How to Make Protective Shoe Covers

By Axl J. Amistaadt

Overview

Disposable shoe covers are used within the food industry, in daycare centers and schools, in all medical fields and in all occupations where contamination or soiling of shoes is a concern. Protecting your footwear from messy activities with shoe covers even in your home makes sense, just as protecting your clothing is smart. And since clothing is easier to clean than shoes, protecting them is really even more important. You can quickly and inexpensively protect your footwear with objects that you probably already have around the house.

Step 1

Put on the shoes that you want to protect. Spread a towel on the floor and set one foot on it, a few inches from the end of the towel and centered between the right and left sides.

How to Make Protective Shoe Covers
Step 2

Gather up the towel to encircle your foot. Look at it from all angles to see if you need to adjust your foot's position on the towel. The idea is to be able to gather the towel around your shoe evenly.

Step 3

Use a large, narrow rubber band or a strip of masking tape to secure the towel into place around your ankle. Make sure that the rubber band is large enough to be comfortable, and that it won't cut off the circulation of blood to your foot.
Step 4

Use a few very wide rubber bands to create "tread" for your shoe covers to avoid slipping as you walk. Pull them around your foot, spacing them so that you will now have traction when wearing your shoe covers.
Step 5

Trim off excess toweling with scissors. Repeat the process for the other foot. You can wash and re-use these as long as you want.
Step 6

Make waterproof shoe covers if you need to run outside real quick by covering your cloth shoe covers with a couple of plastic grocery bags. Simply affix them into place with masking tape and rubber bands. Or use them for longer forays outdoors instead of the cloth covers. Discard them when you're done with them.