How to get creases out of doc martens? Hot air and massage treatment with a blow dryer, steam Ironing the leather, applying leather oil, or maybe a 50-50 rubbing alcohol-water solution — you can try any of these 4 methods to get creases out of your Doc Martens.
Doc Martens have ingrained their existence almost anywhere, from work boots to streetwear, and from high-end fashion to school shoes! The leather used in these shoes plays a great role in their unique style, exceptional comfortability, and durability.
However, despite your best efforts, the leather in these shoes is bound to form creases, like any other leathered footwear, be it some months, or decades. The methods you’ll be learning today might help you at that time.
Why creases form on Doc Martens, the best techniques for removing wrinkles from them, caring for leather boots, and much more will be covered in this article.
Are Doc Martens Supposed to Crease?
Although wrinkles on your Doc Martens might sound disconcerting, it is totally normal to happen, with any pair of leather shoes actually, regardless of how expensive or inexpensive they are. Why so?
Nathen said that, care of your shoes, the right shoe size, leather quality, and degree of usage actually determine how sooner or later creases are to form on your Doc Martens.
Even though it takes time for Doc Martens to wrinkle, you will eventually notice it. Creasing on Doc Martens enhances the worn-in or frayed style that the brand has become known for., which, however, might not be liked by everyone.
Why Do Doc Martens Crease?
The more any leather is worn, the more it will stretch, twist, and alter shape since it is flexible. So, due to regular wear, Doc Martens will eventually wrinkle.
As a result of leather’s propensity to mold to the shape of your foot over time, it is natural that you will develop creases in the leather where the shoe bends while you move. Stepping causes your feet to flex. Your outer shoes will also flex at the same time. Too much curvature means that the shoe’s substance will also be impacted. And creasing is the end result.
Additionally, there are some other external or behavioral reasons why your Doc Martens might form creases.
What Causes the Creases? (Other Than Movement Of Your Feet)
There are several reasons why your Doc Martens can form untimely creases. Some of them are listed below.
- A crease may develop if your shoes are not the right size. Too loose shoes form wrinkles on the shoe just like too tight shoes cause wrinkles
- Your Docs may become creased or wrinkled if you don’t store them properly.
- Leather quality determines how sooner or later wrinkles are to form on your Docs
- Too much moisture on the leather can worsen, hasten, or cause severe creasing.
- The crease depends greatly on the shoe’s design because shoes created from one piece of leather will crease more than those constructed from many parts.
How To Get Creases Out Of Doc Martens?
The procedures listed above will assist in either stretching or shrinking the leather. The wrinkles will disappear once the leather is shrunk. On the other hand, stretching the leather will smooth out the surface and lessen any creases.
Cleaning Your Shoes before Removing Creases
It’s always good to clean your Doc Martens before you start the ‘uncrease leather’ mission This way, there is more possibility of the treatment being effective, resulting in a smoother and cleaner surface. Here’s how you do it.
Take off the laces and wipe each shoe with a damp cloth. When cleaning the entire surface, start at the top and work your way down. Avoid soaking the whole shoe in the water. After you are done, rub it with a soft dry cloth and set it to air dry for some time. Sometimes, you can use household items to clean your boots or shoes.
Few Words To Remember
Before moving forward with these methods, here are some cautionary notes about how to care for Doc Martens.
- You should not expect a perfect outcome from these methods. Since leather is also a type of skin, it will have a similar way of carrying itself to how all other types of skin do when they age. However, you won’t be disappointed with the changes before and after applying the methods.
- It is recommended to test the above-mentioned methods on the tip of a tiny portion of the shoe before you begin uncreasing leather shoes. Since you are a beginner at the techniques, this is done to prevent any damage to the shoes.
- If you can take good care of your shoes and condition them from time to time, you won’t have to worry later about how to get creases out of your Doc Martens.
Now, let’s proceed with the various methods. Try them one at a time.
1. Blow Dryer Treatment (For Rigid Creases)
Removing old and stiff wrinkles will require substantial heat and rubbing, which is something a steam iron can handle. This method will soften and stretch the leather’s wrinkled areas, leaving your Doc Martens with a relatively smoother surface.
Items you need:
- Blow dryer
- Shoe tree
- Leather oil and conditioner
- Soft lint-free cloth
Steps:
- Insert shoe trees inside the Doc Martens you will be working on.
- Plug in and adjust the blow dryer to the lowest heat setting. It is preferable to begin low heat, you can later increase it afterward if required.
- Now, hold the blow dryer 6 inches away or so from your shoe, directly over the creased regions. To prevent the leather from burning, keep moving the dryer constantly.
- With your other hand, gently massage the creases, you can do it with some leather oil. Continue repeating this until you see the creases begin to open up.
- Disconnect the blow dryer and remove the excess oil.
- Afterward, apply some leather conditioner on the shoes to keep them moisturized. And let your shoes rest while leaving the shoe trees inside. Give them some hours to dry.
- Finally, polish the boots by rubbing them with a clean towel.
2. Steam Ironing To De-Wrinkle (Alternative To Blow Dryer)
This technique calls for using a steam iron instead of the blow-dryer in the blow-dry method to stretch the creases. Just be cautious while using heat because too much of it can damage leather.
Items you need:
- Iron
- Shoe tree/newspapers
- A damp washcloth
Steps:
- Stuff your Doc Martens with shoe trees to maintain their shape. Or, you can also make some balls out of old newspaper and stuff them into your boots.
