Over the years, I’ve noticed two areas that are the first to go on my kids’ shoes: 1) the heel; and 2) the sole begins to separate from the top.

As far as the heel getting run down, I don’t have any inexpensive solutions – getting taps put on can cost more than you’d pay for a pair of used shoes, though it’s worth it if you’ve bought an expensive pair of shoes at top dollar.  (But I only buy good quality shoes at low dollar, lol!)  So my choice is when the heels are run down, I retire the shoes to the circular file.  But today I fixed my dd8’s Shabbos shoe that had a separating sole, and thought I’d share my very easy solution!

The answer is Shoe Goo. Shoe Goo is a transparent glue that you can buy for just a few dollars in the shoe department of your local Walmart.  It can glue leather, rubber, vinyl, and canvas.  You can use it to seal your boots, reattach a broken heel, and to reseal the sole and upper when they begin to come apart.  You just spread a little glue on the area that needs repair, and hold it closed for a few minutes until it holds the seal.

Since I’ve often found that the shoes can begin to separate when they are otherwise in excellent condition, this has been very valuable in extending the life of shoes around here.  It takes just a small amount of Shoe Goo to fix a shoe, and a tube contains over 3.5 oz and can last for a lot of shoes.  I’ve also found it useful for sneakers, to reattach the rubber tip at the top that begins to detach – that’s not a problem that affects the functionality, but fixing it keeps sneakers looking new longer.

Avivah