Unless you enjoy the solitude of ironing, most of us don’t want to deal with the time to set up and ironing board or steamer to conquer wrinkled clothes. With an active lifestyle, clothes you can throw on and go are more valuable than ever.
How Do You Get Wrinkle-Free Clothing?
While there are wrinkle-free fabrics, there are times we want to wear our favorite silks, linens or cottons. They just need a little love to be wrinkle-free. A few tips to help get the wrinkles out without too much hassle:
- Wool dryer balls are known to take static and wrinkles out of garments. Learn how to make your own.
- Watch the settings found on your iron for silks, linens and cotton, to make sure you’re being as fabric safe and efficient as possible. The right setting can make the touch of the iron much quicker.
- Electric dryers have a steam setting to gently remove wrinkles. Just make sure you remove the clothing and hang or fold as soon as the steam cycle is done.
The Skinny on Wrinkle-free Clothes
With less people going into a traditional office setting, the days of wearing a different pressed shirt, suit, or dress five days a week is becoming less common. Comfort and convenience are more important and active wear manufacturers have responded by creating clothes and fabrics with convenience in mind.
There are eight fabrics that don’t need ironing when washed, dried, and hung properly:
- Denim
- Polyester – garment comprised of at least 65%
- Permanent Press – a blend of polyester (at least 65%) and cotton
- Wool*
- Cashmere*
- Lycol – aka Rayon or Tencel
- Knits – wrinkle-free due to the interlocking loops of thread
- Spandex
*Will shrink significantly if put in the dryer.
Faced With Unexpected Wrinkled Clothing
Even with the best wrinkle-free fabrics, if you don’t remove your clothes from the dryer and either lay flat, fold carefully, or hang immediately, you may experience more than a one wrinkle in your day. But you can still avoid the dreaded iron and ironing board with a few handy tips:
- Rerun through the dryer on a heated setting for 5-10 minutes and remove immediately. Snap the garment and lay flat. Brush out any wrinkles with your hand while it’s still warm.
- Hang and steam with hot water in the shower area.
- Use your hair flat iron or straightener. Make sure you don’t go too hot with the setting.
- With a blow dryer set on hot, hold a few inches away to remove wrinkles.
- Steam with a teapot or holding an item above a rolling pot of boiling water will work, too. The teapot is just a little more targeted with its stream of steam.
- If you have the Speed Queen® DR7 dryer it uses the power of steam in a “steam refresh” setting to get rid of wrinkles, freshen the smell, and reduce static. Fast and easy.
Now you’re on the way to eliminating the unnecessary wrinkles life (and your clothes) can throw at you!