laundry

how to avoid ironing

Sound too good to be true? Wrinkling is caused by the combination of heat and pressure. For example, if permanent press fabrics are rinsed in warm water, the spin portion of the cycle applies pressure to the warm fabrics and causes wrinkling. If the same permanent press fabrics are rinsed in cold water, one element of the heat/pressure combination is removed and wrinkling is less.

In another example, when warm clothes in the dryer are allowed to sit at the end of the cycle, the weight of the items can press wrinkles into each other. To help offset this, many dryers offer a longer cool-down (no-heat) period at the end of the Permanent Press cycle to help ensure the clothes are cooled down before the dryer stops. It is also important to remove the items immediately at the end of the cycle.

Fabrics made from natural fibres such as cotton or linen have greater tendency to wrinkle during normal wear and laundering. Even after proper laundering, ironing is usually needed for these fabrics. (Sorry!)

The prevention of wrinkling begins by removing the heat/pressure combination from the laundry process. For wrinkle-free laundering results, we recommend the following:

In The Washer

• Use a Permanent Press cycle, especially if washing in hot water. Permanent Press cycles are designed to minimize wrinkles.

• Load a top load washer loosely with dry, unfolded clothes up to the top row of holes in the washtub for a maximum load. Too many items in the wash load will prevent free circulation in the washer and will cause wrinkling. For a front load washer, do not pack the tub tightly. The tub can, however, be packed completely full.

• Always use at least the Medium water level when washing permanent press and manufactured fibres. These items must have room to circulate freely in the washtub.

• Avoid laundering heavy permanent press items such as work clothes and heavy pants or jackets with lighter permanent press items such as shirts or blouses. The weight of the heavier items can press wrinkles into the other items in the load.

• Use a rinse-added fabric softener such as Downy to make fabrics smooth and reduce wrinkling.

• Avoid using the "Max Extract" option for Easy Care/Perm Press clothing with a front load washer. The extended length of time at high spin speed may cause wrinkles to form.

In The Dryer

• Always use the Permanent Press cycle. This cycle provides a longer cool-down period to cool the fabrics before they stop tumbling.

• Use the proper temperature and dryness setting and avoid over drying. Excess heat can result in wrinkled fabrics.

• Be sure to remove fabrics from the dryer immediately when the tumbling stops. Otherwise wrinkles can occur from the weight of the clothes lying on top of each other.

• Dry only a single washer load. We do not recommend combining loads for drying as this will overload the dryer and result in uneven drying and wrinkling.

• If only one or two items are being dried, add a few similar items to ensure proper tumbling.

• If an item has heat-set wrinkles from laundering, it will need to be ironed to restore a smooth surface.

• If all the recommendations are followed and wrinkling still occurs, it is possible the permanent press or wrinkle release finish on the fabric has deteriorated due to normal wear and ironing will be necessary.