It doesn’t matter if you buy the best quality leather shoes for a fancy party or wedding, over time even the best leather shoes will wrinkle and look dirty.
It is completely normal for leather shoes to wrinkle, especially if they are used a lot, stored incorrectly or not maintained properly. No leather is exempt: full-grain, full-grain leather, genuine leather, even nubuck and suede.
However, can you remove wrinkles from leather shoes? The answer is yes! To get creases in your leather shoes, use an iron on a low setting and use a quality conditioner.
Plus, removing wrinkles from your leather shoes instead of replacing them with new shoes can help you make a more sustainable fashion choice. If you want to breathe new life into your leather shoes and refresh their wrinkled appearance, you will need the following products:
- Soft, lint-free fabric
- Iron at low temperature
- Newspapers
- Leather soap solution
- Leather conditioner
- Shoe wood
Removing wrinkles from leather shoes can be tricky, especially if you use heat to remove wrinkles. Excessive heating can damage the leather material and even burn if not done carefully.
Why do leather shoes crease?
Normal wear and tear is normal for leather shoes for everyday use; the most common cause of wrinkled leather shoes is repeated bending of the shoe in one area.
Another common cause of wrinkled leather shoes is an incorrect fit. You’ll notice fewer wrinkles in leather shoes that fit snugly than leather shoes that always seem to have room to spare.
Leather shoes can also become wrinkled or creased if not stored properly without some internal support such as newspaper, a shoe tree, or other material.
Quality leather shoes are expensive, so ironing wrinkles in existing leather shoes is a much smarter and cheaper idea than buying new.
By sizing and polishing your leather shoes, you can keep them looking new and sharp for any big occasion. Let’s begin!
1. Clean your leather shoes with soapy water
The first step in removing wrinkles from leather shoes is to clean them completely. Use a cleaning brush to clean your shoes of sand, dirt or dust that has accumulated in your shoes.
Then, using a clean, lint-free cloth, apply a solution of leather soap or saddle soap to remove any light scratches or tough dirt from the outside of the shoe.
As a solution to leather soap, consider Pink Miracle Shoe Cleaner, which is designed for leather and container saddle soap, as well as other natural products.
If you’re looking for pure saddle soap, you’ll want to check out Fibbing’s White Saddle Soap. These solutions help prevent foreign objects from sticking to the leather of the shoe and remove various impurities.
After gently cleaning both shoes with a leather soap solution, pat them dry with a soft, dry cloth to remove excess soap from the surface.
2. Remove the laces from your shoes
After cleaning your shoes with a leather soap solution and drying them, remove the laces from both shoes. This way you can get to the wrinkles better. You can keep your tape for now.
3. Put the newspaper in your shoes
After you’ve taken off both shoelaces, place newspaper in both shoes to stretch the leather. This step helps build a shape that resembles the foot in the shoe and smoothes out any creases.
While using shoe trees are great for storing leather shoes, using them to remove wrinkles is not recommended, they have a hard surface and sometimes won’t stretch where the wrinkles are.
Make sure you only lay down enough newspaper to straighten wrinkles. Shoes stuffed with newspapers lead to excessive stretching of the leather, affecting its original appearance and shape.
4. Place a damp cloth on the shoes
This step is the most important and should be followed closely for best results. Dampen a washcloth or soft, lint-free cloth and place it over the leather shoes. It is very important to make sure that the fabric is not dripping, just damp (excessive contact with water can reduce the quality of the leather).
We recommend using a white fabric to avoid color transfer from the fabric to your leather shoes. Don’t skip this step, as the heat from the iron can burn and melt parts of your leather shoes instead of smoothing out creases.
5. Iron the shoes on low heat
After placing a damp cloth over the creased leather shoes, it’s time to slowly and gently smooth out the creases over low heat. You will notice steam escaping from the damp fabric when you press it lightly with the iron.
This hot steam helps soften and stretch the skin to remove wrinkles. However, be careful not to leave the iron in one spot for too long. Alternate between different folded sections of the leather shoes for about 3 seconds as you work the entire exterior.
You should do your best to handle the iron gently and lightly, as excessive heat can burn your skin. It may take several sessions to remove severe wrinkles; therefore, you need to make sure that the fabric stays moist throughout the process.
It is advisable to pay attention to areas with severe wrinkles and to work carefully to avoid burning your hands. If the cloth dries out, wet it thoroughly again and repeat the process until you’re happy with the result.
6. Apply leather conditioner to your shoes
Because steam and humidity dry out leather, it’s important to fill leather shoes with the necessary oils to prevent the material from becoming brittle. Leather conditioner helps freshen your leather shoes with important natural oils to prevent new wrinkles or cracks.
After making sure the shoes are completely dry from the moisture, apply the leather conditioner with a dry cloth. Any quality leather conditioner will do. If you’re looking for a recommendation, we’ve had great success using KIWI Shoe Conditioning Oil.
Concentrate more on polishing and treating areas with small creases and scratches – to avoid further damage – as you work over the entire surface.
7. Put the laces back on your shoes
After the leather shoes have been buffed and buffed with leather conditioner, put the shoelaces back on to check for a complete transformation.
8. Keep enough shoes
To ensure your leather shoes last for years, it’s important to store them properly in a cool, dry, shady place. Find a clean, dry shoebox to put your leather shoes in, and put some shoe trees in it.
