Tying our shoes is something we all learned when we were little. But what nobody really told us is what to do if the shoelaces are too long.
Having really long shoelaces is good for some types of boots, like military or fire boots, where you need to lace them all the way up to your ankle. But for regular shoes that you wear every day, it’s not so great.
The extra length can be annoying, uncomfortable, and might even make you trip.
Below, I’ll tell you the fastest and easiest ways to make your shoelaces shorter in just a few minutes. This way, you can walk around looking cool and feeling safe.
What You’ll Require to Make Shoelaces Shorter by Cutting
When you want to make your shoelaces shorter, the best way is to figure out how much extra length you don’t need and then cut it off. This way, you have full control over how long your laces will be. You can choose to have extra length for a double knot or just enough for a small, tight knot.
What you’ll need to cut the shoelaces is:
- A really good pair of scissors for cutting cloth.
- A ruler or tape measure.
- A marker or felt-tip pen.
- Replacement tips or heat shrink tubing (or in a hurry, you can use Scotch tape) and a lighter or match.
With these tools, you’re all set to start!
Step 1: Take A Measure of Your Laces
To find out the right length for your shoelaces, first, wear your shoes and make sure the laces are all the way laced up. Tie them in a regular bow knot. Then, use a tape measure or ruler to measure how much extra lace there is on both sides.
It’s important to measure the laces while your shoes are on and tied because you want to make sure you’re not cutting off too much. If they’re too short, it’ll be hard to tie your shoes properly.
On the other hand, you don’t want them to be too long either. Who wants to go through the trouble of doing this twice?
Source / WikiHow
Step 2: Make a mark and cut
You measured how much extra lace you have on both sides, but you don’t have to cut both. Just add the extra length on each side (like 2.5 inches on the right and 2 inches on the left) to get a total (2.5 + 2 = 4.5 inches). You only need to cut off this total from one side.
Get your tape measure or ruler, mark the spot with your marker, and use the fabric scissors to snip at that marked spot.
Source / WikiHow
Step 3: Fix the Aglet
The little plastic or metal covering at the end of your shoelaces is called an “aglet.” It helps you easily thread your laces through the holes in your shoes.
If you ever decide to cut your shoelaces, there’s one thing to keep in mind. You’ll need to fix or get a new aglet for the end you cut off.
The simplest way to do this is by using a replacement aglet. You can buy them online, like this pack of 200 from Boao on Amazon. Once they arrive, you have a straightforward solution for replacing the aglets on your shoelaces.
But if you prefer the easier, simpler clear plastic style, you just need some special plastic that shrinks when heated and either a lighter or a match.
Just measure the heat shrink plastic to match the part of the shoelace where the aglet is missing, cut it, put it on the cut end of the shoelace, and use the lighter or match to add a little heat.
The plastic will shrink around the shoelace, making a new aglet that’s just as good. And just like that, your shoelace is made shorter to the perfect length and is ready to use.
Extra Tips to short your Laces without cutting them
The easiest ways to make your shoelaces shorter without cutting them are to hide the extra length inside your shoes, like behind the tongue, or to tie them with a double knot.
You can also try different ways of lacing, like making a diamond pattern or using a special method to keep the ends shorter.
