Just stretched and softened DMs...with cous cous

[SexDrugsAndSausageRoll]

I'd bought by first ever brand new DrMartens, lovely calf high cherry a year ago. They've defeated me though, a year in and probably 50 miles of on off trying coupled with further feet expansion from pregnancy and they were still unwearable for long periods...so filled them with cous cous and poured water in (and cleared the unused pile of the stuff I had!). Stretched evenly, nice and soft and dried well. Now much much softer! I guess if desperate you could also leave outside to freeze to expand further.

Though I'd share for anyone else struggling with thick tough leather! It's a fine grain so no folds or uneven bits like with newspaper.

Okay I need to stretch some boots so am interested - how exactly does it work? Do you pour the couscous in loose & add water, or do you put it in ziplock bags or something? Does it not just overflow out of the top of the boots?

I just put it in loose, for evenness. I guess you could fill the bottom of old tights with it? I filled about 2/3 up then added water. DMs are pretty tough, I'd protect stainable leather.

Bit of a bitch scooping out toe box but worth it.

I had a pair that were stiff and DH put something called "dubbin" (I know this 'cos he kept saying "dubbin" in a silly voice) on them and left them over night somewhere warm-ish. Seemed to do the trick.

I been through a lot of dubin, they weren't even soaking it in!

Brill - mine is just the calf part rather than the foot bit so I might put it in tights to control how far it goes down. Thanks for the tip, I would never have thought of couscous!

maybe newspaper in the foot and then cous cous in the leg.

I was cleaning out cupboards and decided it was worth a shot!

I always take new DMs to the key cutting shop - they charge £3 to stretch them overnight.

You put loose cous cous in!? Won't you be finding little bits in the boots for years? Doesn't it smell!??

it clumps together and comes out together, not a particularly smelly food

Is there a way to soften them without stretching? Or alternatively, did they stretch an awful lot? My lovely silvery grey DMs are pretty uncomfortable for long periods of time but pretty much the right size.

That's well random op, what the heck made you think of that??!

Cleaning the cupboards out after nursery run. Sore feet, cous cous everywhere that I felt guilty chucking....my dh laughed...but it worked!

They hardly stretched at all really, freezing may do that. A little stretch and a lot softer

Oh, that's good to hear! I may give this a go!

How long did you leave it in?

Overnight figured was easy to repeat if needed

Thanks! May well give this a go!

Hmm Cous cous in tights - perhaps this'll help stretch out the toes in my DM Mary Janes. thanks OP!