Tips and Techniques To Easily Fix Your Frayed Shoelaces
Tips and Techniques To Easily Fix Your Frayed Shoelaces:
The phenomenon of having your shoelaces frayed is undoubtedly not unknown to you. The small plastic tips of your laces eventually get chewed or chipped over time. Long before you know it, you will find yourself stuck with a pair of frayed shoelaces.
The official terminology for the shoelace tip is "aglet." Since frayed laces are a familiar spectacle and genuinely unavoidable, the next best thing you can do is fix them. Frayed laces are bound to make a good pair of sneakers or shoes look much worse and rough than they actually are. However, there are different ways to repair worn-out or torn laces before you go out looking like a complete mess.
What are Aglets?
Aglets are basically mini metal or plastic tips that can be seen at the end of your shoelaces, drawstrings, and cords, and fulfill multiple purposes. Additionally, aglets are designed to prevent the cord and shoelace fibers from getting unravel or frayed. These aglets make it much simpler to thread the shoelace across the minuscule eyelets in your sneakers and shoes.
Aglets also assist you in holding and gripping the laces that you tie to your shoes. Nowadays, the majority of the aglets that are found on shoelaces are made of hard plastic. But, it is believed that aglets have been in existence since the reign of ancient Romans. Because there was no plastic present back then, they were made of glass, metal, or even stone.
Fixing Your Frayed Shoelaces
Some of these inventive techniques to repair worn-out, frayed laces are so useful that they can look brand-new within 10-15 minutes only and drop the need to buy new ones. Let us move forward on the next part, which focuses on quick and easy ways to fix frayed laces.
For a startup and temporary fix, you could try the all-time trick of burning the tips of your shoelaces with a matchstick. This seizes the fibers for the time being, but soon enough, you will find yourself in the same spot again where it all started.
Some laces simply cannot be replaced. If you just need a set of plain black or white laces for your sneakers, it is comparably easy to switch the old and frayed laces with a new pair. However, some shoe wears entirely depend on the contrast and complement of your shoelaces, which is what makes them a fashion statement.
While keeping this design element in mind, some frayed laces cannot be replaced and need to be repaired. Here are some ways to fix frayed laces to keep them useable, compact, and free from getting frayed.
Fix Your Frayed Shoelace Tips with Thread and Glue
You can easily fix your shoelaces by using these minimum items stated as follows. For this method, all you need are two or three simple things.
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Cotton threads
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Glue
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Toothpaste (optional).
Cotton threads are preferred as it lets the glue soak in, which results in a better grip. Any kind of glue can be used for this task, preferably one used to repair leather, crafts, or furniture. It is highly advised to not use superglue.
First Step:
Apply Glue at the Frayed Shoelace Ends
Firstly, blob the frayed tips over a small amount of glue. Dip it in a way like you dip a paintbrush in paint.
Second Step:
Wrap and Secure the Glued Tips with a Cotton Thread
Take a cotton thread and wrap one end of it around your index finger. Next, take the other thread's end and start to wind it around the tip of the lace. You should begin from almost 1 cm parallel to the worn-out end and then gradually make your way toward the tips.
The thread should be winded around the tip as tightly as possible. If you wind it tightly, then the end of the shoelaces will appear more natural and thinner. It is okay to miss a spot or two, as the missed spots can always be covered later. By this point, the glue will begin dripping, but you should wipe it off and continue.
Step Three:
Bring Together Both The Ends of The Thread and Let Dry
Once the winding is finished, both ends of the cotton thread should be tied, at least two times. This will secure the laces further. Then, let the shoelaces dry for at least ten minutes.
Step Four:
Apply a Thin Layer of Toothpaste and Leave It To Dry
After the glue has dried up, your laces might appear a little messy with all the grime and glue. If you wish, you can use some toothpaste to make your laces look neater. Apply a layer of toothpaste over the messy areas and let it dry for around five minutes.
Step Five:
Make it Neat and Clean
Once the toothpaste has dried, simply brush off and get rid of the dry toothpaste. Even out the laces and snip a little corner of the tip to give it a finished look.
