When it comes to clothing while traveling, there are two things I absolutely HATE. They’re huge pet peeves, and those who know me well will know my thought process behind this. I hate stains and wrinkles. Now, while removing stains can be hit or miss depending on what you spilled your once-white shirt, wrinkles are a little more sure-fire as far as removal goes.
For me, packing things in a suitcase and then opening that suitcase up at the hotel always seems to result in my favorite pair of pants looking like they were scrunched up in a can for 10 years. I’ve talked before about Bluffworks, a company that makes essentially wrinkle-free pants. I consider them the most travel-friendly pair of pants I’ve owned, and I now have several pairs, all in different colors. That said, what this doesn’t solve is wrinkles on shirts, sport coats and other non wrinkle resistant clothing.
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There’s a simple trick I’ve learned that actually doesn’t involve hours of ironing, and I use it both at home on the road, and all it takes is a quick trip into your hotel bathroom. Crank the heat up on your shower (make sure the shower is on and not the bath to produce more steam), and let the steam collect for a few minutes. When its nice and hot, hang your wrinkled clothing on a hangar on the door to the shower, on the shower curtain rod, or the towel rack inside the shower, letting all sides of the garment be exposed to the steam. Leave it there for about 10-20 minutes, and you’ll start to see those once-thought permanent wrinkles now removed, or, at the very least, greatly reduced. At this stage, you can either wear the garment as is, or easily iron it into perfection.
This trick is simple, pretty effective, and cost efficient since you don’t need any more materials than you already have in your hotel room, with the exception of an iron to smooth out the finishing touches if you don’t have one.
…But I want a real steamer!
Do you want a real travel steamer you can use to hold over specific wrinkle spots to get rid of wrinkles? Or something you can use to ensure the wrinkles come out of y0ur clothes much faster than putting them in the shower? I use the Gideon Portable Fabric Steamer, which is perfect for travel.
Do you have any other tricks for removing wrinkles while traveling that work for you?
Jamie Larounis is an avid traveler, blogger and miles/points educator. Traveling well over 100,000 miles a year and staying in hotels for over 100 nights, he leverages miles, points and other deals to fly in first class cabins, and stay in 5-star hotels. The Forward Cabin shares his experiences, musings, reviews, tips, tricks, resources and industry news with you, the fellow traveler.
don’t take your spouse with you….
Pack your clothes in the plastic cleaner bags & that will take away many/most of your wrinkles. Works great. A little messy so to speak.
Also… please turn off the water when you have built up steam, or better yet, do it while you are showering to conserve water.
That is such a waste of water. Why not just do it while you’re showering.
Some showers aren’t big enough for that, and though if there is room, sure. It’s also worth planning steaming those clothes when you take a shower too, and not leaving them separate to have to steam later when you aren’t taking a shower. Good points.
I have to say, this is the dumbest post I’ve ever seen. I just asked my 4 year old how to get rid of wrinkles and she knew this.
are you writing posts for people who have:
1. Never traveled.
2. Never experienced a steam iron?
Some people may not know this, though I appreciate your concern.