Silk is one of the most beautiful and luxurious fabrics, but being wrinkled can ruin the appearance of the fabric while it’s being worn. And if you own a silk garment, you probably know that it’s a delicate fabric that can’t tolerate a lot of heat, limiting the ways you can remove wrinkles from it. So how do you get wrinkles out of silk?
You can remove wrinkles from silk by first dampening the fabric and then using no or low heat methods that don’t come into direct contact with the fabric. You can iron silk as long as you do it carefully and use the right steps, or you can also steam it or use a hairdryer.
In this article, I’ll explain how to get wrinkles out of silk. Using the methods in this guide, you should be able to remove wrinkles from silk garments effectively without causing damage to the fabric. I’ll also explain how to keep silk from wrinkling so that you don’t have to go through as much trouble next time you want to wear it.
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Does Silk Wrinkle Easily?
Silk can wrinkle easily, especially certain types of silk. This is because silk is made from natural fibers, and natural fibers aren’t as wrinkle-resistant as synthetic fibers such as polyester are. The soft, smooth, and lustrous texture of silk also causes it to wrinkle easily. Depending on the color of the silk and the garment’s design, wrinkles can be more noticeable on some silk garments than others.
Silk is more likely to wrinkle if it is left crumpled up somewhere while it is damp. For example, you leave it in the washing machine instead of drying it immediately. Or, silk could wrinkle if you leave it crumpled up somewhere, such as the bottom of your closet or in a suitcase, without hanging it up. Versions of silk such as charmeuse and crepe are less prone to wrinkling than other types of silk, but they can still wrinkle if they aren’t hung up right away.
Can You Iron 100% Silk?
You can iron silk, but you can’t iron it at a high temperature. Silk is not tolerant of high temperatures and due to its texture, it can burn very easily, especially if the hot surface of the iron comes into direct contact with the fabric. But even if you iron silk at a lower temperature, it can still become damaged due to direct contact with the iron.
If you are going to iron silk, you have to take precautions to limit the iron’s direct contact with the fabric. This involves first making sure that the fabric is completely damp before you even start to iron it, but even so, the iron is still coming into direct contact with the fabric. You’ll also have to cover up the fabric with a towel or ironing cloth before ironing it.
Can You Steam Silk?
You can certainly steam silk. Steaming silk is the best and most effective way to get wrinkles out of it. This is the case because steaming relies on heated water and water vapor to remove wrinkles. It involves very little heat coming into direct contact with the fabric itself.
Steaming is the best way to remove wrinkles from silk without causing damage. And while you can certainly use a handheld steamer, you can also remove wrinkles from silk using just your shower if you don’t have a handheld steamer. If you’re iffy about using the iron, but your silk garment is significantly wrinkled, then steaming is the way to go.
How To Get Wrinkles Out of Silk
I’ve already mentioned a couple of ways to get wrinkles out of silk, but knowing how to do them correctly is important for making sure that the wrinkles are removed and that the fabric isn’t damaged. Some of these methods work better in certain instances than others, depending on how wrinkled your silk garment is.
Ironing
The first way to get wrinkles out of silk is by ironing, and this is a great option if your silk garment is heavily wrinkled or has lots of deep creases in it. However, it’s not necessarily the fastest option if you need to get wrinkles out of silk clothing in a hurry.
Remember that when ironing silk, you have to be extremely careful and avoid the garment coming into contact with the iron as much as possible. You’ll want to make sure that the fabric is wet before ironing it. If you need to wash the fabric anyway, then just iron it immediately after washing it.
But if you don’t need to wash it, you can dampen it using a spray bottle filled with water or soaking it in lukewarm water. If you soak it, be sure to gently squeeze out the excess water before you iron it. Then, turn the garment inside out and place a towel or ironing cloth over it.
Plug in your iron and turn it to the lowest temperature setting or the silk setting if your iron has one. Iron over the towel or ironing cloth, making sure not to stay on a single area for more than 5 seconds at a time. Continue ironing until you’ve ironed the entire garment. For larger garments, you may have to adjust the garment and the towel to remove all of the wrinkles. After ironing, hang the garment up to dry.
Steaming
Steaming silk is the safest way to remove wrinkles from it, and there are two ways you can do so. You can either use your shower or a handheld steamer. If the garment only has a few light wrinkles, then the steam from your shower should be enough to remove them. But if the wrinkles are deeper or the garment is heavily wrinkled, then the handheld steamer will work better.
To steam silk using your shower, you’ll first need to place your garment on a hanger and hang it somewhere in your bathroom. Close the bathroom door and turn the shower on with hot water. If you’re not taking a shower, then just let the room fill with steam for about 5 minutes. After about 5 minutes, remove the garment from the bathroom and hang it somewhere else to dry.
