Don’t you just hate creases?
Take that hot new Cardy you only just bought. All those beautiful pleats and neat, straight cuffs & collars.. It’s part of what we all love about that ‘new clothes’ feeling…while it lasts. But no matter how carefully you sit or move around sometimes it takes only a few hours of wear before inevitably the dreaded wrinkles and rumples appear.
Yes, suddenly you’re rocking ‘off the floor’ better than your neighbour’s teen. Add a few washes, some hurried trips stuffed in your handbag and a couple of sessions in the dryer and that sweet new favourite has transitioned from ‘that new thing’ to ‘saggy old favourite’. Boom.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! Here’s some laundro-magic tips your mum would be proud of, for wrinkle free fashion!
Buy quality
Mum’s always said it: “If you think you’re saving money by splashing cash on some cheap fashion fixes – you’re not!” A wrinkle-free look starts with purchasing a few classic, quality items you can wear multiple ways, rather than half a dozen cheap pieces which are not cut to grain.
Quality items are cut and sewn along the fabric’s natural lines. That means when you wash them, they re-settle back into their natural shape. Cheap clothes are cut to maximise the number of garments made from a piece of fabric. This is disastrous for wrinkles!
When you’re shopping, also check fabric composition and go for items which have a low percentage in artificial fibres, which tend to wrinkle quickly.
Wash carefully
Pour yourself a glass of wine and make a night of it. Give your attention to washing your clothing properly – and your purchases will last so much longer!
Use the half-load feature on your machine: your items will spend less time in the wash, have much more room to move around, and will come out less crumpled to begin with.
Read and follow wash instructions carefully – but unless stated, use warmer water which is much gentler on fabric fibres. If you’ve never seen the point in using fabric softeners, buy some and give it a try. Softeners not only produce supple, more wrinkle-resistant clothing once dry – they work to protect fabric in the wash by reducing stress from pulling and stretching. Some laundry detergents even contain softeners!
Dry even more carefully
Remove clean clothes from the machine and give them a shake before transferring them to the dryer. End the cycle while clothes are still damp, and let them finish drying naturally. Hang tops damp on clothes hangers, lining the shoulder seams up. For pants or jeans, gently smooth the fabric out, pulling the cuffs into shape.
Avoid hanging clothes in direct sun – instead, hang them in a shady area with lots of air flow. Sun-dried clothes become hardened; you will find they produce deep creases which are difficult to remove even with lots of determination and an iron!
Steam before wearing
Steam will revitalise clean clothes which may have been hanging in your wardrobe a while. It will give you a ‘freshly pressed’ look, and produce supple fabric which will resist creasing longer through the day – but we can’t all afford a clothing steamer!
An iron works just as well, but start damp! Lightly mist your clothes with a spray of water before you start; or steam burst with your iron as you go. Your clothes will dry off as you iron and produce a beautiful press.
(Not into ironing? Us either! Throw your item back in the dryer with a cube of ice or a damp towel. Instant steam.. and wrinkle-free!)
Plan ahead
If you know you have a full day of meetings ahead, build your look from items which are thicker or woollen, and avoid wrinkle nightmares such as silk or satin.
Make sure your clothes fit! Don’t try and squeeze into something too small – or get away with wearing something which is too big or incorrectly sized in places, you are only inviting more unwelcome creases!
During the day
One of the most common places for clothes to fold and crease is near your bottom and thighs: so avoid crossing your legs when you are seated. Instead, pull fabric gently to one side as you sit down, and sit with your ankles together.
If you are travelling in the car, preserve your beautifully pressed top by removing jackets or outerwear until you get there. You can also try unbuttoning the bottom button of your shirt and laying it over your seat belt to avoid an unsightly crease!
If you do find yourself all wrinkly on the fly, head to the ladies and wet the affected area with warm water. Gently pull at the fabric back into shape. If all else fails, add a jacket or scarf!
