Seeing as my housemates sadly have no interest in getting a weekly cleaner, I find myself vacuuming, mopping and wiping down my flat. It’s far from how I’d like to spend part of my precious weekend. But I draw the line when it comes to wasting any more time with the ironing.
This does not, however, mean I have abandoned the pursuit of crease-free clothes. It simply means I occasionally prefer to pay a small amount to leave that in the hands of an expert – aka my drycleaner. Not only are they better at it (the last time I ironed, the board collapsed over my feet, and I was left standing, shocked, iron still in hand mid-stroke), it also means I can enjoy my free time.
But due to other occasions, I’ve become quite the expert on how to remove wrinkles from clothes without going near an iron or ironing board. Particularly handy when on the road, so read and learn:
Hair dryers, not just for hair
Starting with the simplest method, remove wrinkles by hanging your item and blow-drying it from a distance of two to five centimetres.
Don’t say it, spray it
Like above, hang the offending item of clothing in an open area and, standing approximately 30cm away, lightly mist the garment with water using a spray bottle. As the item dries, the creases will start to vanish – voilà!
Dampen your day
Using the same theory as above, a damp towel works because the clothing dries without the wrinkles. Simply lay your item on a flat surface before putting a damp cloth, towel or paper towel over it. Press down and smooth out the wrinkled area and then leave to dry.
Make the most of your shower
This is not exactly the quickest method, but before getting in the shower, make sure all windows and doors are closed, and do not turn the fan on. Hang your creased clothing on the shower rod and adjust the showerhead to ensure your clothes won’t get wet – this is clearly a key step! Shower as normal, the longer the better (make sure it’s hair washing day). By the time you’re done, the steam should have worked its magic in dislodging those wrinkles.
Keep calm and kettle on
Similar to the shower method but arguably quicker, using the steam from your kettle will work for smaller, lighter wrinkles. Just boil your kettle and then hold your hanging item approximately 30cm away from the spout until the creases cease to exist.
Alternatively, you can opt to only buy fabrics that don’t crease or weren’t designed to look pressed – all linen maybe?
Do you know of any other ways to avoid ironing? Or, perhaps, success or disaster stories from using the above methods? We’d love to hear them in the comments below.
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