Avoid Clothes Creasing During Wear

You start from your house in a crisp linen dress, but by the time you reach your destination, you have a crumpled outfit that looks like you grabbed it out of the hamper. Getting wrinkles in trousers, dresses, and dress shirts is a very common problem. It often seems like no matter how well-pressed or ironed your clothes are, it takes only a few hours of wear before they are wrinkled and rumpled. While it can sometimes be unavoidable, there are some preparatory measures you can take to avoid wrinkles.

Steps

Preparing Your Clothes

  1. Wait until your clothes have cooled to wear them. Fabrics most easily crease when they are still damp or warm. Be sure that your clothes are room temperature and completely dry before putting them on.[1]
    • Just as you don't want to put on clothes that are still warm from the dryer, try to avoid getting wet or sweaty during the day. This will cause your clothes to crease.
  2. Iron your clothes properly. Before you wear your clothes, be sure to iron them inside-out, and along the seam lines. This will help minimize the amount of creases that form throughout the day. Be sure to read the clothing labels to determine the proper heat setting for your iron.[1]
  3. Ensure that you are wearing the proper size. Trousers that are too baggy have a tendency to bag and bunch, causing rumples and wrinkles to appear. Trousers that are too tight, on the other hand, have a tendency to pull and buckle which creates a different sort of wrinkle that will reappear every time you wear them. If you are not sure how your trousers should fit, get professional advice from a tailor.[2]
  4. Choose your fabrics wisely. If you know that you have a long meeting that requires you to sit for several hours, do not choose fabrics like silk that crease quickly. Try to choose stiffer fabrics for days that you can't have any creases in your clothing, or will be doing activities that cause creasing.[1]
  5. Purchase wrinkle-resistant fabrics. Cotton clothing will wrinkle more than clothes that have a mix of synthetic fabric in them. A shirt that has 50% polyester and 50% cotton may wrinkle less than a full cotton shirt. When buying clothes, look for tags that say they are wrinkle-resistant, or purchase higher quality clothing. Clothes made of wrinkle resistant fabric are available in a wide variety of colors, styles and cuts, and can be found in both formal and informal styles.[1]
  6. Spray your clothes lightly with starch or fabric finish spray. The product label will give further instructions on how to spray your clothes. These sprays work to increase fabric crispness and support the fabric's ability to hold shape all day.
  7. Invest in a bottle of wrinkle-releasing spray. These products are not as effective as ironing, but they do work to reshape fabrics back to their natural shape. These sprays can also prevent creases from forming throughout the day.

Watching How You Sit

  1. Pull your clothes flat when you sit. One of the most common places for clothes to fold and crease is near your bottom and thighs when you sit. The fabric may get folded and permanently crease after you stand up.[3]
    • For dresses or dress shirts, pull down slightly on the tail when you sit so you are sitting on it flat, as opposed to pressing wrinkles into it with your body.
    • In the car, unbutton the bottom button of your shirt and lay it over the lap belt. This will help prevent creasing along the area where your seat belt rests.
  2. Avoid crossing your legs. If you are in the habit of crossing your legs when you sit, be careful, as it will crease your pants. Just like when you sit, crossing your legs creates small folds in the fabric of your clothes that press down to create creases and wrinkles. Try sitting with your legs uncrossed on days you are avoiding creases.
    • When you are sitting at a desk or table, if space permits, stretch your legs out and keep them outstretched.[2]
  3. Don't put pressure on your clothes. The more contact and pressure your clothing receives, the more it will crease. Try to let your clothing hang loose and not be pressed up against your body by your hands, folded arms, bags, or jacket for long periods of time.
  4. Stand as much as possible. If you are at a party or other event where sitting is not required, stay standing. Sitting is mostly responsible for pant creases in the legs and the seat. If you are able to stand, you will minimize the opportunities for your trousers or dress to wrinkle.[3]

Fixing Creases Quickly

  1. Invest in a bottle of wrinkle-releasing spray. These products are not as effective as ironing, but hanging your garment, spraying it with the product and then using your hands to remove wrinkles can be very effective. A spray bottle filled with fabric softener has pretty much the same effect and would be far less expensive.[3]
  2. Get the crease wet and pull. If you do find yourself with a crease, get it wet with warm water and gently pull at the fabric. This should reshape and release the creased fabric back to the original shape.
  3. Use a blow dryer. Heat helps to release creases. If you find yourself with light creases in your clothing, try to hold a blow dryer to the crease to soften the wrinkle and smooth out the fabric.
    • Hold the blow dryer about ten inches away from the fabric and keep it set on low.
    • Don't hold the blow dryer in the same spot because it may burn the fabric. Instead, wave the blow dryer around from side to side.[3]

Tips

  • There are many products and detergents that keep your clothes stiff.
  • Don't pile up your clothes.
  • Iron your clothes before stepping out.
  • After washing your clothes, iron them and bind them and keep them safe somewhere.
  • Silk outfits don't get crumpled easily, while cotton ones do.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 http://diy.repairclinic.com/2013/05/01/six-ways-to-reduce-wrinkles-and-avoid-ironing/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://classroom.synonym.com/prevent-wrinkles-dress-pants-5783.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 http://laundry.about.com/od/storage/a/No-Time-To-Iron-How-To-Reduce-Laundry-Wrinkles.htm
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