If you don’t want to use the shower or the shower didn’t remove all the wrinkles, then you can use a handheld steamer or tea kettle instead. If using a steamer, turn the steamer on and run the steam over the wrinkled areas until they are gone. If using a tea kettle, fill it halfway with water, bring it to a boil, and once it starts steaming, run the steam over the wrinkled areas. Let the garment dry, if necessary.
Hair Dryer
If the silk garment is only wrinkled in a few small areas, then another option you have is to use a hairdryer to remove the wrinkles. This method may not work for large wrinkles since it is time-consuming, but it can be a great option for light wrinkles.
You’ll still need to dampen the garment first to minimize contact with heat from the hair dryer. Use a spray bottle to dampen the wrinkled areas before using the hairdryer. Then, turn the garment inside out, hang it up, and dampen the other side.
Turn the hairdryer to the cool setting and run it over the wrinkled areas for about 15-20 seconds for each wrinkle. If the cool setting isn’t removing the wrinkles, then turn it on low heat. Just be careful not to stay in one area for too long. After removing the wrinkles, let the garment finish drying.
Can You Put Silk in the Dryer to Get Wrinkles Out?
Silk wouldn’t normally go into the dryer due to the risk of damage to the fabric. With that being said, you can put silk in the dryer to remove wrinkles if you are in a hurry, but you’ll want to use the no heat or air fluff setting. If your dryer doesn’t have one of these settings, don’t use the dryer to remove wrinkles because even using low heat can damage the fabric.
If you are using the dryer to remove wrinkles, you’ll also want to check it every two to three minutes to ensure that the wrinkles are gone. Once they’re gone, remove the silk from the dryer. Don’t leave it there longer than necessary because the garment can shrink. If the silk garment has any embellishments, you’ll want to avoid putting it into the dryer altogether.
How To Unwrinkle Silk Dress
Due to the amount of fabric used to make silk dresses, getting wrinkles out of them can be a very time-consuming process. Any of the above methods can get wrinkles out of a silk dress, but you have to consider how much time you’re going to spend using one instead of using another.
For example, if the dress is heavily wrinkled, using an iron will be the best way. But, you’ll have to dampen the entire dress before doing so, turn it inside out, and cover it with a towel. Depending on the length of the dress, you may also have to adjust it and the towel several times while ironing it and wait on it to dry afterward. So, you can see how that would be time-consuming.
A much easier option for unwrinkling a silk dress is to hang it in your bathroom and let the shower do the work. Or, use a handheld steamer instead. Both of these are less time-consuming as the steam will do most of the work for you. But, you may still have to wait on the dress to dry some depending on how damp it got during the steaming process.
If the dress is only wrinkled in certain areas, then using a hair dryer will probably be the easiest method to use because you can focus only on those areas. But, it’s still not necessarily a quick method since you do have to dampen the wrinkled areas first, although if only certain areas are wrinkled, then you won’t have to wait as long for the dress to dry.
If you need something quick or as a last resort, you can put the dress in the dryer, but only if it doesn’t have any embellishments on it and only if your dryer has no heat or air fluff option. Otherwise, you risk damaging the dress due to heat or snags. If you do this, don’t forget to check it every few minutes.
How To Keep Silk From Wrinkling
Once you’ve effectively removed the wrinkles from silk, you’ll want to make sure you store silk garments properly to prevent them from wrinkling in the future. Before storing them, make sure that all of the wrinkles are removed as best as possible.
The best way to store silk is to place them inside a breathable garment bag, then hang the bag somewhere that it dry. Hanging the garment is the best way to prevent the silk from wrinkling because it won’t be creased or folded in any way. If you have larger silk garments such as blouses, button-up shirts, dresses, pants, etc., then this is how you’ll want to store them after every wear and wash.
For smaller silk garments or garments that you don’t normally hang, such as pajamas or sheets, you’ll want to fold them, but being folded can cause wrinkles if you aren’t going to use the garment for a while. The best way to prevent wrinkles in folded garments is to place tissue paper between the folds. This keeps the different layers of fabric from rubbing up against each other and causing wrinkles.
Every time you wash silk, you’ll want to make sure that you hang it up to dry immediately after washing it, regardless of whether you hand-wash it or use the washing machine. Staying crumpled up while wet is the most common cause of silk wrinkling. If you hang silk garments up to dry, gravity and the weight of the fabric help to naturally straighten out wrinkles.
Conclusion
Silk is prone to wrinkling and due to being a delicate fabric, it can’t tolerate heat. That means you can’t just remove wrinkles simply by ironing them. Instead, you have to take precautions while ironing or use methods that don’t use direct heat to remove wrinkles, such as steaming them.
Once you’ve removed wrinkles from silk, you also want to make sure that you’re storing your silk garments correctly to prevent them from wrinkling again. If you found this article helpful, share it with others. Thanks for reading!