How To Take Care Of A Pointe Shoe

Everyone wants their pointe shoe to last as long as possible, but for most dancers, impossible. Everything is a determining factor: how much you dance a week, its exposure to humanity and moisture, the types of the floor danced on, and how you take care of your pointe shoes after class. 

Let's learn the importance of taking care of your pointe shoes. Specifically, why it’s so important and what you can do: 

1. Air Out Your Pointe Shoes

Drying your pointe shoes after dance classes is the most beneficial thing to prolong the longevity of your pointe shoes. Moisture from dancing on them can soften the shank and slowly deteriorate it over time.

A mesh bag will be your pointe shoe’s best friend. Mesh bags or any pointe shoe case with holes in them, let's airflow through and give your pointe shoe for some much-needed aeration until your next class. 

2. Alternate Between Pointe Shoes

What better way to make your pointe shoes last longer is by having two pointe shoes. If you're an advanced dancer, someone who dances 20 hours or more a week, having two shoes might be something to consider. 

What alternating does is allow your pointe shoes to get more drying time after each use. It will keep the material of the pointe shoe nice and stiff. Which will help it last a little longer than three weeks or a month.

3. Using Products like the Odor Eliminator

Moisture is a pointe shoe’s worse enemy. It's one of the reasons why your pointe shoe deteriorates quicker. A tip is to use tools that help take the moisture out of your pointe shoe. 

Using products like the Odor Eliminator is simple as leaving it in your pointe shoe. Products like this help absorb any excess moisture from dancing in them all day to help dry.

4. Jet Glue

If you’re going through your pointe shoes quickly, jet glue will be your best friend. Using jet glue is perfect for hardening the shank, the platform, and the wing. It’s personal preference, but you can either use jet glue before or after breaking it in.

Once you start wearing your pointe shoes enough, you’ll be able to tell where to put the jet glue before you break them in. If your pointe shoes are about to die, and you want them to last a little longer, adding jet glue can give it a little more longevity until you get yourself a new pair of pointe shoes.