I just love Crocs shoes! I learned the value of comfortable shoes from my last job in a hospital which had me standing on my feet for hours at a time. Ever since then my criteria for buying shoes has always been about comfort first and style came in a close 2nd. Fortunately with Crocs I don’t have to sacrifice style for comfort.
The shoe brand has come a long way in recent years. Once known only for their clunky yet comfortable style they now offer a variety of stylish and attractive shoes to chose from.
I now own four pairs of Crocs (as seen above) and I can honestly say I rotate and wear them on a daily basis. I can walk for hours in any of the pair I own. I love their versatile style and my feet are truly grateful for the rubber cushioned comfort they provide.
Also as an added bonus I can throw them into the washing machine when ever they get dirty. Today however I’m going to talk about how to stretch or shrink Crocs for a better fit.
Above is the first pair of Crocs I bought over 2 years ago at TJ Maxx for $9.99. The retail price for the Kadee style is around $30. I usually wear between a size 5 to a 6 depending on the shoe brand and the pair above were a bit snug on me at a size 4 but I couldn’t resist the bargain. They ended up rubbing and scraping my ankles so I winded up not wearing them for awhile.
I looked online for a solution and was surprised to to learn that I could actually stretch or shrink Crocs by putting them in the dryer.
So this is what worked for me: I put them in the dryer with towels to help diffuse the heat evenly. I recommend leaving them in for about 3 minutes at a time and to keep checking.
Remove them from the dryer while still hot and pliable. Put them on while wearing thick socks to stretch them out. Walk around with them for about 5 minute while they cool off.
If they are still tight after taking off your socks then put them back in the dryer for another 3 minutes and repeat stretching them out. Also if they get too loose throw them back and they will shrink back to size.
This process really worked out for me and I was very happy with the results. I was able to stretch out the shoes for a more comfortable fit. If anyone out there has done this before please comment and let me know your results.
Thank you for reading!
Im going to try this today! Thank you!
You’re a genius! %^)). Works great!
great tip – thanks for reminding me about this way of resizing Crocs – have a pair of bright coloured ones I bought in a sale a couple of years ago but have hardly worn as they were much too tight – put them in the tumble dryer, wore them warm with socks, stretching them as they cooled, and I have worn them sockless all afternoon and they are much better – may do it once more with some thicker socks to ease them a bit more, but now I can wear them 🙂
I just received my pair of crocheted flats I bought on Zulily. I’ve bought a size 9 before in flats and returned them to the croc store because they were too big so this time I ordered a size 8. However, my toes are at the end. I am going to try this today!! I hope it works and thanks for the advice!! I’m so glad I found this!! I’ll let you know how they do.
I hope it worked out for you.
Great idea! I bought two pair of the Crocs Cypress heels (super cute) and they are a bit tight over one toe. I will try this.
hope it works for you good luck.
I have done it with the Kandee style by putting them into a microwave for 30 seconds. This worked great, but don’t get too ambitious by putting them in longer. Sheri, I believe your way is much safer. I also have the Crocs style #2 that you show, which I haven’t treated yet. Since they are lined with felt, I fear a microwave will set the felt on fire. When I next dry a load of clothes, I will be trying the dryer method on those. I’m happy you have tried it and found success, so I know it works.
I am careful to keep my Crocs out of the sun, but I find they tend to swink a bit with time. Maybe my feet swell? How knows. 🙂
Thank you! Gonna try with my Carlie’s and slides!
Hope it worked out for you.
Thank you for this beautiful article. I tried it with boiling water and it shrunk back to fit.
You’re welcome.
Hi…I used your technique quite successfully with some croc clogs I ordered. They were not the clunky clogs that circa are known for but Are quite nice with a 2 inch heel. They were labeled 6 wide but if those are resolved I’ll eat my hat! Very narrow with thick stiff croslite. Only difference between techniques is I left mine in the dryer 5 minutes and then immediately out in adjustable wooden shoe stretchers and left them overnight. Now they fit perfectly thanks to you!
