How to Prevent Clothes from Wrinkling in the Washer and Dryer

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Quick fixes and hacks to keep clothes wrinkle-free

Co-authored by Ayad Mirjan and Ali Garbacz, B.A.

Last Updated: October 19, 2024 Fact Checked

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Washing

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Drying

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Getting Wrinkles Out Quickly

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Expert Q&A

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Tips

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Warnings

Your clothes just came out of the wash smelling fresh like a daisy but, oh no, they’re wrinkled! How did that happen? Well, it turns out that there are a lot of things that can cause your clothes to wrinkle in the washing machine, dryer, and even after they’re done drying. But don’t worry. We’re here to give you all the tips and tricks to keep those pesky wrinkles out of your clothes and get your laundry soft and smooth.

Things You Should Know

Wash and dry your clothes in smaller loads to prevent them from getting tangled together and wrinkling.
Use a gentle washing cycle and warm water to avoid major wrinkling.
Shake out each piece of clothing before and after drying them and fold or hang up your clothes as soon as they’re done drying.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Washing

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Your clothes need room to move around to get properly washed and come out wrinkle-free. Sort your clothes by fabric type and color to reduce the size of your laundry load. Even with a heavier load, avoid filling your washer more than ¾ of the way with clothes.^{[1]
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Wash your clothes in cold water. Cold water is less damaging to most fabrics compared to hot water, and it’s especially effective for keeping wrinkles out of fabrics like cotton and linen. Cold water also helps prevent the color from fading or bleeding from your clothes.^{[2]
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- For heavily soiled clothes or things like bedsheets and towels that can get quite dirty, using warmer water might be best for a more thorough cleaning.
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Put ½ cup (118 ml) of vinegar into your washing machine. Pour ½ cup (118 ml) of distilled white vinegar in the pre-rinse slot or directly into the washing machine drum when it’s filling up with water. Before doing this, read your washing machine’s instruction manual to see if there are any warnings about using vinegar or other substances outside of your standard detergent and softener. Don’t pour the vinegar directly onto your clothes. Wait until the drum has filled up with water.^{[3]
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- Add your detergent as you normally would.
- Vinegar is also great for getting odors out of your clothes and acts as a natural fabric softener.
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Avoid pouring in too much detergent. When it comes to laundry detergent, less is actually more. Using too much detergent leaves a residue on your clothes that causes wrinkles. Look at the fill lines on the cap of your detergent or the instructions on the back of the box to see how much you should be using.^{[4]
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- It also may be that the detergent you’re using has chemicals that are too harsh on your clothes. Switch up your detergent if you notice your clothes coming out more wrinkled. Try liquid detergents, pods, and powder detergents to see which gives the best results.
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Add fabric softener to the laundry load. Fabric softeners make your clothes softer, give them a fresh and clean smell, and help reduce wrinkles. Add the specified amount of fabric softener to your load before you start the washer.^{[5]
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- Alternatively, make your own fabric softener out of ingredients such as essential oils, vinegar, salt, and hair conditioner.
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Use a gentle wash setting. A heavy washing cycle can be too tough on clothes, especially cotton and delicate fabrics. Clothes that have been tossed around in the washer too much can come out wrinkled and all tangled up with one another. Opt for the gentle cycle or a cycle that is specifically meant for cotton and delicates.^{[6]
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- Something like a “permanent press” cycle is ideal for getting out wrinkles gently.
- Separate your heavier fabrics, such as denim, from your lighter fabrics like cotton and polyester. Wash these lighter fabrics on a gentler cycle.

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Drying

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1
Untangle the clothes as you pull them out of the washer. Tangled and crumpled clothing will likely end in lots of unwanted wrinkles. Remove the garments from the washing machine and carefully untangle each piece of clothing. Shake out each garment and gently smooth out any wrinkles you see.^{[7]
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- If you have the space, lie each piece flat or draped over a smooth surface to prevent wrinkles from forming as you wait to dry them.
- Or, hang up the clothes that are waiting to go into the dryer so they don’t wrinkle while they wait.
Just like with washing, make sure not to load the dryer with too many clothes. Stuffing in too many clothes can wrinkle and tangle them even more. If you washed a large load, break it up into a couple of smaller loads before drying.^{[8]
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Use your dryer’s “wrinkle-free” or “permanent press” setting. Many dryers, especially newer models, have a wrinkle-free and permanent press setting made specifically to reduce wrinkles. Choose one of those settings when drying if it’s available. If there isn’t a specific setting, go for a regular cycle to help prevent your clothes from shrinking.^{[9]
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Expert Interview. 23 May 2019.}
- Remove the clothes from the dryer immediately. The longer they stay there, the more likely they are to get wrinkled.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Getting Wrinkles Out Quickly

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Fold your clothes or hang them as soon as they’re done drying. Throwing your clothes into a pile after drying can lead to wrinkling. Fold each piece of clothing or hang it up as soon as you remove it from the dryer. Put them away into their usual places to avoid the pile of folded clothing being knocked over and undone.
Iron your clothes to get out any stubborn wrinkles. This will help make your clothes appear nicely pressed and crisp. Use a steam iron or spritz each garment with a bit of water before ironing out the wrinkles.^{[10]
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Put wrinkled clothes back in the dryer with a damp washcloth. If some pieces of clothing aren’t coming out as wrinkle-free as you’d like them to, throw them back into the dryer with a damp washcloth to create your own steam cycle. If you’re dryer already has a steam setting, use that to get rid of those pesky wrinkles.
- Do not put clothes in the dryer that aren’t meant to be dried, such as spandex, silk, and leather.
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Spritz your clothes with water or wrinkle-release spray for a quick fix. If you can’t or don’t have time to put the clothing into the dryer, spray your clothes lightly with water. Then, smooth the fabric out with your hands until the wrinkles are gone. Another option is to purchase a wrinkle-release spray to use on your clothing instead of water.^{[11]
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Bridgett Price
House Cleaning Professional

Expert Interview. 23 May 2019.}
- Create a de-wrinkling spray by pouring one tablespoon (14.8 ml) of fabric softener into a spray bottle of water.^{[12]
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Question

How do I get rid of wrinkles without an iron?

Bridgett Price
House Cleaning Professional
Bridgett Price is a House Cleaning Professional based in Phoenix, Arizona. She has over 8 years of experience in the industry and is the Co-Owner of Maid Easy, a maid service company servicing the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area witih over 17k professional cleanings under its belt. Maid Easy was featured on CNBC's 'Made It!' program and was voted as The Best of The Desert - Residential Cleaning Service by AZCentral. She holds a Master of Management from the University of Phoenix, specializing in digital and traditional marketing.

Bridgett Price

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

To deal with wrinkles when you're short on time, try using a rapid wrinkle release spray made from equal parts of distilled water and vinegar. Laundry detergent brands like Downy and Tide also have wrinkle-removing sprays available.

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What does the wrinkle-free button do on my dryer?

Community Answer

Usually, it tumbles the contents every three minutes or so until you open the door. This way, hot clothes aren't weighing down on one another for as long.

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How do I remove wrinkles that have occurred due to hot water?

Community Answer

The problem may not be with the hot water. Make sure you're using fabric softener and try doing a small load of laundry.

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Tips

Hang your clothes in the bathroom while you're taking a shower. The steam from the shower might help in getting out a few wrinkles.

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Warnings

Always check the labels on your clothing for washing and drying instructions. Improper washing and drying can damage your clothes or cause them to shrink.

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