Most people hate ironing--it’s boring, time-consuming, and it never seems to end. You can reduce or even completely eliminate the time you spend ironing by trying a few simple approaches. Using your washer and dryer correctly, taking advantage of steam power, and even rethinking whether or not you even need to iron something will all help you reduce the time you spend at the ironing board!
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Caring for Your Clothes
-
Iron the essentials only. Instead of ironing everything, try only ironing your actual clothes. Things like underwear, bedding, and towels may never need to be ironed. Go through your ironing pile and remove anything that isn't wrinkled clothes. [1] X Research source
-
Buy clothes in synthetic or blended fabrics. As you outgrow clothes, replace them with wrinkle-free or wrinkle-resistant fabrics. Try clothes made from synthetic materials, jersey, or cotton-poly blends. [2] X Research source
- Natural fabrics like cotton, linen, and silk tend to wrinkle much more easily. Avoid these if you want to lessen your ironing!
Advertisement -
Store your clothes neatly. Many clothes become wrinkled because they were stuffed into overfilled drawers or closets, or thrown on the floor. Keep your clothes storage neat and organized to prevent clothes from bunching up and getting wrinkled. If necessary, get rid of clothes you no longer wear to make room.
-
Avoid overloading your washer and dryer. Forcing too many clothes into the washer or dryer presses them together, putting pressure on the garments and creating wrinkles that the dryer can’t remove. Read the manual to determine the ideal load before you start doing laundry. [3] X Research source
-
Separate light and heavy clothes in the washing machine. Wash and dry heavy clothes like jeans and jackets together instead of mixing them with lighter clothes. Tank tops, light dresses, and button-up shirts are much lighter and can have wrinkles pressed into them by heavier garments lying on top of them.
-
Use the dryer’s permanent press setting. The permanent press setting uses less heat to dry clothes evenly and prevent creasing. Keep your dryer set to permanent press and use it every time you do laundry.
-
Fold or hang up clothes immediately after drying them. The fastest way to reduce your ironing time is to put your clothes away as soon as they come out of the dryer. This prevents them from settling and wrinkling in the dryer or in the basket. Set a timer to make sure you’re able to take them out and fold or hang them up immediately. [4] X Research sourceAdvertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:
Removing Wrinkles Quickly with the Dryer
-
Put the item and a damp washcloth in the dryer. If you have one article of clothing that needs to be ironed, you can often get the wrinkles out in the dryer instead. Take a damp washcloth and put it and your item in the dryer. [5] X Research source
-
Set the dryer to permanent press. Don't use the "normal" setting on your dryer. Always use the permanent press setting if you want to use your dryer to remove wrinkles. Check the settings before you start the cycle. [6] X Research source
-
Remove the item after 10-20 minutes. Too much heat for too long can set creases, so be sure to pull your item out of the dryer after about 10-20 minutes. Fold it, hang it up, or put it on right away. [7] X Research sourceAdvertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:
Getting Rid of Wrinkles with Steam
-
Buy a garment steamer. If you have a few items that always need to be ironed, try buying a garment steamer. Steaming takes about a quarter of the time ironing does and is a great option for large or special items that need to be pressed.
-
Fill the steamer and turn it on. Garment steamers have different water capacities depending on their size, so check your steamer's instructions before filling it. Don't fill it up beyond the maximum fill level--this can cause a leak that can damage your steamer.
-
Put the item on a hanger. Get a hanger and put the item that needs to be ironed on it so that it's hanging upright. Most hangers will be fine, but avoid using hangers made of wood or that have cloth coverings--steam and water can damage them or leave marks on your clothes. If you're trying to steam curtains, leave them on the rod. [8] X Research source
- You can use a garment rack, door sill, curtain rod, or anything that gets your item hanging vertically. Don't try to steam garments that are lying flat--you'll just get them wet!
- Check your label to be sure the item can be steam-cleaned before starting.
-
Hold the steamer head up to the wrinkles. Gently run the steamer head across the wrinkled areas until there are none left. Don't press it too hard against the garment--just hold it against the fabric and gently move it downward.
-
Hang your clothes in the shower. You can hang up clothes on the shower bar to steam while you're taking a hot shower. This is less effective than using a steamer or dryer, but you'll be able to get some wrinkles out. [9] X Research sourceAdvertisement
Expert Q&A
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Tips
- Be aware that wrinkle-free clothing loses its permanent press or wrinkle-free finish with repeated washing and use over time.Thanks
- Adding a tennis ball or dryer ball to your dryer can help keep the clothes separated and wrinkle-free during your cycle.Thanks
- If you live with others, ask them to help with laundry duties to decrease your ironing load.Thanks
Advertisement
Warnings
- Keep small children away from irons or steamers in use. Keep cords on irons tucked away during storage and use, so that children and pets can't pull an iron down.Thanks
Advertisement
References
- ↑ http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/how-to-avoid-ironing/
- ↑ http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/how-to-avoid-ironing/
- ↑ http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/how-to-avoid-ironing/
- ↑ http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/how-to-avoid-ironing/
- ↑ http://www.homestolove.com.au/how-to-avoid-ironing-for-good-3519
- ↑ http://www.mamaslaundrytalk.com/how-to-avoid-ironing/
- ↑ http://www.homestolove.com.au/how-to-avoid-ironing-for-good-3519
- ↑ http://laundry.reviewed.com/news/6-ways-to-iron-your-clothes-without-an-iron
- ↑ http://laundry.reviewed.com/news/6-ways-to-iron-your-clothes-without-an-iron
About this article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 154,052 times.
Advertisement
81%
of readers found this article helpful
.
Click a star to add your vote
% of people told us that this article helped them.
"I wash clothes and I want no wrinkles. It gave no wrinkles. Good. "
