Ironing your clothing is essential for flattening out unsightly creases, and looking sharp. But it’s always annoying when you’re still left with a few creases here and there. You’ll be glad to know there are some easy ways to de-wrinkle your clothes — without an iron.
These alternatives are also handy if you dislike the chore (like myself), or if you’re travelling without much access to an iron and board. We ask the experts to share their tips on ways to de-wrinkle your clothes without an iron — and make your garments crease-free.
1. Make a DIY wrinkle spray
If you’re interested in learning how to make your own DIY cleaning products to save money, you can make a ‘wrinkle spray’ to help smooth out creases. You’ll just need a few basic ingredients that you should already have in your home.
“All you have to do is add a teaspoon of fabric softener or hair conditioner to boiled or distilled water and mix it up in a spray bottle - it's that easy!” says Jason Higgs, household expert and senior deal strategist for Bountii. “From there, all you have to do is lightly mist the affected areas and then let the garment hang to dry for a few minutes. Do not overspray the garment, as that could lead to a longer wait time.”
Other household ingredients such as white vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice contain natural bleaching and antibacterial properties that make baking soda and vinegar particularly good at cleaning.
2. Hang wrinkled clothes in the bathroom while showering
Another trick is to hang a wrinkled item or items on the back of the bathroom door while you’re showering. Essentially, this should absorb all of the steam, and loosen the toughest of wrinkles.
“Just hang your clothes in the bathroom while you take a hot shower,” suggests Jason. “Ensure the bathroom door is closed to trap the steam, and keep in mind that the steam will help relax the fabric and reduce wrinkles. For best results, you should make sure to have all doors and windows closed in the bathroom so that as much steam as possible can build up”.
This will leave your wrinkled clothes looking fresh again. What’s more, this simple method should cut the time it takes to iron your clothes — for a nice, relaxing shower, so it’s a win-win!
While you're there, you might also want top tips on how to clean a shower head and get rid of limescale. or how to clean a glass shower door.
3. Use a tea kettle to straighten out clothes
It seems that you can do much more than just make tea with one of the best kettles. After you’ve heated up the water to make your cuppa, you can also use it for steaming out the wrinkles in your clothes. It also means that you can kill two birds with one stone, and be a little more energy-efficient.
“To get the desired effect, hang your garment on a hanger and let it hang on a wall or door frame. Then, when the kettle has reached boiling point, aim the spout steam at the clothing,” advises Jason, “You can do this by holding it below and letting the steam travel upwards towards the wrinkled areas, just make sure not to hold the kettle too close to the garment and wear heat-protective mitts so you don’t get burned”.
When doing this, always remember to take proper safety precautions, and never do around small children.
4. Use a damp towel
Another quick and easy way to de-wrinkle your clothes without an iron is to add a damp towel or cloth over the wrinkled item. This will help to ‘loosen’ and release some of the wrinkles — and works well for one small item.
“Lay the wrinkled garment on a flat surface, place a damp (not wet) towel or cloth over the wrinkles, press down firmly with your hands, and smooth out the fabric.” agrees Polya Petrova, kitchen cleaning professional at Fantastic Services.
However, if you have a dryer with a steam feature, you could just opt for this instead, especially if you have quite a few wrinkled items to tackle.
5. Add a damp dryer sheet for wrinkled clothes in the dryer
Similarly, if you have a pile of wrinkled clothes, you can throw them into the dryer with a lightly damp dryer sheet. Set the dryer on a high heat level and let it run for just ten minutes, and this should get rid of those wrinkles.
“The key for success with this method is to immediately remove the article of clothing after ten minutes so that it is not sitting still in the dryer, because that will cause wrinkles to form again”, warns Jason. “Although this method uses a bit of electricity, the dryer only needs to be on for about ten minutes for the wrinkle removal to take effect. This will save you much more energy than if you have to wash and dry the article of clothing again to get it crisp again.”
You might also want to know these 7 surprising uses for dryer sheets around your home, which might come in handy!
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