Packing So You Don’t Need to Iron

Let’s be honest – Ironing is a chore, It is something I detest doing at home never mind on holiday or a business trip. To some of you, wrinkle free packing may sound like a myth, and if I’m honest I would say it is impossible to get 100% wrinkle free.

However if you follow the tips laid out in this article you will arrive at your destination with very few light creases and many of your garments will be ready to wear.

Before You Start

Like most things in life, when packing, preparation is everything. Aim to pack just enough, if you pack too much then you will increase friction, which is essentially what causes your clothes to crease… pack too little and you leave too much space for your clothes to move around in transit, again this increases the friction and causes your clothes to crease. So, be sure to choose the right size case and pack until you have a snug fit.

Secondly, do not pack immediately after ironing. It may seem like a good idea to pack your things after ironing them, but this is not the case. Freshly ironed clothes will crease quickly, so leave them overnight before folding and packing them away.

Pack your heavy items in the middle of your bag, remember that baggage handlers don’t know or care, which way up your bag should be, so be sure to be well balanced when packing your case.

Avoid Ironing by Rolling Up

If I could only provide you with one piece of advice here it would be to roll and not fold your clothes. Folding by its very definition is putting a crease in your clothes. Rolling also helps when your luggage is in transit. It allows your clothes to move around easily without creasing as well as creating more space in your suitcase – bonus.

Another bonus is that rolling couldn’t be simpler. All you need to do is lay your item of clothing flat, fold any sleeves in at the seam and then simply roll up your clothing into a cylinder type shape. Try to roll and pack them tightly to prevent them from moving around too much.

Folding Clothes into Bags to Avoid Ironing

Bags

I’ve already mentioned that friction is a major contributor to creases, so, reducing friction will reduce creases. Plastic dramatically reduces friction. Think dry cleaning bags, if you pack away each item or each outfit into a dry cleaning bag you will arrive at your destination with pretty much crease free clothing because in transit the bags slide around rather than rubbing against each other which causes crumpling.

If you want to take this one step further then look at getting some compression bags. Compressing your clothing keeps it from moving around in the bag, which means it is almost impossible to be creased, the bags can slide around but the clothes inside won’t move. On top of this, compressing your luggage will help you save so much space, meaning you can pack more or pack smarter with a smaller case.

Packing cubes, which separate your luggage can also help – though in conjunction with the other ideas.

On Arrival

I highlighted at the beginning of this article that no matter what you do you should always be prepared for a few creases. It is just one of them things, but you can do a few things as soon as you arrive to help with this.

First up you should unpack as soon as you arrive and hang all your clothes in the wardrobe, this will ensure any light creases fall out.

If you notice any items that are a little more creased than others then hang these in the bathroom, crank the shower on full and close the door behind you. Go back 10 minutes later and you should see virtually crease free clothing (once the steam wears off).

Speaking of steam, for those of you that want perfection then you will more than likely need to buy a travel steamer or iron. These are now reasonably priced and are very compact. If you wear a lot of dress shirts or just simply won’t put up with any creases then these are well worth the investment.

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