These techniques and my pick of travel steamers will smooth things out for you at home and on the road.
I love wearing natural fibers like silk and linen, even when traveling. But I hate how wrinkled they can get.
Here are three do-it-yourself methods for wrinkle-removing I go to when in a pinch.
- Hang my clothes in the hotel bathroom, turn on the shower at full force and high heat, close the door, and come back in ten-fifteen minutes. Hang the clothes in the main room until dry.
Disadvantages: it wastes water and turns the bathroom into a mascara-melting, curl-killing sauna.
- Dampen my clothes with a spray bottle or by laying them between damp towels, then hang them on the shower rod and use the hotel hair dryer to smooth out the wrinkles.
Disadvantages: takes time, hard to smooth areas like collars and cuffs, can be hard to find a place to hang the clothes within reach of the hair dryer cord.
- Lay my clothes flat between damp towels overnight.
Disadvantages: takes a l-o-n-g time, hard to smooth areas like collars and cuffs, you don’t know if you’ve been successful until you uncover the clothes the next day.
What about ironing you ask? Noppity nope nope.
Why?
-I hate doing it.
-I am not good at it.
-It takes too long.
-Hotel irons often have gunk on them that marks my clothes.
(I’ve concluded people really do cook grilled cheese sandwiches on them.)
What is my top de-wrinkling method of choice when I’m packing linen and silk on the road? Travel steamer. In my quest for wrinkle-less perfection, I tried out five models. Here are my budget and premium picks.
Budget favorite: Travel Smart Conair 450 Steamer
At less than $25, this is why the Conair beats damp towels and hotel hair dryers:
-Dual voltage (necessary for travel overseas; you’ll need a plug adapter, though)
-Compact size (9.5” long x 4.5” wide x 4.5” high; doesn’t take too much room in my rollaboard)
-Heats up in less than a minute
-Detachable lint and bristle (for heaver fabrics) brush
-Doesn’t leak at most angles
-Not too heavy (1.2 pounds)
-A tank of water provides around ten minutes of steam—plenty of time to smooth out my and Husband’s outfits of the day
Premium pick: Naturalife Foldable Travel Steamer
Forty dollars will get you my favorite bells-and-whistles model. The Naturalife has this going for it:
-Dual voltage with automatic adjustment (no need to remember to toggle a switch, but you’ll still need a plug adapter)
-Compact (8.5” long x 5” wide x 5” high; the neck folds into the handle)
-Heats up in 40 seconds
-Two water tanks: 100 ml for traveling; 200 ml for home use
-Automatic safety shut-off after eight minutes of inactivity
-Detachable lint and soft (for fine fabrics like silk) brushes
-Stainless steel head that gets hot to 250 degrees; it can act like a mini iron when pressed against your clothes
-Medium weight (under two pounds)
-Doesn’t leak when steaming clothes that are laid flat as opposed to hanging
-Travel tank provides up to ten minutes of steam; the larger one, twenty
-Generous steam output (and very HOT, so take care not to burn yourself)
-Easy-to-use ergonomic handle
-Storage bag and measuring cup for filling the tank included
You can use both the Conair and the Naturalife at home, of course. Neither is cordless, which means dealing with the lack or awkward placement of wall sockets. (Don’t forget your plug adapter when you take them overseas!)
Are these steamers going to make your clothes as crisp and wrinkle free as actually ironing them? No. But they will get you most of the way there with a fraction of the effort and time, and for the vast majority of your outfits, it will be good enough.
For the record: How do you use a steamer?
Add water to the tank (it will heat up faster if you use hot water from the tap), plug it in for the designated time (you should see steam wafting from the vent holes on the head when it is ready), then slowly pass it over a hanging shirt or pair of pants, gently pulling the fabric taut or brushing away wrinkles with your other hand. You often get a better result if you steam the fabric from the underside, too.
Twist’s Take: You can use DIY wrinkle-busting techniques in a pinch. Otherwise, a portable travel steamer is one gadget worth making room for in your luggage, especially if you travel with natural-fiber clothes.
