As a shoe collector, I swear by these $10 foam inserts to prevent my sneakers from creasing

When you buy through our links, Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

• I collect sneakers, and for the last 10 years, I've been using ForceFields to prevent my pairs from creasing while I wear them.
• ForceFields' foam inserts go in the toe box of your shoe. They stay in place and they're so comfortable that you won't even notice them.
• They're available in sizes small, medium, and large to accommodate most shoe sizes.

Some sneaker collectors treat shoes like sacred artifacts that are only to be handled with clean white gloves in temperature-controlled environments and are never to be worn. And then there's me.

I believe that all sneakers are meant to be worn, no matter how rare or expensive they are, and that's exactly what I've done with my constantly growing collection. 

However, my willingness to wear all the sneakers that I own doesn't mean that I don't take exceptionally good care of them. In fact, I care a lot about keeping my sneakers in great condition. I've written about some of my favorite cleaning products and weather-proofing sprays, but my best-kept secret for maintaining fresh sneakers is ForceFields.

ForceFields are small foam inserts that slide into the toe boxes of your shoes to prevent creasing. They're designed to stay in place and to fit comfortably, so your toes won't feel bunched up when they're in. The premise and design are simple, but the product is so effective that I've been using them for the last 10 years. 

When I first started collecting sneakers a a high schooler in about 2008, I didn't have the funds to buy new pairs all the time, so I would try to fix the creases I'd created in my sneakers. After trying some of the rather creative crease-removal methods from around the internet (trust me, literally ironing the creases out of your shoes isn't a great idea), I learned that for the most part, stains and dirt can be removed — but creases cannot. So it's always worth popping a pair into your new sneakers before you wear them. 

I've used ForceFields with plenty of styles: Nike Air Force 1, Nike SB Dunk, and Air Jordans 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 13 — but they can be worn with conceivably any sneakers are that prone to badly creased toes.

The idea of stuff something inside your shoe might sound uncomfortable but I often forget that I'm wearing them. If they weren't comfortable to wear, you can bet that I would have given up on them long ago. They come in small, medium, and large sizes to accommodate different shoe size, so almost anybody can wear them. Simply order the correct size according to your shoe size and you'll have a comfortable fit.

• Small fits kids' shoe sizes 4-7 and women's shoe sizes 5-10.
• Medium fits men's shoe sizes 8-11 and women's shoe sizes 10.5 and up.
• Large fits men's shoe sizes 11.5 and up.

Whether you just bought a brand new pair of sneakers or you're planning to replace a worn-out favorite soon, I strongly recommend buying a pair of ForceFields, too. Order a pair now and keep your sneakers fresh and free of creases. Take it from me — you can't fix creases, you can only prevent them.

Subscribe to our newsletter.

You can purchase syndication rights to this story here.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o8HSoqWeq6Oeu7S1w56pZ5ufonyowcidnKxno6nGrbGOn6arm5Wbtqa4w2agp6uVp8FuvsSvoJ6vXaW%2FpsLEp6tmq56arqyx0Waaq52RqLK0