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De-wrinkle delicate silk items with an iron, handheld steamer, shower steam, & more
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Silk clothing items are elegant and luxurious, but this delicate fabric tends to wrinkle and crease. That's why we’ve compiled a complete guide on how to de-wrinkle silk clothing, with or without an iron. Keep reading for everything you need to know to get your silk items looking pressed and polished!
Can You Iron Silk?
Yes, you can iron silk. Spray the silk garment with water until it is damp, then turn it inside out and lay it on your ironing board. Lay a towel or T-shirt over the item to protect the delicate fabric. Turn your iron onto the lowest heat setting and run the iron over the towel until you’ve removed all of the wrinkles.
Steps
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Spritz the silk with water. Before starting to iron the item, fill a spray bottle with water and spray the silk until it's completely damp. If you don’t have a spray bottle, soak the item in a tub of lukewarm water, then gently squeeze out the excess water. [1] X Research source- If you want to wash your silk item before removing the wrinkles, place it into your washing machine on the delicate cycle, and follow any other care instructions on the item’s label.
- After the item is clean but still damp, proceed with ironing to remove the wrinkles.
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Switch on your iron and turn the silk item inside out. Turn on your iron and set it to the lowest setting. To protect the outside of the item from potential damage, turn it inside out before you iron it. [2] X Research source Make sure to unbutton the item if it’s a button-down shirt, so you’ll be able to lay it completely flat.- Some irons have a delicate or silk setting. If your iron has one of these special settings, go ahead and use it!
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Place the silk item on the ironing board and lay a towel over it. Smooth it out as best you can to ensure that the item is in one flat layer on the board. Put a thin towel, cloth, or T-shirt over the silk item to protect it from the iron. [3] X Research source
- If you are ironing a shirt that you cannot unbutton, slip the bottom of the shirt over the end of the ironing board, so that the fabric will be in one layer. When you’re done ironing that side, you’ll rotate the item to iron the other one.
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Iron the silk using the lowest setting. Slowly run the iron over the towel that you’ve placed on top of the silk item. This will smooth out the wrinkles in the silk underneath. Go over the towel with the iron until you have covered the entire surface area, and be careful not to rest the iron on any single area for more than 5 seconds—this could damage the delicate silk. -
Lift the towel and shift the fabric to iron a different area. After you have fully covered one side of the item, set down the iron, lift up the towel, and move a new section of the silk fabric onto the ironing board. Then, place the towel on top of the fabric again and continue to iron it.
- Repeat this until you have ironed the entire garment.
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Turn the item right-side out and hang it up to dry. Place the silk item onto a drying rack, or place it on a hanger in your closet. You can also hang it up on a clothesline outside if you want to speed up the drying process.- The item is ready to wear when it is completely dry.
- If you still notice some wrinkles in the silk after the item is dry, you can repeat the process or try another option to remove them.
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Hang the silk item on a hanger in your bathroom. Place your silk item on a hanger. Then, hang it on the back of your bathroom door or on a towel rack.- Make sure that the silk item isn’t bent or folded in a strange way while it’s hanging—this could create more creases!
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Take a shower or run the hot water for a few minutes. Close the bathroom door and any windows in the bathroom to keep the steam in. Then, take a shower as you normally would. If you don't want to shower, turn on the water as hot as it will go, and let it run for about 3 to 5 minutes to fill up the bathroom with steam. [4] X Research source- Don’t turn on the fan either! This will suck the steam out of the bathroom.
- If your item has a lot of stubborn wrinkles, you may need to run the hot water for a bit longer (up to 20 minutes). [5] X Research source
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Transfer the silk item to a closet and let it dry overnight. After you finish your shower, take the item to your closet or any hook located outside of the bathroom. Hang it up until it is no longer damp. The moisture from the steam will help to add weight to the item, which will gently smooth out the wrinkles as it dries. [6] X Research source- If the item still appears wrinkled after steaming it, you may need to use a handheld steamer or try a different option to remove the wrinkles.
