If you have wrinkles in your clothes, but no iron, don’t worry. We have a few easy ways to remove wrinkles without an iron, like adding ice to the dryer and using wrinkle spray.
For more help, check out all of our posts about laundry.
We’ve all done it. You wash a load of laundry, put it in the dryer … and then something happens. A friend calls to see if you can run an errand with her. Or you run to the grocery store for the thing you forgot for dinner, come home, start cooking, and completely forget about the laundry.
Next thing you know, it’s bedtime so you lay down, and then remember the laundry that has been sitting in the dryer for hours. You don’t want to get up to fold it and, even if you do, it’ll be wrinkled.
And then that leaves the dreaded iron. You have to pull out the ironing board, find the iron, fill it with water (or empty it, depending on what the tags say), and spend more time ironing than you would rewashing it all.
But you don’t really want to rewash and start over. So where does that leave you? It leaves you at this post. I have a secret. Come closer. Closer. Closer. I know how to get wrinkles out of clothes without ironing.
Since you can’t fold your clothes when they’re wrinkled, you might as well spend that time cleaning the laundry room. Find the ten things you forget to clean in the laundry room and make sure you clean those in our post.
How To Remove Wrinkles Without An Iron
Affiliate links are included in this post and Drugstore Divas may make a small commission if you use them.
Add Ice Cubes To The Dryer
Toss a few ice cubes into the dryer with your dry clothes. Run the dryer on a normal cycle.
You’ll hear a little clunking of the ice against the dryer walls, but that’s nothing to worry about. The heat in the dryer will melt the ice, creating steam that will help de-wrinkle the clothes.
When the cycle is over, take out the clothes and fold them.
Put a damp towel in the dryer
If your kitchen and laundry room are on different floors and you don’t want to go up or down to get ice, you can simply throw in a slightly damp towel in with the wrinkled clothes.
This actually works a little better for us, personally, because our laundry room and two bathrooms are on the second floor while the kitchen is on the first floor.
Use a steamer
If you have a hand steamer, its sole purpose is to remove wrinkles.
Hang your clothes, run the steamer over it, and then leave it hanging for a couple minutes. It’ll remove the wrinkles quickly.
If you’re in a hotel, there may be one in your room. Just quickly look up directions if you’ve never used one before (but they’re pretty simple to use).
Take a hot shower
If you’re in a hotel where there’s no dryer access, but you realized the outfit you brought for dinner is wrinkled, there’s an easy solution.
Hang your clothes in the bathroom on a towel hook while you’re taking a hot shower with the door closed. This allows steam to build and release the fibers in the fabric, which is what causes the wrinkles.
This is best for light wrinkles and thinner fabrics, like dress shirts and thin dresses. It doesn’t work that great for thicker fabrics like linen and heavy cotton.
Use a hair dryer
If you’re in a hotel but don’t have time for a shower, look in the bathroom for the hotel room’s hair dryer. That’s usually one of the hotel’s amenities.
Lightly dampen the fabric with water and blow dry the wrinkles out.
This can take a little bit of time, so it’s not something that will work at the last minute as you’re running out the door. But it’s good if you have a little time.
Use a damp washcloth
If you’re away at college in a dorm room and don’t have easy access to a dryer (plus, those usually cost money) and don’t own a hair dryer, grab a washcloth.
Run it under water, then place your clothing on a clean, flat surface like your mattress or desk.
Stretch the fabric flat, rub the damp washcloth over it, then let it air dry. Air drying does take a while, so this isn’t the fastest method, but it’ll get the job done.
Use wrinkle-release spray
If you have light wrinkles in your clothes, you can use a wrinkle-release spray on them.
Shake the spray, then lightly spritz the fabric (you want it damp, not soaked), then gently pull at the fabric to stretch the fibers to get the wrinkles out. You can also give it a good shake, too.
Then, hang it up until you’re ready to wear it.
Use a flat iron on collars and hems
If your dress shirt is mostly fine, but a wrinkled collar is a problem, grab your flat iron. Heat it, just as you would if you were straightening your hair, and rub it on your shirt’s collar to get the wrinkle out.
This will also work on the hem of your pants as well.
For your safety, you don’t want the flat iron to be on low/medium heat and you don’t want to linger too long on the fabric so you avoid potentially burning it.
Hang your clothes
Folding your clothes can put wrinkles in them. So, instead, hang your clothes.
Gravity will stretch the fabric, which takes out the wrinkles.
If you’re trying to hang a wrinkled shirt and get all the wrinkles out, you might not achieve that. But, for light wrinkles or for clothes you don’t want to wrinkle, try hanging them.
Remove Wrinkles Without Ironing: Frequently Asked Questions
The fastest method is adding either ice cubes or a damp towel to a dryer full of clothes. These methods create steam quickly and only take about 15 minutes total.
Remember to fold the clothing right away. If it sits in the dryer, new wrinkles will form.
If you’re traveling and staying at a hotel, we suggest taking a hot shower or using the hair dryer method.
Which of these methods to remove wrinkles without an iron do you use the most? Let us know in the comments.
Sandra Garth
Wednesday 12th of April 2017
This is a life saver! Thank you for sharing with us this week at Celebrate Your Story, have a great week and have a Happy Holiday.
Julie
Wednesday 12th of April 2017
Great tip, I'm not a fan of ironing so I'll give it a try.
Barrie Bismark
Tuesday 11th of April 2017
Great tip! I hate ironing. I always forget the clothes in the dryer, too.
Janet Vinyard
Tuesday 11th of April 2017
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing it! It won't be long before I'll have a chance to try it! :-) Blessings, Janet
Nikki Gwin
Tuesday 11th of April 2017
Well, thats a neat tip that I've never heard! I will certainly be giving this a try. I will have multiple opportunities to test it I am sure. :) gwingal