- Now, place the damp washcloth over the shoe crease. The cloth can also be folded twice for extra caution. The cloth will stop direct heat from damaging the shoe and keep it from heating up.
- Set the iron to ‘wool’ or 60–80 degrees Fahrenheit. Before you plan to crease out your shoes, always place your iron on the lowest heating option, whether it is a dry iron or a steam iron. Later, if needed, you can always increase it.
- Now, it’s time to iron out the shoe’s crease. Don’t leave the iron in one spot for too long, keep moving it around.
- Finally, leave the shoe to dry with a shoe tree inside after you notice the crease open up and reduce.
3. A Gentle Rub With Leather-Friendly Oil (For Relatively New Creases)
By massaging the affected areas of your Doc Martens with a decent shoe conditioner or oil, minor shoe creases that are still relatively new can be smoothed out.
Items you need:
- Leather oil
- Soft lint-free cloth
Steps:
- In a soft cloth, put some leather oil to rub the whole surface of your leather boot, paying special attention to any creases.
- Use circular motions to massage the oil into the leather.
- When the leather oil is fully absorbed, take another cloth, and wipe the oil remaining off your boots.
- Now, place a shoe tree inside to maintain the shoe’s shape and open up creases, wait till your shoes are dry to wear.
4. Rubbing Alcohol Will Also Do (Cost-Effective Method)
Similar to leather oils, rubbing alcohol-water solutions helps soften the leather and hence smooth out the creases. However, it has a drawback, you must be extremely careful with the ratio because using too much of it might quickly dry up the leather.
Items you need:
- Rubbing alcohol
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Shoe stretcher
- Leather Conditioner
Steps:
- In a spray bottle, combine rubbing alcohol and water in an equal ratio.
- Spritz the solution onto the creases on your Doc Martens and use your hands to rub it gently into the leather.
- Give your boots 10-15 minutes to air dry. Then, apply some leather conditioner and polish well.
- Finally, slide shoe stretchers inside the shoes to stretch out the creases. Till you’re ready to wear the shoes, you can leave the stretchers inside.
How To Keep Doc Martens From Creasing In The First Place?
Since Dr. Martens’s boots are made of high-quality, long-lasting material, you don’t need to worry about wrinkles just yet. Maybe a very long time would pass before this happens. However, it greatly depends on how they take care of your boots all this time. Here is how to keep them from creasing.
Caring Your Shoes With Quality Care Products
To extend the life of the leather used to make your Doc Martens, leather treatments, conditioners, and coatings are essential. Make care to routinely clean, dry, and treat the leather.
To refresh the fibers of the leather, apply conditioners or leather oils occasionally. It will keep the leather flexible, soft, and most importantly, wrinkle-free. Moreover, to withstand rain or harsh weather, waterproofing sprays on your boots is essential. They also grow more resilient by this waterproofing.
Using Shoe Trees
A shoe tree is a foot-shaped wooden structure that goes inside shoes when they are not being worn or stored. Their primary objective is to keep the shoe’s natural shape by avoiding creases and folds. leather shoes are recommended to be stuffed with shoe trees as soon as they are removed.
If you don’t have these available, you might also use newspaper to make balls with them and tightly stuff them inside your boots.
Using Shoe Horns
A shoe horn is a curved piece used for easing one’s heel into a shoe. You can use a shoe horn while wearing boots to avoid the creasing. When you slip your Doc Martens on, it will help avoid excessive flex or damage, especially at the back of the shoes.
Walking Properly
Lastly, be watchful of your motions, your posture, and whether you’re scratching the leather as you go. Your boots will either crease or not depending on how you walk, crouch, and bend.
FAQs
- Can you prevent shoe creases before they happen?
Creases forming on shoes are inevitable, whatever method you try, eventually creases will form on your shoes. However, by applying certain methods, you can reduce the extent of the crease, such as storing them with shoe trees inside, and cleaning and conditioning them regularly.
- Do Dr martens crease? Is It Normal for this boot?
Yes, Dr. Martens do crease, and it is totally normal for this boot. Since the boot is constructed with leather which is flexible, the more the leather is worn, the more it will alter the shape, and it will eventually result in creases.
- Do Vegan Doc Martens crease?
Yes, vegan Doc Martens also creases, like the original ones. And it is harder to find a solution to effectively reduce wrinkles on vegan Docs. However, the vegan versions last as long as the leather versions, according to many.
- Do Doc Martens crease easily?
The degree of use, leather quality, shoe care, and shoe size all have a role in how soon creases will appear on your Doc Martens. That being said, Doc Martens don’t form creases so easily like other leather shoes.
- Do Jordan 1 crease easily?
The Air Jordan 1 is composed entirely of leather on the upper, so it is natural for the sneakers to form creases. However, how easily the crease forms depends on the degree of your movement and your care for the shoes.
- Do Air Jordans crease easily?
Yes, Air Jordans do crease, as all leather sneakers do. The leather in them is quite durable, but it is also flexible and not crease-resistant. Due to the natural flex of the foot, the sneakers tend to mostly crease along the toe box.
Final Thoughts
Handling leather shoes properly is the first step towards removing these wrinkles from your Doc Martens The longer you use shoes, the more they crease, and how you take care of them affects how your boots stand the test of time.
If you ignore the creases on your boots initially, they will leave a permanent mark that you will be unable to remove later on. So, it’s best to start working on the creases as soon as they are visible.
Best of luck with getting creases out of your Doc Martens!
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