I don't know about you, but ironing is one of many household chores I dread. Of course, trying to de-wrinkle your clothes is tough. None of us wants to leave the house looking like we’ve had our clothes shoved in a paper bag and shipped to China and back, but the thought of having to stand there for hours perfecting every crease makes me want to pull out my hair.
If only there was a stress-free way to de-wrinkle your clothes...
We’re all about simplifying our lives here at Expert Home Tips, so in the spirit of quick fixes, I’ve compiled a list to banish wrinkles from your clothes, and all without an iron in sight, hurray!
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1. Use a pot to de-wrinkle your clothes
One of the oldest tricks in the book to de-wrinkle your clothes without an iron is to use your regular metal pot that you’d make your favourite pasta dish in. Make sure the bottom of your pot is squeaky clean, boil water in the pot, then spill it out.
From there, use the bottom of the pot as your iron to run over your clothes. The steam will give you just enough time to de-wrinkle your favourite outfit, Brilliant!
2. The damp towel approach
This is another great, reliable tip. Place your dress or any wrinkled garment on a clean floor or table surface and place a damp towel flat on top of the garment. Using your hands, press down on the towel and smooth out the wrinkled area with your hands. Job done!
3. Try a homemade wrinkle spray to banish wrinkles
I originally thought branded de-wrinkling sprays were a marketing con and that homemade wrinkle sprays were a myth. As it turns out, it is REALLY simple to make your own wrinkle release spray! Here's my favourite DIY de-wrinkling spray from One Good Thing.
4. Hang your clothes in the shower to de-wrinkle clothes in minutes
Another oldy but a goody, this trick has been tried and tested for years and can save you a tonne of time in the morning. Close the windows and doors in your bathroom and hang wrinkled clothes from the shower rod.
Then go about your normal bathroom routine—shower, shave your legs, work on your Taylor Swift impression. Fifteen minutes later, wrinkle-free clothes, fantastic!
Just remember to try and prevent yourself from soaking your clothes in the process...
5. Roll your tops like burritos
This one is my favourite! Another effective way to get wrinkles out of your clothes is to roll your tops as if you were rolling up burritos. Once they're all wrapped up, pop them under your mattress for an hour. This is literally like pressing your clothes.
Note: make sure you roll your clothes. Simply folding them will not work, trust me I tried, the results were very disappointing...
6. Sprinkle some vinegar magic to de-wrinkle your clothes
We love vinegar! Check out our 21 uses for vinegar, some of them might surprise you.
Did you know that standard white vinegar can eradicate wrinkles from your clothes? It’s true! Mist garments with 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, and let it air-dry.
Bonus: It’s super gentle on your threads so there's no need to worry. White vinegar doesn't smell like normal vinegar either.
7. Throw ice cubes in with your drying
This one may seem odd, but it definitely works; both on stubborn carpet dents and de-wrinkling clothes. Throw a wrinkled shirt in the dryer with a couple of ice cubes and run on high heat for a few minutes. The ice will melt and create de-wrinkling steam which will then iron out your clothes nicely in the dryer.
8. Steam those tiny wrinkles with a pot of tea
This method is great for those tiny wrinkles that you can never quite perfect. Boil water in your kettle, then just before you savour that first cup of morning tea (or coffee), hold the spout of the steaming kettle 12 inches away from the wrinkled problem areas. Problem solved!
9. Blow dry your dress to de-wrinkle your clothes immediately
Did you know you can actually blow dry wrinkles out of your clothes with concentrated bursts of hot air? Wow. This works particularly well on dresses with awkward creases. Slightly dampen the wrinkled area on your dress, set the hairdryer on low and blow on the dress 1-2 inches away (to avoid scorching the fabric) until the wrinkles straighten out.
10. Flat iron your shirt collar
Hair straighteners aren't just for hair, who knew? Women used to straighten their hair with an actual iron in the 60s, and now we are flipping it in reverse. Use your flat iron to quickly press your shirt collar or remove small wrinkles in your blouse.
Just be sure to wipe off any product build-up on the plates first and be mindful of temperature settings (cotton = high heat; silk = low heat).
