r/ZeroWaste • u/mayoisgross • 4d ago

Question / Support how can i fix the pleather? would like to avoid throwing these out!

Post image

i found these old shoes my mom had and wouls like to continue wearing them/not throw them out. does anyone know how this shoe could be fixed/saved?

45 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

34

u/Fun_Fruit459 4d ago

I'm FAR from an expert on repairing shoes, but you could try a heel patch on the inside and gluing the plether onto it, making sure to press the seams of the hole together again. 

Or check with the folks at r/visiblemending  to see if they have any fun ideas

1

u/mayoisgross 2d ago

the patch idea is pretty interesting!! ill look up how to do that and see if i can try that with these shoes :)

ill also check out the other subreddit u suggested and see what suggestions they might have

26

u/MooshAro 4d ago

You can try some patches, but pleather sucks super hard when trying to repair it. Any sewing holes are going to create new points for failure and rips. There are patches that are meant to seal up plastics, like waterproof tent patches, that kind of work, but they're not great and aren't meant for shoes. I knew a guy once who tried to fix pleather shoes with rubber cement and waterproofing paste, but I can't recall if it worked. Unfortunately, not all things are salvageable in the long term. Any of the aforementioned solutions would work for maybe a year, depending on how much wear they get, before there comes a new problem.

1

u/mayoisgross 2d ago

yeahh. i kinda figured everything would just be a bandaid solution but i figured id give it my best shot!

11

u/PubbiBear 3d ago

Pleather repair is a continuous uphill battle that you will loose sooner or later. The layer of pleather is bonded on with glue, and eventually separates and peels with age. You can try patching it. Currently how it is I'd try gluing it but it will peel at some point.

12

u/smallchangebigheart 3d ago

I've kinda given up on pleather because it's hard to repair. When I wanted a new leather jacket I tracked down a used one that will hold for awhile.

1

u/mayoisgross 2d ago

i agree that leather is better! these are my moms old shoes- in my caption, i was stating that id rather not throw them away if i can wear them and extend their lifespan

6

u/Fragrant-Time-2612 3d ago

Just a glue fix, if you want it to be as seamless as possible use a toothpick to apply the glue to the finest edge of the piece that come loose and the open area. Just keep in mind that pleather can rip at areas that witness stress and tension, around the ankle, sides of the toe box, and at certain seams and stitching, such as at the zipper. Try moistening them with cold water (in a spray bottle or applied with a cloth or your hands) to help relax the material, just don't dunk them into a tub though.

1

u/mayoisgross 2d ago

thank u so much for the thorough instructions!! do u think regular e6000 would be okay to use?

6

u/photoelectriceffect 3d ago

I don’r know if you can. I have dyed/colored the exposed portion black to make it less noticeable, but I don’t think there’s really a way to repair it. I try to avoid pleather like the plague. It looks so good at first, and then it doesn’t. I look for real leather or canvas as the preferred.

1

u/mayoisgross 2d ago

yeah i agree! leather is definitely better. these were purchased by my mom ~a decade ago so im just trying to repair before throwing it away completely!

4

u/forhorglingrads 4d ago

contact cement

0

u/Admirable_Duckwalk 1d ago

Pleather isn’t a thing. It’s plastic. If people stopped making new names for plastic we’d have an easier time buying quality!

3

u/mayoisgross 4h ago

okay ur right. its plastic. regardless,im asking for help with trying to save an item my mom purchased a while ago and not add it to the landfill because it already exists. please dont come to my post to lecture me when im asking for genuine help, maybe make a post of your own to vent if you feel so inclined