Wrinkle depletion

Forums: Fashion, Clothing, Wrinkles, Removing Clothing Wrinkles, Laundry
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So, I'm unpacking some of the last of my stored boxes. I'm finding a lot of treasures - it's basically a nice process.

However... I used a lot of my clothes to cushion various items, and, in consequence, I have now a vast supply of wrinkley clothes. I despise ironing, and had tossed the ironing board when moving. Usually I use the quick-out-of-the-dryer method, or the rinse-under-the-shower-head method of de-wrinkling.

But... I have some crumply jackets. One, a nice thick velvet... another, a cool wool jacket from Japan, and some other items, for example, my old thrift store gabardine trench coat....

I could rack up quite a cleaner's bill, given the number of pieces in the wrinkled pile, when the items are already clean.

I hesitate to point steam at wool or velvet...

any ideas???

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In new mexico with the dry heat, I would spray my clothes lightly with war water from a clean spray bottle and hang it in the bathroom while I was showering and leave it there with the door closed for the rest of the day.

Not outside of the bathroom mind you , because the dry air will suck up the water before it can make a diffrence.

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Even wool?

I've already got the "guest bathroom" toilet seat cover piled two feet high for the shower routine...

but it's the wool and water I worry about.

So, did I ever tell you about the time I washed the crepe blouse in the bathtub? Serious crepe - I forget what that used to be made of, but the label said, do not wash. Eh! So I washed it. Before my very eyes, it turned from a then-svelte woman's elegant blouse to just the right item for a doll's wardrobe. Perhaps thirty seconds....

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What is the jacket lined with? That's always the deciding factor for me as to whether I'll try to machine wash a wool jacket.

I steam or machine wash (cold/delicate) everything. Except vintage rayon.

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I think shewolf is right, though if you have a steam iron that lets you hold it upright while steadly spraying steam, that might be quicker. The actually sell separate steamers for this, but that's an expense I could live without.

And both bits of advice are okay with wool.

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Would it work on my face?

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Depends on the wool. I washed a mohair and wool vest I knit, loved that vest, and rued the day, and only washed it in lukewarm water, as I remember. I still have it, it would fit a skinny model, and possibly could be blocked to original size. Think moderate frizzle.

I have a hand steamer for travelers, that I got at a travel store. (Oh, god, that was what I was meant to do with my life, have a travel store.) Anyway, I tried it once and it wasn't amazingly effective - but on the other hand, I've just unpacked it.

I've also thought of clamping weights...

I tell ya, I hate ironing.

ehBeth, off to look at lining...

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If you've got a travel steamer you're way ahead of the game. Just make sure to run a vinegar/water rinse through it at least once before you get going - you don't want any water droplets marring the finished product.

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Looked at the japanese jacket (so cool) - Tohbla for Tokyo-blouse - only clue, wool 100%. Can't tell about the lining, probably rayon.
I've already had it hanging on the shower rod for a month... no change in the wrinkles.

George, I advise not to steam your face, unless in a proper sauna....
which doesn't appeal to me here, right now, but could be a way for all of us to meet in Sweden someday (searches for Swedish travel websites...).

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Thanks, ehBeth. I'll do that -

droplets from north north are apt to be pure as the driven snow, whereas droplets from here, don't get me started.

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Have you tried "Dryel"?

http://www.dryel.com/

I used to use that with limited results -- it wasn't good for stains and such and but for wrinkles it might be worth a try.

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No, Boomer, I'm a nincompoop re products. I've never tried Fabric Softener (whaaaat?), for example.

Kara told us about Oxy Clean, years ago now, and I use that on occasion, and usually your basic save the planet expensive wash/stuff - though I'm spare on amounts. (I'm not six! being six would entail more considered choices....)

I'll check it out.

I think I'll start slow, with the steam thing on some cotton...

This might entail some music and a book to read.

On the other hand, I just refuse to buy one of those super sturdy wonderful ironing boards.

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ossobuco wrote:

On the other hand, I just refuse to buy one of those super sturdy wonderful ironing boards.

Pretend you're back in your first apartment, osso -- a couple of big thirsty towels laid out on a sturdy table for a makeshift ironing board.

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The only things I've known the lady Diane to iron are bed sheets (?) and she irons them on the bed. I'm pretty sure somewhere around the house is an ironing board.

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Growls....

I

don't

want

an

ironing

board,

dammit.

I want vapor and gravity to remove the creases.

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Boomerang beat me to it. Dryel. Just what I was going to suggest. It doesn't replace dry cleaning for soiled items, IMO, but we use it all the time for those items that are dry clean, only, and require either "de-wrinkling" or freshening up. Once you have the basic kit, just buy the refills.

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All this reminds me of two people. My husband worked with a director who wore very wrinkled shirts, no big deal. They were ok shirts, they were clean.

My hub and I saw his brother and girlfriend, a structural engineer, off on a romantic trip to italy, she in a wrinkled rayon dress. I was nonplussed, but, years later, it makes me more interested in her. She was very sharp, and my niece liked her, no small thing.

Our cultural fright of wrinkles is a whole subject.

Hmmm, maybe I should work on that.

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And ... no ironing board required.

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I stared at the velvet jacket. This is no ordinary velvet jacket. Anyway, the label is Lew Ritter, Los Angeles. Thinking a short term firm, but high end at the time.

I dunno, I'm just going to let this jacket alone. Besides, if I lose ten pounds, I can button it. (It's a men's jacket, that never stopped me....)

(In case I haven't mentioned it recently, most of my treasures, not all, are from one particular Salvation Army store. I'm good at culling.... call me 'eagle eye'.

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Another vote for Dryel. Back when I was Ms. Professional my wardrobe had a whole lot of dry-clean-only items. I'd Dryel 'em 2-3 times between actual dry cleaner visits. Freshened, dewrinklefied.

Very simple. Just a bag, a sheet of stuff impregnated with... stuff, and a dryer.

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Wrinkle depletion

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