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Leather shoes are classic footwear, and like other people of class, you'll have to pay top dollar to get them. Unfortunately, creases form around them, and they tend to get bent out of shape after a while. Thankfully, your shoes don't have to suffer the same fate if you get shoe trees. These accessories are designed to stretch out leather and make your shoes look new. In fact, some models go the extra mile of absorbing all the moisture and odor in your footwear. Shoe trees take the shape of regular shapes and they can be made from a variety of materials. Considering the use cases of shoe trees, it's safe to say that you should own a couple of them if you keep a collection of leather shoes. Fortunately, you won't have to look far because you’ll find some of the nicest shoe trees in 2024 reviewed by experts in this buying guide.
The Top Shoe Trees Compared in Detail
HOUNDSBAY Wooden Shoe Tree For Men — Best Overall
Key Features
- Made with USA-grown Eastern Red Cedar
- Sustainable shoe-tree option
- Anti-moisture and anti-odor
- Weighs less than two pounds upon arrival
The HOUNDSBAY Wooden Shoe Tree for Men is the epitome of timeless elegance. As a tool for practical shoe care, this wooden shoe tree is crafted with precision and quality in mind. Not only is this shoe tree footwear's best friend but they also ensure that your shoes maintain their shape. This shoe tree is meticulously designed to fit snugly inside your shoes, which means the shoe tree effortlessly preserves the form and structure of shoes.
Made from aromatic cedar wood, these shoe trees maintain the shape of shoes and absorb excess moisture. In turn, these shoe trees keep odors at bay. Elevate your shoe care routine while extending the life of your footwear with this product. The shoe tree also prevents the formation of unsightly creases and wrinkles. As a perfect blend of functionality and style, these shoe trees feature a split-toe design, making them our top choice.
Pros
- Preserves and maintains the shape of shoes
- Absorbs moisture from the interior of shoes
- Easy to use, insert, and remove
Cons
- Sizing can be a little off
Allen Edmonds Shoe Tree — Premium Quality
Key Features
- American red cedar wood guarantees premium quality
- Available in up to six shoe sizes
- Two pairs of shoe trees for dual-use
- Brass plated hardware core for stability in shoes
Do you want a shoe tree that will tend to every stretch of your shoes? Get the Allen Edmonds shoe tree. This product is designed to help your shoes retain their original shape. You must’ve noticed that after wearing your brogues, loafers, or wind tips for a while, they wrinkle, crack, and become creased. Well, this product is designed to put them back in shape.
Moisture from your feet may also cause foul smells and make you uncomfortable when wearing the shoe. So naturally, you want to avoid this by any means necessary. Luckily, this product will absorb all moisture and deliver a refreshing scent to your shoes.
Pros
- The shoe trees absorb moisture from your shoes
- Natural fragrance oils from its cedar construction keep your shoes smelling great
- It has an adjustable design that fits perfectly with any shoe shape
Cons
- You may need to sand down the sharp edges
Angelus Shoe Tree — Runner Up
Key Features
- Hard plastic and steel construction for stretching out creases
- It comes in only one size
- The built-in spring coil allows for use with any footwear
- The item weighs only 6.4 ounces, which is light enough for travel
Traveling light is always preferred in any scenario. So if you need to take a short business trip for which you'll need your shoes in tip-top shape, then you should get the Angelus shoe tree. This shoe tree is a functional product that will help retain your shoe's original form. But more importantly, it is so portable that you won’t feel its weight in your bag. The product is also very versatile; you can use it for different types of footwear, including closed-toe heels, boots, sports shoes, sneakers, and classic leather shoes.
Pros
- These light shoe trees are perfect for travel
- The product is cheaper than others in its category
- You can use them for your heel-toe shoes
Cons
- The shoe trees are light and will crack under heavy pressure
Florsheim Shoe Tree — Honorable Mention
Key Features
- Aromatic red cedar wood for comfort and odor control
- Synthetic sole for maintaining footwear inner sole integrity
- Pull-on closure for a complete fit
- Choose from small, medium, large and x-large sizes
The Florsheim Shoe Tree is a one-of-a-kind product that can help make your shoes more comfortable to wear. This shoe tree expertly smooths out the linings and straightens the insoles of your shoes, giving them more space, fit, and ultimately, comfort. Of course, it also smooths out the outer leather and keeps wrinkles and creases at bay.
Thanks to its unique construction, this product will reach every stretch of your shoes and eliminate foul smells.
