Buzz
Linen garments provide excellent advantages, particularly for keeping you cool in warm climates, but they are prone to wrinkling when packed for travel. The key challenge in packing linen is minimizing these wrinkles. To achieve this, try hanging your clothes, using plastic bags, or lining them with tissue paper. Additional strategies include packing only in hard-shell suitcases, minimizing your luggage to reduce compression, and quickly unpacking once you arrive.
Steps
How to Avoid Common Packing Problems
Store linen clothes in a garment bag by hanging them. Linen is more prone to creasing than other fabrics, so the key to packing it effectively is preventing wrinkles. Ideally, hang your linen clothes on padded hangers and place them in a garment bag. This prevents tight folding, which can lead to more wrinkles.
- If possible, leave the garment bag hanging during your journey. If you can’t hang it, fold the bag lightly in half and avoid placing anything on top.
Pack linen in a hard-shell suitcase. While many travelers favor soft duffel bags, they’re not ideal for linen clothing as these bags can easily get compressed. A hard-shell suitcase will hold its structure, protecting your clothes from unnecessary pressure. It doesn’t have to be a rigid plastic case, but it should have some support to maintain its shape.
- If you're moving, consider packing your linen in boxes rather than bags.
Pack lightly to reduce pressure.
Overpacked suitcases create pressure that can lead to wrinkles setting in. If possible, pack fewer items in total, particularly in the bag for your linen clothes. Consider packing your linen in a separate, smaller bag. If you're limited to one bag, try to leave enough space to prevent the linen from getting squished.
Unpack linen as soon as you arrive. Don’t keep your clothes packed longer than necessary. Whenever you can, unpack your linen clothes and hang them up as soon as you get to your destination. This prevents wrinkles from setting in.
- Once unpacked, hang your linen. If wrinkles remain, hang them in a steamy bathroom. Run a hot shower for a few minutes to create steam and gently stretch the fabric to release the creases.
- Consider packing wrinkle-release spray if you anticipate wrinkles.
- If you have access to a steamer or blow dryer, they’re great for removing wrinkles quickly. Another option is to lightly mist the wrinkled areas with water and then use a blow dryer on them. The heat will help smooth out the creases.
Reducing Wrinkles
Stuff clothes with tissue paper. Wrinkles are often caused by friction when clothes press against each other. Tissue paper can reduce this friction. For pants, place tissue paper along both legs before folding or rolling them. For shirts and jackets, insert it in the sleeves and along the torso.
- Even when you fold the clothes, some wrinkles may still form. To help, add extra tissue paper in the areas where the garment is folded. This padding can prevent hard creases from developing.
Wrap each piece of linen clothing in a plastic dry cleaning bag. After padding your linen clothes, place each item inside a plastic bag before packing it into your suitcase. If you don't have dry cleaning bags, zip-lock bags are an excellent alternative. The plastic allows the clothes to move more freely, preventing them from getting pressed into a position that could lead to wrinkles.
Position your linen clothes carefully in the pile. When packing your suitcase or moving boxes, place the items that are less prone to wrinkling at the bottom and position your linen clothes at the top. This reduces the pressure on your linen and helps keep it wrinkle-free. For larger linen pieces, place them at the bottom and smaller items on top.
- If you're flying, consider putting linen in the center of the suitcase to minimize the risk of it getting crushed during handling. This way, if the bag is flipped, the weight won't directly affect the linen.
Give the rolling technique a try. Rolling clothes to avoid wrinkles is a technique that has both fans and detractors. The idea behind rolling is that it prevents the sharp creases that folding typically causes. However, if rolled too loosely, smaller wrinkles can form. This method might not work well for shirts, as they may still need to be folded, but it’s an excellent option for pants.
- For pants, fold them in half lengthwise to maintain the crease, hold the hem, and gently roll them up to the waistband. Smooth out any extra creases as you go to minimize wrinkles.
Folding Linen Clothes
Turn lined linen garments inside out. Some linen clothes feature an inner lining. To minimize wrinkles, you can turn these pieces inside out, especially for items like suit jackets. To do this, slide your arm into each sleeve, pull the cuff, and turn the sleeve inside out as you pull your arm out.
- Once turned inside out, place lined linen garments on top of the rest of your clothes.
Fold as minimally as possible. The amount of folding you need to do depends on your suitcase size, but aim for just 1 or 2 folds. For pants, fold them in half lengthwise so the legs align, then either fold from waist to cuff or in thirds. For shirts, fold the sleeves across the torso and only fold the bottom third of the shirt. For suit jackets, fold in half lengthwise so the sides align with the shoulders.
Wrap linen around other items. If you only have a few linen pieces, take one and drape it over both sides of your suitcase without folding it. Place a few other non-linen clothes on top of it. Then, fold the linen over the other clothes. Continue this process as needed to use up the space.
- This method helps the linen by allowing it to form gentler creases, rather than sharp wrinkles from tight folding.
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Pack your linen clothes last to minimize the time they spend folded.
