Polyester fabric may be wrinkle-resistant but there is no fabric that is 100% crease-free. Polyester can have wrinkles at one point, and if you’ve never tried getting rid of creases from this fabric before, then this guide will give you the best tips on what to do.
But first, let’s understand why polyester may wrinkle.
Does 100% Polyester Fabric Wrinkle?
Yes, polyester can have wrinkles. Polyester is a synthetic fabric made from petroleum by-products and it is strong, durable, and holds its shape well. It is a popular fabric to use in uniforms, sportswear, and military wear since it requires very little care.
Polyester may wrinkle under two kinds of circumstances:
1.When the Polyester Fabric is Blended
Plenty of fabrics are not 100% polyester. They may be a blend of polyester and cotton, which wrinkles easily.
2.Heat-Set Wrinkles
Sometimes, when the fabric is in a dryer or when worn in a hot and humid environment, the fabric can have creases. Heat can cause the polyester fabric to create wrinkles and when this happens, there are simple ways you can remove them.
Three Methods To Remove Wrinkles From Polyester
1.The Steamer Method
The steamer method is the best way to remove wrinkles on polyester. If you don’t have a fabric steamer, you can use the seam setting in a regular iron.
Turn your garment inside out and hang it. Fill your steamer with water, turn it on, and wait for the steam to come out of the nozzle. Place the steamer about 1″ from your garment, and move up and down.
2.The Dryer Method
Most dryers have a permanent press setting that is designed to use on synthetic fabrics. This setting does a great job at removing wrinkles, with some machines even calling this setting the “wrinkle control” setting.
In this setting, the dryer alternates between mild heat and cool-down periods, and this avoids the intense heat that can set wrinkles into polyester fabric.
If you’re unsure, use a cold setting on a dryer to prevent the fabric from being exposed to high heat, which can melt and twist polyester. You can also include a fabric softener that prevents static electricity in the dryer.
3.The Iron Method
This should only be done as the last resort, such as when you don’t have time to steam or place your garment in a dryer. Remember that heat is polyester’s worst enemy so when you do iron your garment, make sure to use the lowest heat setting.
Use a spray bottle to dampen the wrinkled area on your garment. Place a pressing cloth or if you don’t have one, a tea towel over the flattened area of your garment.
Move the iron back and forth over the protective cloth smoothly.
Once you’ve steamed, ironed, or dried your polyester fabric, hang immediately and do not place it in a closet while it is still damp. Let it dry completely first. When hanging polyester garments inside a closet, make sure you leave some space between the garments as placing them too close to each other can create wrinkles.
When traveling, use a garment bag or roll them completely inside a suitcase.
Polyester may be wrinkle-resistant but it is not crease-free. It will have wrinkles if exposed to heat. Try these methods for the simplest and easiest ways to remove wrinkles from polyester.
How To Get Wrinkles Out Of Polyester Tablecloths
A polyester tablecloth could easily become wrinkled and creased after washing, which won’t look that great when it comes to welcoming guests and setting the table. Thankfully, it isn’t too difficult to get creases and wrinkles out of polyester because of its structure. The first option is to steam the table cloth on the table so that it lays flat over the surface as intended. The best way to do this is to remove the tablecloth from the dryer as soon as the cycle has finished and then place it over the table. This means that there is less time for deeper creases and folds to develop. The longer it is left crumpled up somewhere, or left a little damp without treatment, the worse it will look.
Once the tablecloth is on the table, you can access how bad the creases and wrinkles are and then decide if you want to try and steam them. Handheld steamers can work quite well here. All you need to do is set up the steamer in the bathroom, hang the tablecloth over the shower screen, perhaps with a bath towel underneath for protection, and release the steam at a safe distance. This will saturate the fibers without soaking the material and the cloth should straighten out more easily. You may need to run your hands over it or pull the corners a little to help it along. Using the steam from a shower may work for small items like t-shirts, but could be less reliable here.
This approach of laying out the tablecloth on the table works great for synthetic materials like polyester. Some people will iron their tablecloths if they have one made from cotton, linen, or another natural material. This approach involved taking the material out when it is damp and using a pressing cloth. However, this isn’t necessarily the best approach for polyester material. If you don’t want to use the steaming method, but also don’t want to use the pressing method for fear of damaging your tablecloth, you could always see if there is a “press” or “iron” cycle on the dryer. This could prove to be enough to get the worst of the creases out.
Also, it is important to consider the size of the tablecloth when choosing how best to handle the material. Larger items may be more difficult to work with. Then there is the additional factor of whether or not there is any additional fabric on the tablecloth, such as embroidery or lace.
How To Get Wrinkles Out Of Polyester Curtains
There are a few different approaches that you can take to get the creases and wrinkles out of curtains. Your choice can depend on the severity of the creases and the state of the curtains. For example. You might wash and dry curtains, hang them back up, and then notice the creases. Or, you may decide to treat the material straight after washing to prevent any bad wrinkles from forming.
The easiest approach is to work on the curtains while they are still damp. This gives the material time to find a natural form as it dries instead of getting crumpled and creased up. You can wash the curtains on a normal cycle, put them in the dryer, and then take them out before they are completely dry. At this point, you can rehang the curtain on their rails, let them air dry, and let gravity do the rest of the work. The material should drop and straighten out naturally without the need for pressing or manipulating it in any way. If you keep the window open to let in some fresh air then this should help to speed up the process and stop the curtains from developing any bad odor.
If you are worried about having damp curtains in a bedroom or living room, you could try hanging them over the shower screen in the bathroom and letting the ventilation system circulate air around the fabric. The only problem with this approach is that you aren’t going to get the same shape as you would be relying solely on gravity to remove the creases.
Removing creases from dry wrinkled curtains isn’t that much harder, but you may need to use the handheld steamer again to get the material damp enough to reshape. Alternatively, you may find that a spray bottle of water with a misting nozzle does the job just as well. A good tip here for freshening curtains is to use a fabric refreshing spray during this misting process. You get the dampness necessary to help correct the crease and can remove any smells in the material at the same time.
How To Hang Up Polyester Garments Properly to Avoid Wrinkles
Polyester shirts and other garments can also develop wrinkles quite easily if we aren’t careful with them. As with the tablecloths and curtains, the sooner we get them back where they are meant to be, the better. Here, that means putting clothes on a hanger as soon as they are out of the dryer, rather than throwing everything in a basket and dealing with it later. A good clothes hanger in the right size for the item will allow it to hang naturally and stop folds and creases from appearing. It also helps if the item is completely dry. Air-drying items on racks is great for dealing with creases. But, you don’t want damp material in an enclosed closet because it could get stale.
Another tip that we often overlook is to leave a space between items of clothing on a rail. This is easier said than done if you have limited capacity in a wardrobe and need to cram everything in. But, even a small gap stops items from rubbing up against each other and inhibiting the natural hang. Another underused tip is to hang the material from the strongest point and let the rest fall loose. This is easy with shirts held at the shoulders on normal hangers. However, we shouldn’t hang polyester-based trousers over rails on hangers and this can lead to a noticeable fold.