It turns out that the “little tail” behind the shoes has such a big function!

Audit expert: Bi Siyi

Lecturer, College of Textiles, Donghua University

Have you noticed that many shoes actually have a "little tail" at the back? What is the function of this "little tail"? Is it just for decoration?

Source: pixabay

In addition, some shoes have been stored for too long and the surface has turned yellow. How should these stains be dealt with?

The small tail behind the shoe is very useful

The "little tail" at the back of the shoe is called a "shoe horn". As the name suggests, a shoe horn is used to help the user lift the shoe. Some people who wear leather shoes will buy a "shoe horn" to help lift the shoes, while most sports shoes come with this shoe lifting tool.

First of all, when we put on shoes, our feet sometimes press the heels into the soles, which will cause the heels to collapse and deform over time. If you pull the "little tail" back when putting on shoes, you can pull the heels out and put on shoes easily, while also effectively protecting the heels.

Secondly, in daily life, if you are at the beach or on a rainy day and your shoes get wet and you need to carry your shoes while walking, you can also use a rope to connect the shoe handles of the two shoes, so that you can easily carry the shoes with one hand.

Source: pixabay

In addition, shoe straps have two other functions:

First, it is convenient for drying. After washing the shoes, just pass the hanger through the shoe handles on the left and right shoes, and you can easily dry them. If the hanger at home does not have a small hook, you can also use a clip to clamp the shoe handle and then use the hanger to dry the shoes.

Second, to prevent them from falling off. Shoes often become loose after being worn for a long time, and they are easy to slip off during outdoor sports, which is not conducive to exercise. At this time, we can use shoe straps to wrap the shoelaces around the back and pass them through the shoe straps and then tie them tightly, so that the shoes and feet can be well fixed.

Why do shoes turn yellow easily?

Some people believe that "shoes are a person's face", and a pair of clean shoes can leave a good impression on people. Not to mention whether outsiders will notice our shoes, wearing a pair of yellowed shoes is unbearable for most people. So, why do some shoes turn yellow so easily?

The yellowing of shoes is mainly affected by the material and colorant. The most common materials for footwear are polyurethane (PU) and rubber.

PU materials are often used as shoe upper materials. The prequinone structure of isocyanate on its aromatic (benzene ring) will break under the influence of ultraviolet rays and humid and hot environments, producing yellowing quinoneimine color-changing groups, which ultimately lead to significant changes in the product appearance. As for aliphatic and alicyclic PU materials, since their isocyanate group structure is relatively stable and there is no prequinone structure, they have stronger anti-yellowing properties.

The rubber material is mainly thermoplastic rubber (TPR), which can be applied to the outer rubber cover of the shoe by injection molding or extrusion molding. Due to the unsaturated structure of TPR material, it is easy to degrade when exposed to ultraviolet rays and air, which leads to discoloration.

In addition, PU footwear products often use color pastes and color powders as colorants, which are also easily decomposed by light, causing the shoe upper to fade and turn yellow.

Some footwear products also contain fabric materials. These fabrics can turn yellow in a variety of ways, such as light yellowing, oxidation yellowing, brightener yellowing, etc. They are even prone to yellowing during storage and transportation.

Source: pixabay

So, for yellowed shoes, what methods can be used to improve and clean these yellow marks?

How to maintain your shoes

Since the yellowing of shoes is mainly caused by material oxidation, we should avoid exposing the shoes to the sun during daily use to aggravate material oxidation. After washing white shoes, avoid drying them in the sun. Instead, dry the shoes in a ventilated place or wrap them in paper towels to dry them.

For other stains caused by dust, water stains, etc., you can use toothpaste or baking soda to clean them. Toothpaste contains abrasives and surfactants, and baking soda contains sodium bicarbonate, which has strong decontamination ability. These two have a certain improvement effect on various stains.

Source: pixabay

Regarding the maintenance of shoes, there are a few points to pay attention to:

1. When washing shoes, you should choose a mild and neutral detergent (laundry detergent, whitening soap, etc. with a pH value between 6-8), and avoid using chlorine-containing bleach, because this type of detergent is too alkaline and can easily cause damage to leather and rubber.

2. You should change your shoes frequently to give them time to "breathe". Our feet are stuffy in shoes all day long, and the sweat from our feet cannot be completely drained away, causing the shoes to become damp and may cause mold.

3. When your shoes get wet on rainy days, try to wipe off the water on the surface before putting them away to avoid long-term stains that may cause mildew, yellowing, etc.

4. Shoes that are not worn for a long time should be stored in a dry place, or you can stuff newspapers or shoe lasts into the shoes. This will not only keep the shoes dry, but also support the space inside the shoes, keeping the shape of the shoes upright and not easily deformed.

In general, if you want a pair of shoes to last longer, daily maintenance is very important. Nowadays, many people are keen on various types of trendy shoes and co-branded shoes, which are often expensive. In order to make the money more worthwhile, we should take good care of the shoes.