty. The shoe is only dirty from constant wear so the cleaning will be pretty simple.

For this project you will need the following materials:

- Old Shoe that you will repair

- Hot glue gun

- Cloth (Depending on the shoe use a color that matches)

- Scissors

- Rag

- Bucket with warm water

And lastly it is recommended to have a stable surface to work on.

Materials Needed for this Step:

• Shoe that you are restoring

For this step start by removing the laces and then the insole. Keep both the laces and insole unless you are planning on replacing either of them. Removing the laces and insole will help because for future steps there will be more space in the shoe and this will help make restoring the shoe more efficient.

(Use video for guidance)

Materials Needed for this Step:

• Scissors
• Hot-glue gun
• Cloth
• And of course the shoe itself

First, use your scissors to cut out a small piece of cloth that is big enough for the hole in the shoe. Next, plug in the hot glue gun and let it sit for a minute or two and then it should be hot enough to use. Begin by putting a good amount of glue all around the edges of the cloth. After that, carefully place the piece of cloth of on the shoe, and make sure that the piece of cloth fits the hole. Lastly, press on the piece of cloth and make sure that the piece of cloth is firmly placed.

(Use video for guidance)

Materials Needed:

• Bucket of hot water
• Brush
• Rag
• Old Shoe

For this step start by filling your bucket with hot water, there is no specific temperature but try to get water that is fairly hot. Next, lay out your materials on a firm surface (floor or table). Next start by getting the rag wet then squeeze the towel and try to get most of the water out. After that start rubbing the midsole with the rag. Try to use a combination of the rag and brush to try and get most of the dirt off. Repeat this process many times and when the midsole looks pretty clean move on to the outer sole. Keep using a combination of the wet rag and brush to get most of the dirt off. Make sure that you get all of the outer sole and don't leave any spots dirty. After you have thoroughly cleaned the shoe let it dry overnight or just for a few hours.

(Use video for guidance)

After this you should be done. You know have turned an old beaten up dirty shoe, into a clean new looking shoe.