How to Prevent Wrinkles in Cotton Clothes

It's been said a million times--an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is especially true when it comes to preventing wrinkles in cotton clothes. Cotton and other fibers tend to crumple and wrinkle readily if neglected during the wash, but if you pay attention to your laundry and don't let the clothes sit in the washer or dryer, you can prevent wrinkles from developing in cotton clothes so well that you may not need to iron them at all.

Things You'll Need

• White vinegar
• Tennis balls

Instructions

1. Add a cup of white vinegar to the final rinse cycle in the washing machine. Just lift the lid of the machine and pour the vinegar in. This is reputed to assist in keeping the cotton fibers soft and flexible so that wrinkles don't take hold.

2. Take clothes out of the wash immediately after the spin cycle has finished. Shake out each item of cotton clothing as you remove it from the washing machine--this helps prevent wrinkles from developing.

3. Avoid the temptation to cram the clothes dryer full of clothes--this will both slow drying time and cause wrinkles since the clothes can't open up and dry fully. Allow plenty of room for the clothes to move around during the dryer cycle.

4. Add three or four clean tennis balls to the clothes dryer before running it--they will bounce around during the dry cycle and help remove wrinkles from your clothes.

5. Remove clothes from the dryer immediately after the dry cycle has finished. Letting them sit allows wrinkles to set in. Again, shake each item of clothing out as you remove it from the dryer.

6. Smooth each garment with your hand as you fold it. Hanging is even better than folding, but each garment still needs to be smoothed by hand as you hang it.

References

• Men's Flair
• Organic Clothing