It’s difficult to achieve a clean, sophisticated appearance if your shirt is wrinkled. Whether you’re attending a wedding, job interview, or just going out to dinner with friends, you want to present yourself in the best manner possible. But if your dress shirt is wrinkled, you’ll face an uphill battle. So, what steps can you take to keep your dress shirt from wrinkling?
Choose the Right Fabric
The fabric from which your shirt is made will affect its susceptibility to wrinkling. Generally speaking, natural cellulose-based fabrics like cotton, hemp and flax are the most susceptible to wrinkling. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid wearing them, but you can expect them to wrinkle more easily than shirts made of alternative fabrics like bamboo, rayon, Tencel, lyocell or Modal.
Wait for Shirt to Cool After Drying
When you’re ready to leave, you may feel like grabbing your dress shirt of the dryer and hitting the road. However, it’s recommended that you wait for the shirt to cool before wearing it. Shirts typically crease more easily while they are warm. Therefore, waiting for your dress shirt to cool should protect it from wrinkling — at least, to some degree.
Iron Before Wearing
I know this probably sounds like common sense, but it’s still worth mentioning that you can protect your dress shirts from wrinkling by ironing them. Before doing so, though, check the care label (typically found inside the neck line) for specific instructions on how to clean and care for the shirt. As long as there’s nothing stating you shouldn’t iron it, go ahead and iron the shirt on a medium-heat setting. This should minimize wrinkles and creases, creating a cleaner appearance for your shirt.
Fabric Finish Sprays
You can go one step further to protect your dress shirt from wrinkling by spraying it with a fabric finish spray. These products are designed to smooth wrinkles and creases. Best of all, you can use them anywhere, anytime. So if you’re sitting at dinner and notice a large wrinkle on your dress shirt, take a trip to the restroom and spray your shirt with a fabric finish spray. It’s not going to miraculously eliminate touch wrinkles, but it can certainly minimize their appearance.
These are just a few steps you can take to keep your dress shirts from wrinkling. Wrinkles are bound to happen, but following the tips listed here should keep them to a minimum.
References:
http://organicclothing.blogs.com/my_weblog/2008/11/why-natural-fiber-clothes-wrinkle.html