5 Smart Packing Tips for Wrinkle Free Clothing
Whether for work or for pleasure, at some point, you’ll find yourself traveling away from home. Regardless of the reason, if you leave your house overnight, you will inevitably be packing a bag full of clothes. If you aren’t careful, you’ll end up at your destination with a pile full of wrinkled clothes.
Smart packing can help you avoid that fate. Here are several tips for packing your clothes so that you have clean, wrinkle-free clothes on your trip.
Pack a Portable Steamer
Even with the best packing process in the world, some day you’re going to show up at your destination with wrinkled clothing. Here are a few circumstances out of your control that lead to wrinkled clothing:
- TSA randomly scans your bag while you’re on the plane. Needless to say, they don’t take the same care when they re-pack your bag as you probably did. End result: wrinkled clothing when you open your bag
- Adverse weather while traveling leads to your bag getting wet, perhaps during a rainstorm while your bag is being loaded onto the plane, or in transit while you are driving. Moisture both creates and removes wrinkles, and in this case, might lead to the former.
- Time crunches or unexpected change in plans can lead you to hastily root through your bag, or an unplanned unpack and repack. Given the chance of missing your flight, you might be forced to let go of that expert packing job, and the unfortunate consequence can end up being wrinkly clothes.
These are just a few of the circumstances that can lead to problems, regardless of how well you pack. Bringing a portable steamer on your trip means you can counteract that and guarantee you have pristine clothing wherever you go.
Fold Your Clothes Properly
Proper folding techniques lead to wrinkle free shirts and pants upon arrival. In general, you want the most seen portion of your clothing devoid of having a fold. In other words, don’t fold the front of your shirt, or the broad section of your pants.
Start by folding the sleeves behind the front portion of your shirt, and follow up with folds that keep the front portion and collar free of folds.
For pants, fold along the seams, instead of creating a crease down the center of your pant leg.
Proper folding leaves you with less ironing or steaming work upon arrival.
photo TheAndrasBarta Pixabay
Try Rolling Your Clothes
If you’re not much for folding, you can try rolling your clothing when packing. Rolling is different than packing because you don’t create crease marks from folds. Rolling also can be more compact, actually allowing you to fit more in your bag.
Start with your shirts and pants fully buttoned. Follow the folding process for the sleeves, and then roll the shirt length-wise.
For pants, simply fold them once across the crotch, and then roll.
Most experienced travelers prefer to roll their clothes rather than fold it. Give it a try and see what you think.
Bring a De-wrinkling Spray
Yes, it exists, and it is amazing. A simple spray that you bring can be applied to your clothing, and it will help get rid of wrinkles.
This spray is best used in conjunction with proper folding and/or rolling. It isn’t a cure-all; rather, it is best used to work out any minor wrinkles that might have formed along the packing creases.
What’s nice is that the spray typically comes in small, easy-to-pack, spray containers. Simply spray while your clothing is spread out, and then work the fabric around until the wrinkle comes out.
Use Wrinkle-resistant clothing
Plenty of clothing companies make wrinkle-free clothing, whether for business attire or pleasure. Investing a line of these clothes can significantly reduce the packing and ironing burden your trip has.
For starters, these clothes aren’t miracle workers. Even though they often claim to be wrinkle free, they do still wrinkle… just not as much, and not as easily. You will still want to properly pack, but this will make it easier and more effective.
These clothing lines are typically a little bit more expensive, but there are a wide variety of options nowadays for you to choose from. You can try only buying one or two options and then mix and match with sweaters and jackets to keep your wardrobe fresh without breaking the bank.
Conclusion
Don’t fall victim to showing up on your travel with a wrinkled set of clothes. While understandable, there are easy ways to pack so that you don’t have to worry about wrinkled clothing. Learn how to properly roll and fold your clothes, and bring along a portable steamer and de-wrinkling spray to help out once you arrive. If you want, pick up a few wrinkle-free clothing options to make your life even easier.
Author: Allen Michael
John C. McGinley
These are all great suggestions but I’d also consider adding Packbands to secure your rolled clothing. It’s easier to pack and unpack, clothes stay rolled and unwrinkled.