I understand how painful it is when your all-time favorite and most worn Crocs become far too large for your feet.
So is this a sign of a stretched-out Crocs, and do Crocs really stretch?
Relax! I’m here to clear up any confusion.
Thanks to countless hours of intense research, I’ll answer all your questions.
So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get started on writing.
Do Crocs Stretch?
Yes, Crocs stretch when you wear them regularly. The Crocs expand and become loose the more you wear them. However, just because your Crocs are stretched out doesn’t mean you can’t wear them. Fortunately, you can shrink the loose Crocs with a variety of heating sources and reshape them.
Stretching is a natural process that all shoes go through. Likewise, the more you walk in the Crocs, the bigger they become and shape your feet.
There are times when you buy the wrong size Crocs that are too small for your feet and stretching can be beneficial at that time.
However, stretching does not result in a 2-3 size increase in Crocs. The expansion is fairly minor, and the Crocs stretches from half an inch to a full inch.
The area at which the Crocs feel the most pressure tends to stretch more than the point at which the impact is less. As a result, there is no definite amount of stretching; it is entirely dependent on your usage.
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Why Do Crocs Stretch?
It is true that Crocs stretch, but do you know why this happens?
When Crocs are exposed to extreme heat, they expand or shrink. Crocs are composed of Croslite, which has a high level of elasticity and so expands when worn. However, how much they stretch depends on the temperature and how long you wear them.
Croslite is made from ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) polymers. They are heated, rolled, and cooled before becoming the Crocs.
The polymer chains are elastomeric substances that make up the polystyrene and are randomly packed together.
When polystyrene molecules are subjected to high temperatures, their molecular organization is disrupted. As a result, the Crocs either shrink or stretch.
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How To Shrink Crocs?
Due to overwearing a pair of Crocs, they become way too loose and lose their shape. Fortunately, with heat, you can bring back the original size of your Crocs and that too within minutes.
Here are the effective ways of shrinking stretched Crocs:
Method 1: Use a hair-dryer
Things you’ll need:
- Towel
- Water
- Hair-dryer
- Wet a towel with water and wring it out the excess water.
- Cover the Crocs with a damp towel and set them on the work surface.
- Set the dryer to a medium setting and evenly blast hot air over the towel. Hold the dryer on the parts you believe are stretched the most for a little longer.
- Uncover the towel and wear the Crocs to check if they have shrunk or not. If you think your Crocs need to shrink a little more, then you can repeat the same process again.
- Repeat the same steps with the other Crocs.
Also, check out our separate post on Oofos Vs Crocs: An Epic Comparison Guide.
Method 2: Use cloth dryer
Things you’ll need:
- Wet towel
- Clothes dryer
- Take two towels, wet and wring them out.
- Set the clothes dryer to medium setting for 15 minutes.
- Turn on the dryer and place the Crocs inside along with the damp towel. Wet towels keep the Crocs moist and prevent them from overheating and cracking.
- Check if the Crocs are heated or not after every 5 minutes interval. If they’ve gotten hot, carefully remove them and set them aside for a few seconds to cool off.
- Put on the Crocs as soon as they are comfortable to touch, because the warm Crocs mold to the shape and size of your foot when you wear them.
Follow our guide to know Can You Wear Crocs On A Treadmill.
How To Stretch Crocs?
What do you do if you buy Crocs in the wrong size? Isn’t it either changing them or dumping them in the cupboard?
But what if I tell you that you could expand your tight Crocs up to a half-inch? Doesn’t it sound magical?
Yes! You can stretch your Crocs using heating equipment in very simple ways, just like you can shrink them.
Here are the ways of stretching Crocs:
Method 1: Immerse in hot water
Things you’ll need:
- Bucket
- Water
- Thick socks
- Fill a bucket halfway with water and bring it to a boil.
- Dip the Crocs in hot water for no more than 1 minute.
- After 1 minute, remove the Crocs from the water and allow a few seconds for the excess steam to escape.
- Wear Crocs fast with socks once the outer temperature of the shoes is touchable. Wearing the Crocs immediately after taking them out of the hot water can burn your feet.
- As soon as you put on the hot Crocs, they will be very tight to your feet. However, once you begin walking on them, the Crocs will become more flexible and fit your size.
Method 2: Use a hair-dryer
Things you’ll need:
- Hair-dryer
- Towel
- Socks
- Wet a towel with water and wring it out thoroughly.
- Wrap the dryer with a damp towel so that heat can be evenly distributed.
- Set the dryer to medium heat and evenly blast hot air over the Crocs.
- Once the shoes are warm, put them on with a very thick pair of socks and have a good walk on them.
- After a decent walk of 10 minutes, take off the socks and wear the Crocs again without the socks and check if you are satisfied with the new fitting of the stretched Crocs.
- If you think your Crocs need to stretch more, repeat the same steps again.
Method 3: Wear socks
Things you’ll need:
- 3-4 pairs of thick socks
The easiest and most effective method of stretching Crocs is wearing socks. However, this is a very long-term process so you have to be patient to see visible results.
All you need to do is wear 2-3 thick pairs of socks with your Crocs. At first, it will be very painful to wear the Crocs with the socks. But as you continue wearing them, the shoes will be more flexible and become looser.
Final Words
Whether you want to stretch or shrink your Crocs, you may easily do so without the assistance of a professional. You can’t expect to get good outcomes all of the time, though.
There may be times when your Crocs do not expand even after following all of the stretching stages perfectly. Because each batch of Crocs is not created with the same amount of materials, a minor change in formulation might modify the ability of Crocs to stretch.
Though Crocs’ fitting is interchangeable, it is recommended to get the perfect size shoes so that you do not have to sacrifice on quality by using any heating source on them.
That’s all for today. Do let us know which method you used to shrink or stretch your Crocs. We love to hear from our readers.
Have a good day!
