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Is newspaper as good as lasted shoe trees?

Kasper

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I was thinking about this. Bunched up newspaper can pretty much conform to the exact shape of the shoe and is a very absorbent material. On top of that, it’s lighter to travel with. If you put all that together with the non-existent cost (you can pick some used ones up at Starbucks) I think it’s actually superior to buying lasted shoe trees and certainly the commercial type. What do you say?
 

guynamedsean

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snork[1].gif
 

Jsoftz

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I'm not an expert by any means, but i'd say the fragrant qualities of aromatic cedar help promote a fresher-smelling shoe. Newspaper smells, well, like newspaper and would not absorb any odors that may be present. Also, after any moisture is absorbed the newspaper would shrink, possibly stain the inside of the shoes, and worsen the smell. In addition, the shrinking would negate the shape-conforming benefits.

...Not to mention, shoe trees just look pretty.
 

scnupe7

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Originally Posted by Kasper
I was thinking about this. Bunched up newspaper can pretty much conform to the exact shape of the shoe and is a very absorbent material. On top of that, it's lighter to travel with. If you put all that together with the non-existent cost (you can pick some used ones up at Starbucks) I think it's actually superior to buying lasted shoe trees and certainly the commercial type. What do you say?


Most definitely!! I say you go stuff all of your Bostonians with newspapers!!
 

Kasper

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Originally Posted by Jsoftz
I'm not an expert by any means, but i'd say the fragrant qualities of aromatic cedar help promote a fresher-smelling shoe. Newspaper smells, well, like newspaper and would not absorb any odors that may be present. Also, after any moisture is absorbed the newspaper would shrink, possibly stain the inside of the shoes, and worsen the smell. In addition, the shrinking would negate the shape-conforming benefits.

...Not to mention, shoe trees just look pretty.


Well there is an endless supply of free newspaper, so you could always have fresh material handy and since most circulations use soy based ink nowadays I don't think much of an odor or any kind of toxic substances would come in contact with the inside of your shoes.

On a side note, I hung those cedar blocks in my closest and they seemed to loose their fragrance within a couple of months.
 

LSeca

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Originally Posted by Kasper
On a side note, I hung those cedar blocks in my closest and they seemed to loose their fragrance within a couple of months.

When they lose their aroma, simply sand them down a bit. They will seem just like new.
 

j

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No, because the most important function of trees is to stretch the sole straight, letting it dry and settle in a flat(ter) shape, instead of curling up like it would otherwise do. The curled up sole then would promote the upper's creasing, etc.

Stuffing them with newspaper might be all right temporarily if you didn't have trees, but it wouldn't maintain the shoes the way trees do.
 

Toiletduck

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Well if you were reeeeeaaaaaaaally talking about function and not aesthetics, you'd be stuffing newspaper into the hedge fund kenneth coles previously posted!
smile.gif
 

Matt

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ive got buck fifty plastic spring loaded Ikea shoe trees and im not complainin
 

LapelQueen

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Yes, particularly the Herald Trib.
 

Kasper

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Originally Posted by j
No, because the most important function of trees is to stretch the sole straight, letting it dry and settle in a flat(ter) shape, instead of curling up like it would otherwise do. The curled up sole then would promote the upper's creasing, etc.


I understand your point but I pack the shoes pretty tightly with newspaper. I will post a pic of my method if anyone is interested.
 

Frittata

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Originally Posted by Kasper
I understand your point but I pack the shoes pretty tightly with newspaper. I will post a pic of my method if anyone is interested.
you are funny
 

Soph

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Newspapers are not as good as shoe trees nor are they shoe trees and never will be.
 

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