I’m glad this post helped you. Thank you for your feedback and taking the time to comment.
Thanks for this I am going to give it a try as have recently bought some sandal crocs for work and they are too firm over the front – thought I had wasted my money but hopefully this will be a great solution
Hope it worked out for you. Thanks for commenting.
It really worked, thank you so much!!
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
I am not able to access a dryer so I am going to try the hot car way to shrink mine. Over the years they have stretched out too big as I wear thick socks with them in the winter, and so in the spring without socks they are to big! Thanks for the post, will let you know if it works. I too am in love with crocs so much that I can hardly go a day without wearing one of my many pairs that I have. Wish me luck.
I did read putting them in a hot dishwasher can work…maybe I will try that since they all need a bath too!
Good luck shrinking them in a hot car. Definitely let me know what happens.
Mine shrank when I left them out in the rain and the dryer stretched them
I just tried this. Wore socks to stretch 2 pairs out. One pair was too stretched so put in drier for one minute and tried them on and they were perfect. Seriously thank you so much! Thought I was gonna have to give these away.
I’m glad it worked out for you. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
I like crocs but I’m tripping a lot!! Almost fell on my head.
My crocs are a little loose from the back strap. They don’t cling to feet as they should. Please suggest what I should do
THIS ACTUALLY WORKS! I found this site via Google and this was such a great help . Thank you! I too thought there was no hope for a slightly tighter than usual pair of crocs. I didn’t want to send them back because I love the style and they were on sale. Now I don’t have to. Thanks again! 😀
Since I have the widest feet in the house (10-EEE), I volunteered to use them to help my daughter stretch her croc shoes that were so tight and uncomfortable they were blistering her feet . The first time around I used your protocol and thin socks. She said it helped but they still felt tight. The second time I used five minutes in the dryer then wore them with two pair of socks (1 thin one thick wool hiking socks) and five minutes of “walk around time” and then about five minutes of an ice water bath while still wearing the crocs and the socks to help them maintain their fully stretched length at room temperature. This time she said they were actually lose but comfortable. I advised her try one minute in the dryer and gradually increase it If she wanted to shrink them but she said she was going to stick with how they ended up for now since she had about giving up wearing the shoes. Thanks for your post!
Thank you so much!! Just for my Crocs yesterday like your #4. After 15 minutes this morning, my littles toes were screaming “noooo”. I was so disappointed to think i was going to have to give them away. Tried your method and it worked!!!! I’m one happy person. Thanks again!!
I just did it on Kadee flats. worked for me! Thanks!
You rock! After10+ years of wearing my Cloes, I finally bought a few new ones. When they arrived I found they were considerably narrower than my old pair. Same size but the straps were so tight they hurt. I was disappointed. I found your site, and read your advice. Instead of the clothes dryer I used a hair dryer on the strap that was too tight while I had the bottom of a jar (the size that fit under the strap of my old Cloe), under the strap of the new shoe. I set it aside to cool then removed the jar. It turned out perfect! Thank you!!
I can’t believe it actually worked. Three minutes and I am wearing sandals I bought two years ago but have not been able to wear. Thank you so much.
What if I want them to fit tighter?And they are slids for men..
Worked perfectly!! Thanks!
“Thank you!” My wife just got me my first pair of Crocs at Bass Pro, I like them but, I’m diabetic and have to be very careful what kind of shoes I wear. They are a little snug (which is bad if you’re diabetic) I am going to try this immediately. Again THANK YOU.
This was awesome mine were too tight across the top of my feet. I put them in the dryer and they are perfect.! Thank you 🙂
I’m going to try this tonight. I just got my first pair of crocs, the Alice crocs ($6 ata thrift store and in new condition) and wore them for the first time, my right shoe is perfect, left has worn a blister on my inner arch (where the strap goes across, from the button rubbing) and is tight across my toes. I’m going to just stretch that one (since that foot is the problem). Thank you for this excellent tip!
This is Awesome. It worked so well. My Crocs sandals were the right size but too narrow, and now fit perfectly.
hot, hot water also works
hot, hot water works too