Summer is coming to an end. Your flip flops have had a good run. You’ve been to the beach together, on infinite errands, and lounged countless hours around the house. You’ve enjoyed each other’s company immensely in these lazy days of summer. Then, one day, you’re walking along and your kid steps on the sole of your shoe. The thong strap separates from the rubber sole of the shoe. It is late August, so you don’t necessarily buy a new pair of flip flops. It is a late spring ritual for you to pick up flip flops. Is there any way to fix them so that they’ll last just another few weeks? Yes, there is.
For now, just tuck the strap back through the rubber sole. Just tucking it back in will last for about a half an hour of walking, depending on terrain and your carefulness. You could get away with just doing this for the next few weeks, if you don’t mind stopping in the middle of the grocery store, taking off one shoe to fix it, then proceeding with your life. However, each time the strap comes out of the rubber sole, it has the potential to make the hole bigger. This will mean that the fix will last for shorter and shorter periods of time and a more permanent fix will be harder to implement.
The next best option is with a safety pin. Pull the strap through the sole of the shoe. The strap will be narrow with a wider piece at the end holding it in place. Don’t pin the strap, but put the safety pin around it, so that it is between the strap and the wider part that holds the strap in place. This will last a week or more. In fact, this could last until the end of the summer. However, if it pulls, the hole that it creates in the sole of the flip flop will be irreparable. You will either have to buy a new pair or go without.
For a semi permanent solution, you will need to get a small metal washer. The aim with be to put the washer in the same position as the safety pin, between the end of the strap and the bottom of the sole of the shoe. It will take some manipulation to get the end of the strap through the washer. The more work it takes to get the washer on, the longer the fix will hold. The downside to this fix is that you might hear a clanking sound when you walk. Still, it will due until mid September when you are not so interested in you flip flops and instead will move on to some nice classified shoes flats or ravel shoes pumps.
