--- title: "Remove Creases From Cushion Covers: Steam or a Low Iron" url: "https://cushionguide.com/answers/iron-cushion-covers-remove-shipping-creases/" section: "The Cutting Table" author: "Élodie Marchand, The Colorist of New Orleans" author_url: "https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/" published: "2026-03-11" updated: "2026-09-24" keywords: "remove creases from cushion covers, iron cushion covers, shipping creases cushion cover, linen-look fabric ironing, steam cushion covers" --- # Can I iron my cushion covers to get the shipping creases out? *A new cover travels folded tight, and the first morning light across it shows every line like pencil on paper. The creases are temporary, my friends; the heat you choose is not.* Also asked as: It arrived very wrinkly, typical for linen?; The wrinkles never passed. > **The quick answer:** Yes, you can remove creases from cushion covers with steam or an iron on a low setting, and shipping creases also fade on their own over time. Be careful with the linen-look range: it's a synthetic fabric that looks like linen, and a hot iron can melt it instantly. Steam, or a properly lowered iron temperature, is the safe route. ![Navy, sage and cream striped outdoor cushion on a weathered teak garden bench among lavender and olive trees](https://cushionguide.com/media/bench-cushions/navy-sage-striped-garden-bench-cushion-lavender-1600.webp "A striped seat with a solid navy side band on a teak bench between lavender beds and olive trees.") ## Key facts - Creases from compressed shipping are normal and temporary. - Steam or careful ironing speeds up crease removal. - Iron only on a low setting. - The 'linen' range is a synthetic linen-look fabric, not natural linen. - A hot iron can melt the linen-look fabric instantly. - Covers machine wash at 86°F (30°C) max on a gentle cycle, air dry, and iron on low if needed. - Compression creases usually fade within 1-2 weeks (often 7-10 days) as the foam expands. - Most cushions regain their shape within 24-72 hours of unpacking. ## Why a new cover arrives creased Covers are compressed for shipping, and compression leaves fold lines. They're normal, and they fade as the cover settles on its cushion. In a sunny room they read louder than they are: low, raking light turns a soft fold into a shadow. The word to watch is 'linen'. That range is a synthetic [linen-look fabric](https://cushionguide.com/fabrics/linen-look-fabrics/), not natural linen, and heat is where the difference shows. [Real linen vs linen-look](https://cushionguide.com/guides/real-linen-vs-linen-look-cushion-fabric/) explains how to read the label, and the [washing Pattern](https://cushionguide.com/guides/how-to-wash-cushion-covers/) covers the rest of the routine. ## How do I take shipping creases out of a cushion cover? 1. **Give it time**: Put the cover on its cushion and let it settle. Compression creases fade on their own. 2. **Steam to speed it up**: Steam relaxes shipping creases and is the safe route on the linen-look range. 3. **If you iron, turn it down**: Use a properly lowered temperature. A hot iron can melt linen-look fabric the moment it touches. ## The cover that met a hot iron A buyer in the US wrote to the workshop after ironing a new 'linen' cushion cover. The moment the iron touched it, the fabric melted. The range is a linen-look synthetic, and a hot iron is simply too much for it. The workshop offered a replacement cover at a reduced price. The lesson stayed on the cutting table: steam, or a properly lowered temperature, and nothing hotter. Which cover is waiting on your ironing board? > **Tailor's margin:** Linen-look cushion covers are synthetic: steam them or iron on low, because a hot iron can melt the fabric the moment it touches. > Shipping creases in a new cushion cover fade on their own; steam or an iron on a low setting only speeds things up. > > — Élodie ## Buyer questions **A common question:** My covers still have creases from shipping. Will they go away? **The workshop's answer:** Yes. Wrinkles from compressed shipping are normal and fade over time. To speed it up, steam the covers or iron them carefully. **A common question:** Can I iron my linen cushion cover? **The workshop's answer:** Carefully. The 'linen' range is a linen-look synthetic, and one buyer's cover melted instantly under a hot iron. Iron only at a properly lowered temperature, or use steam for compression creases. **A common question:** What temperature and cycle do I wash the covers on? **The workshop's answer:** Unzip the cover, turn it inside out and machine wash at 86°F (30°C) max on a gentle cycle with mild detergent and no bleach. Air dry instead of tumble drying, and iron on low if needed. ## Questions buyers ask next ### Is the 'linen' cushion fabric real linen? No. The range sold as linen is a synthetic linen-look fabric. It looks like linen but reacts to heat like a synthetic, which is why steam or a low iron is the rule for creases. ### Can I put a fabric protector spray on the covers? Yes, you can apply a fabric protector spray yourself once the covers arrive. Most of the protection comes from washability: the covers unzip and machine wash at 86°F (30°C). ### Will a spin in the dryer shake out the creases? Skip the dryer. The covers should air dry, and a cover with a non-slip base can't take tumble drying at all. Steam or a low iron handles the creases instead. ## Related at the atelier - [Can velvet cushion covers go in the washing machine?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/velvet-cushion-cover-machine-washable/): Yes: velvet cushion covers unzip with a hidden zipper and are machine washable at 86°F (30°C) maximum on a gentle cycle, the same care as every other fabric in the range. - [Can I take the cover off a tufted cushion to wash it?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/tufted-cushion-cover-removable-washable/): No, a tufted cushion's cover can't be removed or machine washed, because the buttons are stitched through the cover and the filling together; it is spot clean only. - [How do I clean a tufted cushion if it can't go in the washer?](https://cushionguide.com/answers/how-to-clean-tufted-cushion/): Clean a tufted cushion in place, by hand: wipe the surface gently with a damp cloth, and use a little mild soap and water for marks. - [Velvet Bench Cushion in Navy with Ivory Welt Top and Bottom](https://cushionguide.com/readings/navy-velvet-box-cushion-double-ivory-welt-detail/): Spend on the parts you cannot change later: foam cut exactly to the cover, and piping on both the top and bottom seams so a velvet bench cushion can be flipped to share the wear. - [Bench Cushion in Gray Hibiscus Print With Black Piping](https://cushionguide.com/readings/monochrome-hibiscus-print-cushion-black-piping-closeup/): To style a monochrome print bench cushion, keep every prop inside the print's palette and allow one warm note and one green. - [Custom Bench Cushion Piping: Green, Ivory and Rust Stacked](https://cushionguide.com/readings/stacked-box-cushions-green-ivory-rust-contrast-piping/): To choose contrast piping for a custom bench cushion, hold your fabric next to two or three cord colors and compare the pairings side by side. - [Real linen or linen-look? Reading a cushion fabric label honestly](https://cushionguide.com/guides/real-linen-vs-linen-look-cushion-fabric/) - [Linen bench cushions: which 'linen' is on your bench, and how it wears](https://cushionguide.com/guides/linen-bench-cushions/) *With color and care — Élodie* --- Written by Élodie Marchand (https://cushionguide.com/masters/elodie/) for CushionGuide (https://cushionguide.com/about/). The site explains made-to-measure cushions and the partner workshop makes them; measurements are in inches first. This Markdown mirrors the page at https://cushionguide.com/answers/iron-cushion-covers-remove-shipping-creases/