The shoes make the man, from the way they conform to your feet to the complement they provide to your outfit. Unfortunately, no matter what type of footwear you own, it will begin to crease. Thankfully, this isn’t a major problem, as folds can be taken care of with relative ease. Whether you’re restoring an old pair or maintaining a new set, if you’re on a mission to figure out how to get creases out of your shoes, you have landed in the right place.
There are two common ways to rid your shoes of creases:
- The ironing method
- The heat gun or blow dryer technique
What You’ll Need
The supplies required depend on which approach you take.
We have listed out everything you’ll need for both options.
Unless you plan to try both, only a select number of the supplies below will be necessary.
- Blow dryer or heat gun
- Cloth
- Iron
- Newspaper or magazine
- Shoe tree (optional)
How to Get Creases Out of Shoes (2 Options)
The Ironing Method:
1. Stuff your shoes with as much material can you find. The goal is to make sure the shape of your shoe is solid. We suggest using newspaper or magazine pages if you can find them. Since print media is less common, you can also use articles of clothing, such as underwear or socks. Basically, anything you can find to make sure your shoes stay firm.
2. Take a damp cloth and place it over the creases in your shoe.
3. Turn your iron on to around 70° Fahrenheit (21° Celsius).
Be cautious when using an iron. They get hot quickly and don’t care who they burn.
4. Gently press your iron against the cloth on your shoe. Keep an eye on how long you’re ironing so you don’t damage your shoes’ material with excess heat. We recommend 10 to 15 second intervals.
5. Once your creases iron out, let your shoes cool off.
Total time required: 10 minutes
The Heat Gun (or Blow Dryer) Technique:
Similar to the ironing method, it’s best practice to fill up your shoes so they are firm when you run a heat gun over them.
1. After you have filled your shoe with a shoe tree, newspaper, etc., turn your heat gun on to the low setting.
2. Hold the heat gun about 6 inches away from your shoes. and focus on the creased areas.
3. Brush the hot air over the creased areas of your shoes.
4. Repeat this process until you have achieved satisfactory results.
Total time required: 10 minutes
Use Shoe Trees
Depending on the level of effort you want to put into keeping your shoes crease-free, a shoe tree is an option to consider.
Shoe trees are foot-shaped inserts that are used inside of shoes. They’re designed to retain the shape of your shoes while also reducing dampness.
Shoe trees are usually made of wood and are mostly used in formal shoes.
The use of a shoe tree will undoubtedly eliminate creases in your shoes, but it will take time.
Below is an example of shoe trees by themselves as well as inside of shoes.
Our Recommended Shoe Tree
The Stratton Cedar Shoe Tree is the best shoe tree for the money. You can buy this directly on Amazon and they get the job done.
- Stratton Cedar Shoe Tree is expertly crafted using 100% natural premium red aromatic cedar wood to protect the leather, fabric, stitching, and soles from moisture damage
- Manufactured to optimize a long-lasting cedar aroma, these Shoe Trees absorb moisture and sweat to prevent natural odors from developing. As a result, shoes are left with a crisp, refreshing scent
- Fits all brand sizes, lengths, and widths, each Stratton Cedar Shoe Tree is equipped with an integrated spring coil centerpiece to supply just enough light tension to fill your shoes and firmly maintain the length
Wrapping up
Shoe maintenance is relatively painless. A little goes a long way.
If you are sick of seeing creases in your shoes, and are looking to do something about it, we hope this has been helpful.
Questions? Drop us a line.