This easy and simple method of fixing your frayed laces requires minimum time, effort, and materials. This technique's integrity is quite strong in that it stays intact and does not come off. This is a very durable method for those seeking a quick fix. The best part is that it is flexible and simply perfect for lacing.
Ways to Fix Your Colored Frayed Laces
The technique mentioned above works best for laces that come in monotone colors, especially in black or white. But if you have sneakers that come with colorful laces and they do get frayed, the best thing to do is to add the same color shade in your toothpaste to fix the tips. Another way would be to use markers or sketch pens to hide the messy parts once dried.
Fix Your Frayed Laces with a Heat Shrinking Tube
Another way to fix your broken and frayed laces are to access a heat shrinking tube. This particular material is used to seal splices, code, and collect wires, and other electronic works. It is shaped like a drinking straw but is designed to become half its standard size when exposed to heat.
A heat shrink tube can be easily spotted at a home center or simply ordered from Amazon Prime, where they come in various colors and sizes. The shrink tube is available in six different sizes, amongst which two work perfectly for hoodie strings, shoelaces, etc. You need to opt for the right size for the job to be a success.
After this, you should clean the lace ends and remove any frayed or loose threads, shredded pieces, etc. The purpose of cleaning and edges and making it even is that the lace ends can easily be slipped inside the tube. Now you have to slip the lace within the tube almost halfway. At this point, you need to check the length against an undamaged shoelace tip.
For those who do not have any, about 3/4" or so will be enough. Now the tube has to be trimmed as per the length. Now the tube needs to be heated, and the simplest way to heat is with a powerful blow dryer or a heat gun. The tubing should reach the temperature of boiling water (100°C) to fully shrink.
Keep in mind that all hairdryers cannot release this much heat, but it is still worth trying. Contrariwise, a heat gun is handy and is widely used for multiple kinds of DIY projects. Anything that is over 100°C will cause the tube to shrink.
However, if you want the shrinking process to be speedy and know how to set the glue gun's temperature further, it can expedite the process. This also results in a neater and preferably even surface.
Nonetheless, if your blow dryer does not work or do not own a heat gun either, the next best alternative would be to use a candle. Simply light a candle or use a lighter or matchstick to heat the tubing. By taking passes over the candle or lighter flame, keep rotating the tube frequently to shrink all sides equally.
After it gets cooled for almost 15 seconds, the tip flush can be trimmed. If you are unhappy with the output, you can simply cut the new shoelace tip, also known as an aglet, by slicing it lengthwise with a crafting knife and start from scratch.
So, fixing frayed laces takes barely five minutes as long as you know how this works and are equipped with the right materials.
Easy Steps To Wash Your Shoelaces
Your shoelaces are likely to get as dirty as your shoes. Washing your laces is essential to make them last longer and maintain the look of your shoes. Worn-out or frayed shoelaces automatically reduce the show and beauty of your sneakers even if they are not that old. Hence, here are some simple steps on how to wash your shoelaces.
1. Remove the laces
It is essential to separate the laces from your sneakers or shoes to clean the back and front sides. Use a small brush and gently brush the laces, starting from the front and moving backward. This way, all the additional dirt is wiped off from the laces and cleaned with a water-based mixture.
2. Keep shoelaces in a cloth bag or pillowcase
Keep your shoelaces safe in a cloth bag to avoid the fibers from having direct contact with other materials.
3. Use a cleaning solution.
Add a bit of dish cleaning soap or laundry detergent in lukewarm water to ease the layer of grime on your laces. If the laces are stark white, then you can use bleach instead of laundry detergent.
4. Place bag in the water solution
Now that the laces are kept inside the bag submerge it thoroughly in water. If the bag still floats, add a heavyweight object like a plate or cup so that the bag sinks and the laces get soaked.
5. Remove the bag
After soaking your shoelaces for 15-20 minutes in the bag, take the bag out of the water. Place the laces outside and slowly brush them when they are still damp.
6. Drain the sink
Now drain the sink and fill it again with just water for rinsing off the cleaning solution and any leftover dirt that may be stuck.
7. Dry the shoelaces
Place your shoelaces over a dry rack. Do not put your shoelaces into the dryer; otherwise, it will shrink and ruin the fibers. After the laces have dried, insert the laces back in your and show off your sparkling shoes.