Want more weird and wonderful tips? We've rounded up some of our favourites.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my tips! If you have any inspirational ways to de-wrinkle your clothes, please feel free to share them below.
really??? why I don't know these simple yet awesome tricks?? XD I hate ironing ( and I don't have one) so this post actually will help me a lot. Thank you, Collete J,
Hey Hanna, thanks for the comment. I'm glad you appreciate the tips, I don't actually own an iron either and it's made my life easier so hopefully it will help you too! :)
This is genius!!!
Thanks Alexandra! Glad you like :)
Most of those tips would be more work to complete than use the trusty method of iron and ironing board, maybe a couple of tips would work if you only have a couple of items to deal with. If you have a laundry basket full of items to deal with you could be there for a week.
Hey Jon, yes it's aimed more at those who don't own an iron or only want to de-wrinkle a few pieces of clothing at once :)
Or you could always get the iron and board out. Will take less time than heating saucepans, wasting electricity with the tumble drier. You won't stink of vinegar. Hair straighteners also take time to heat up and don't always have a temperature control (heating element = more electricity wasted). The iron was designed to iron clothes... hey, why not use that instead.
Hey Nina, that's true... This post is more for people who don't own an iron or for in-between big ironing sessions! If you find it easier using an iron, go ahead :)
I have used a steam iron at maximum adjustment but the wrinkles are still there. In fact I don’t know what to do because I like the dress.
Try ironing the dress inside out and use a damp cloth or spray bottle to add moisture to the dress before ironing. If the dress is made of a delicate fabric like silk, consider taking it to a professional cleaner or tailor for specialized care.
When I was in the RAF we used to keep the creases in our trousers by putting them under the mattress at night.
Ahh very interesting Brian! We love old school tips like that :)
To try to do the ironing faster, i took the pot I used for pasta, thought it was a good idea, but in the end - alas, oh dear, I forgot what I had done, believe me it is not much fun, and wrong, in oh, so many ways, eating Sweater Bolognese! :-)
Love this! Thanks for sharing, Deb. I look forward to more :)
Hi, Is the vinegar you use the white distilled type you can buy from the supermarket as you say it doesn't smell like normal vinegar but that does smell pretty strong? Thanks. Love reading your tips.☺️
Hi Katherine, yes I use white distilled vinegar. It does smell pretty strong when you're using it but once it's dry the smell vanishes which is pretty great :) hope this helps! Glad you enjoy our tips, we love writing them too.
Thank you. I have shared this on Twitter.
Thanks for the mention, Carolyn! :)
My best friend's 9 yr. old daughter came out of the spare bedroom one day, holding an iron aloft, and asking "What is this?" to her mom. Without batting an eyelash, my friend says "A doorstop!" lol
Haha thanks for this Rona, it really made me chuckle! Irons are quite hefty hahaha :)
Cool
I always enjoy reading your tips. However, these seem to me to be harder work than using an iron...and using a hot pot is still ironing in a way isn't it? As for vinegar I'd be scared to smell like I work in a chip shop! Thanks anyway for sharing these tips. Could be that one day my iron packs up!
Hi D.Lindsey. I must admit, I see what you mean. I think rather than making life easier, these tips are for when you don't have an iron to hand, or indeed, like you say, your iron breaks. I do, however, think the shower-method is genus and it's helped me make it to work on time many a time!
If you work in a coal mine no one will notice
Going to try no 5 on my work shirts, thanks for the tips. Laughed at Rona's friend quip, thanks for the anecdote Rona.
Hi Lesley. Let us know how you get on! We love that tip. :)
Great Blog Thank You
You're welcome!
Hemm a wedding dress, 7 layers. Use roll hem . it's very wavey. I want it to hang straight down .is there any thing I can do.
Hi Diane! You could add some small weights inside of the hem or try ironing the waviness out with one of the above methods.
1, 2, 4, and 6 didn’t work at all.
Hi Bob! What material are you trying to de-wrinkle? This can have an impact on the effectiveness of the method. Did you find a method that worked in the end?
I spend a little time folding my clothes before tumble drying them. It really works to reduce wrinkles. Sometimes they don’t need ironing at all!
That's interesting, Penny! How do you fold them?
Great one but...... Takes a lot of time
If only we had more of it!
Hi am florie, I really hope this will work my child has to go to school ?????
We hope it helped!