- If you live in a hot, humid climate, you can even try hanging the silk item up outside for a few hours or all day. The moisture in the air and the heat should be enough to work out the wrinkles in your item.
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Turn the item inside out to protect the delicate fabric from the hair dryer. Then, place the item on a hanger and hang it on a hook, towel rack, or even on your shower curtain rod.
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Use a spray bottle to spritz any wrinkles on the item with water. Fill a spray bottle with plain, lukewarm water, then spritz the wrinkled areas until they are thoroughly damp. [9] X Research source Don’t worry about wetting areas that aren’t wrinkled.
- If the item is only slightly wrinkled, you don't need to use much water. For heavy or deep wrinkles, however, you’ll need to spray the areas until they are completely saturated and wet.
- If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can also dip the wrinkled areas into lukewarm water or hold them under running lukewarm water to moisten them.
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Aim the nozzle of a hair dryer on the cool setting at the wrinkles. Switch on a hair dryer and turn it to the lowest setting. Then, pull the garment taut and aim the nozzle of the hair dryer at the wrinkled area. [10] X Research source Move the hair dryer back and forth over the area until it is completely dry and the wrinkles are gone.
- Make sure not to keep the dryer aimed at one section for too long. Move the hairdryer back and forth over the area for about 15 to 20 seconds, and then move on to a different one.
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Repeat this process on each damp area until all the wrinkles are gone. After you get one section dry, move onto the next section. Move the dryer back and forth over it until the wrinkles smooth out. Keep working methodically through one section at a time until all of the wrinkles are gone and the item is dry.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionCan you get wrinkles out of silk by putting it in the dryer?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerYes, as long as your dryer has a “No Heat” or “Air Fluff” setting. Gently tumble your silk item(s) and check on them occasionally to see if they’re wrinkle-free.
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QuestionDoes silk wrinkle easily?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerSilk does not wrinkle as easily as many other fabrics, but it can still get creases from being folded or when it gets wet.
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QuestionDoes silk shrink when washed?This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.wikiHow Staff EditorStaff AnswerYes, silk will shrink in water or when it’s exposed to heat, so you could also shrink it if you put it in the dryer on a high-heat setting.
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References
- ↑ https://www.cleanipedia.com/za/clothing-care/how-to-iron-silk-clothing-without-ruining-it.html
- ↑ https://www.cleanipedia.com/za/laundry/how-to-care-for-your-silk-fabrics.html
- ↑ https://www.cleanipedia.com/za/laundry/how-to-care-for-your-silk-fabrics.html
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/how-to-get-wrinkles-out-without-an-iron-7566886
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/how-to-get-wrinkles-out-without-an-iron-7566886
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/how-to-get-wrinkles-out-without-an-iron-7566886
- ↑ https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/house-and-home/household-advice/a46421548/how-to-use-a-clothes-steamer/
- ↑ https://www.bhg.com/how-to-get-wrinkles-out-without-an-iron-7566886
- ↑ https://www.cleanipedia.com/za/clothing-care/how-to-iron-silk-clothing-without-ruining-it.html
About This Article
Article Summary
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To get wrinkles out of your silk, you can either iron it or use a hairdryer. Whichever method you use, start by turning your silk inside out and spraying it with water. If you’re ironing your fabric, place a thin towel, cloth, or t-shirt over the item and iron it on the lowest setting to protect your silk from the heat. To use a hairdryer, hang your silk up inside out and turn your hairdryer on the coolest setting. Move it slowly back and forth over your silk until the wrinkles are gone. For more tips, including how to steam out the wrinkles from your silk, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I was afraid the steam would stain the fabric, but after turning the dress inside out and hanging it in the bathroom with the steam from a hot shower, I worked beautifully. The dress looks great." ..." more
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"I was afraid the steam would stain the fabric, but after turning the dress inside out and hanging it in the bathroom with the steam from a hot shower, I worked beautifully. The dress looks great."
..."
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