Pros
- The shoe trees completely get rid of creases and wrinkles
- Cedarwood absorbs moisture and keeps your footwear smelling fresh
- The product is designed to make your shoes feel more comfortable
Cons
- The Florsheim brand logos tend to come off easily
B&E LIFE Shoe Tree — Also Consider
Key Features
- Hard plastic and steel construction for best results
- Its adjustable length design fits all shoes
- The package includes up to five shoe trees for multiple uses
- Lightweight design for traveling ease
If you want to get multiple shoe trees at an affordable price, you should opt for B&E shoe trees. These shoe trees are designed to work perfectly for your heels, boots, leather shoes, tennis shoes, moccasins, and sneakers. If you need to store some of your shoes, you can easily use this shoe tree to keep them in shape. In addition, they are lighter than wooden shoe trees, and you can often travel with them.
Pros
- This product is far more affordable than others in its category
- You can care for five shoes at once with it
- The shoe trees are perfect for traveling
Cons
- They can withstand only a little stress
How to Find the Perfect Shoe Tree: A Buyer’s Guide
Shoe trees are necessary if you want your shoes to retain their original form, and we've listed some of the best models money can buy in the previous section. You should check out this section if you still need more information to help you make the perfect buying decision.
How Do I Choose the Right Shoe Tree?
Material
The most important factor for shoe trees is the material, as it determines its efficiency. For example, plastic shoe trees are only useful for keeping your shoes in shape, while wooden shoe trees can help absorb moisture. Here's a brief explanation of the different shoe tree materials:
- Aromatic cedarwood: The best shoe trees are made from aromatic cedarwood. Cedarwood takes care of your shoe in different ways. First, it straightens out the leather and helps to smoothen creases. It also absorbs moisture from your shoes to help you stay fresh and comfortable all day. In addition, cedarwood also has a refreshing scent that clears away repulsive odor from your footwear. And finally, cedarwood helps to repel insects and moths from your shoes.
- Natural wood: Shoe trees made from natural wood are easy to spot. They are good for most shoes, and they also help absorb moisture. However, they don’t offer the same refreshing scent as cedarwood.
- Plastic: Shoe trees can also be made of plastic. However, we don't recommend them for leather shoes. The only advantage of plastic shoe trees is the cost and the lightweight design. For example, if you go on a trip and you need to get shoe trees urgently, plastic shoe trees are a perfect choice.
Size
Exquisite shoes often come with perfectly-sized shoe trees on purchase. However, if you are getting shoe trees as a separate item, you must ensure that they fit your shoes. Ideally, the size of your shoe tree should be the same as your shoes.
Type
There are different shoe trees, and each of them has a unique design. Even though all shoe trees serve the same purpose, they are not the same. Some of the types and designs of shoe trees are discussed below:
- Spring shoe trees: Spring shoe trees may be good for sneakers and shoes with wide fronts, but they are terrible for pointed and heel-toes shoes. They have a massive front, so pushing them down the heel of your shoes can be damaging.
- Split-toe shoe trees: If you want to get a split-toe shoe tree, choose a size smaller than your normal shoe size. For example, if your shoe size is 45, get a size 43 shoe tree. Split-toe shoe trees are designed to mimic your toes, so you can easily adjust them within the shoe. However, they can stretch the shoe a little too much. Getting a smaller size to your shoes prevents this.
- Full-toe shoe trees: Full-toe shoes are ideal for heel-toe shoes. They fit perfectly with the average shoe and are most effective if you’re looking for an affordable product. However, full-toe shoe trees cannot be adjusted like split-toe shoe trees.
- Hollowed shoe trees: Hollowed shoe trees are one of the best shoe trees available. They are perfectly shaped and built to smoothen out every corner of your shoes. And even though they are made from wood, these shoes are extremely lightweight and, thus, perfect for travel.
- Boot shoe trees: If you own bespoke or designer shoes, the shoe trees to match would be boot shoe trees. They are useful for super high-end footwear, and of course, you can also use them for regular shoes.
Purpose
Knowing why you need a shoe tree makes the selection process easier. So before you purchase any shoe tree, you should know its use case. For example, if you need travel shoe trees, get plastic shoe trees since they are much lighter. And if you want one for your office, get a shoe tree made from aromatic cedar; it'll take care of bad odor and remove moisture.
Tips for Using a Shoe Tree
Use it for 24 hours
If you want to get the best out of your shoe tree, use it for 24 hours and then remove it. This time is more than enough for aromatic cedar shoe trees to smoothen your shoe, absorb all moisture and leave a refreshing scent. Of course, if the shoe trees come with the shoe, you can leave them in for as long as you want.
Use wooden shoe trees for moist shoes
If you just want to straighten your footwear, you can use a plastic shoe tree. However, use a wooden shoe tree if you want to remove moisture.
Keep the plastic ones away from heavy pressure and impact
Plastic shoe trees are not strong, so they can break easily. This is why you need to take great caution when using them, by ensuring that they don't fall or feel excess pressure.
Summary
Shoe trees are important for shoe care, and everybody should have a few of these at home. If you want to get one, scroll through our reviews again. We have already shown you some of the best shoe trees in 2022, and you can easily make your pick.
