Shoe Trees for These?

December 22, 2011 2:40 PM

I know what shoe trees are supposed to do, but what shoes should I be putting them in. All my shoes? Just the ones made out of leather? Any shoes I invest >$50 in? Is putting shoe trees in sneakers fussy, or good practice? In short, tell me what sorts of shoes benefit from trees, and which didn't.

Bonus points for places where I can get a nice pair of shoe trees that are relatively affordable (say, about 25 bucks). Thanks!

posted by Apropos of Something to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)

It depends how much you like the shoes. If you have a really prized pair of sneakers, and you really want to make them last, then there's no reason not to use shoe trees.

I don't use shoe trees in flipflops or ballet slippers or open-toed sandals, but all the others get trees. They deserve it, the little darlings.

Shoe repair shops will have trees; the wooden ones are nice, especially for leather shoes. For sneakers, I'd use the foamy toebox-only ones. You can often get these from the store where you buy your shoes, too.
posted by tel3path at 2:48 PM on December 22, 2011

My wooden shoe trees are from Nordstrom, and I'll have them the rest of my life. I got them a number of years ago, but they were about the price you mention.
posted by jgirl at 2:51 PM on December 22, 2011

Best answer: The benefit of shoe trees is that they help your shoes keep their shape, but most importantly, they absorb the moisture that accumulates from being on your feet all day, keeping the inside of your shoes dry and preventing them from decaying. Surely you've seen soles and the interior lining of your shoes wear out. That comes from normal wear and tear, of course, but the moisture makes it much worse.

where I can get a nice pair of shoe trees that are relatively affordable (say, about 25 bucks)

I buy mine here.

For sneakers you'd want something like this, but it's more about preventing moisture and odor. Your athletic shoes are going to get replaced so often that I'm not really sure these things help all that much, but since my running shoes reside in my gym bag, it's nice to have something to keep them from having the moisture fester.
posted by deanc at 2:51 PM on December 22, 2011

Try your local Costco. They sell two pair of Cedar shoe trees for $20.
posted by cazoo at 2:56 PM on December 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

My fiance uses wooden ones in his nice, leather shoes and he gets them from Nordstrom Rack for $19.95
posted by amapolaroja at 2:56 PM on December 22, 2011

I inherited shoe trees. I only use them in shoes expensive enough to have resoled, say $200+ and even then I am not very scrupulous about it.
posted by Ad hominem at 7:00 PM on December 22, 2011

For leather shoes only -- used regularly, they'll prevent formation of those foldy creases across the top of your shoes, just forward of the laces.
posted by Rash at 11:15 AM on December 23, 2011