How to Remove Creases and Wrinkles From Shoes (2025)

By far the most popular way to take a crease out of a shoe, using an iron is also the riskiest. There are two keys to using an iron:

1. Stuff the shoe so it maintains its shape, from the heel to the toe box. Packing the shoes as tight as possible will help straighten out the creases. Old paper, such as newspaper, works best, but cardboard or even a few of your socks are great backups as well.
2. Always use a buffer between the iron and the shoe. Putting a hot iron directly on your shoe can irreparably damage it. Don't burn your shoes!

To use an iron, try the following:

• Dampen a cloth, such as a flannel.
• Lay it directly over the crease (it's OK to fold it over).
• Turn your iron to its lowest temperature setting.
• Iron over the cloth in 10-second increments.
• Check the crease between intervals to avoid damage to the shoe.
• When the crease has gone, stop ironing, but leave the shoe stuffed until it cools.

Ironing a crease to remove it works thanks to the combination of heat and moisture, which softens the shoe material to stretch out the crease. The flannel diffuses the heat from the iron to keep the materials of your shoe safe from accidental scorch marks.

This tactic works best on leather shoes. You can use it on suede shoes, but wring out the flannel as much as possible first. Water and suede aren't an ideal combination.

This strategy works best on leather shoes and only requires a cloth, like a flannel or tea towel, and a microwave.

1. Wet the flannel or towel and wring it out so it's just damp.
2. Put it in a heat-resistant dish.
3. Heat it in the microwave, on high, for 30 seconds.
4. Rub the warm, steamy towel over the crease to heat up the leather.
5. Insert a shoe tree to keep your shoe's shape while it cools.

You may have to heat up the towel more than once to get the job done.

If you don't have an iron, a hairdryer can work as well, especially for leather shoes. To maintain the shape of the shoe while you're working, use cedar shoe trees. They won't get hot inside the shoe.

To use a hairdryer:

• Turn it on at the low heat setting.
• Hold it 20–25cm away from the shoe.
• Pass the hairdryer over the shoe a few times and then put it down.
• With your finger, rub the warm leather up against the shoe tree.
• Repeat as needed until the crease has gone.

With this method, you should keep the shoe tree in place while the sneaker cools.

Since you're applying direct heat to the shoe leather, it's a good idea to follow up this process with shoe polish or conditioner. Heat can dry out leather, and a conditioning treatment will ensure your sneakers look their best now that the crease or wrinkle has gone.