Anti-wrinkling Trip Packing
 

Someone suggested I use the thin garment plastics from dry cleaning shops to keep dresses, pants, shirts and jackets free from wrinkling. Has anyone had good experience with those plastics, or are there better anti-wrinkling ideas? Thanks!

I use the dry cleaning bag technique with excellent results. My father taught me this one. He's retired now, but worked as a consultant and travelled lots. <BR><BR>There's a school that likes large ziploc bags (you put your clothes in them and then expel all the air before closing). I've never found it especially helpful, particularly as I tend to pack things like dresses and blazers (and I don't exactly want to put a blazer in a ziploc bag). I have no problem fitting a full week's worth of clothes, both leisure and work, into a carry-on.

They are the best, use triple or quadruple for best results.

Another idea is to hang up clothes in the bathroom while you shower. The steam from the shower will often smooth out any wrinkles that are there.<BR><BR>Jennifer

dry cleaning bags, yes!<BR>They make everything take up a little more room on the way over, but I throw them out when I arrive (or use them to line drawers in the hotel if I'm dubious)<BR>But that means more room in the suitcase on the way back,for gifts and such.

Yes on the dry cleaning plastic bags. If you leave the garment in the bag in comes out wrinkle free.<BR>Also, if you fold a wrinkle prone shirt or skirt in wrapping tissue, it does the same thing as the plastic bags. <BR>I have wrapped linen items in dry cleaning bags or tissue and it comes out of the bag wrinkle free.

Hi<BR><BR>I normally stuff my Tshirts and shorts into my shoes.<BR><BR>Oops, sorry !<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

Try botox injections after arrival.

The great thing about the dry cleaning plastic is there is plenty of it on hand,if you use dry cleaning like I do! and there is always that annoying possibility that the airlines will leave your bags out in the rain(happened to me) and my luggage soaked up the water and I had wet clothes!<BR>So the plastic is great protection against wet as well as wrinkles.<BR>For smaller things like undies,socks,belts-I use large freezer size Zip lock bags, they just keep things all together and organized, and you can use them for dirty things on the way home.AND they are good for the shampoos and things that can leak(also happened to me)<BR>Kate

Some trips I just take a carry-on. Then I pack knits, non wrinkle clothes and roll, roll, roll. It's just amazing how well they come out and how much you can get into a 22 incher. I hang on a hanger the next day's clothes and they look fine. I do the dry cleaner bag thing when I am checking a suitcase and travelling with dressier clothes. Judy

I have had good results with the "roll method". I lay everything out flat that I don't want to wrinkle, place my folded stuff (shorts, tee shirts, underwear) in the center, fold one side up and keep rolling. Fold sleeves (that are dangling out of the sides of the roll) around the now cylindrical shaped pile of clothes. Plop into suitcase. This works really well, I've found. If you leave your clothes in the laundry bags it would probably be even better.<BR><BR>It sounds strange, but once you get the hang of it, packing and unpacking becomes a breeze.

I leave the clothes on the hanger in the plastic cleaning bag and pack them. When I get to the hotel it is so easy to just hang them up. It is also very easy to repack them.

Regarding the rolling idea: do you all roll everything in a bundle or separately roll each item? I have tried rolling each item into a tube shape and they come out very wrinkled. What am I doing wrong? Jane?

Pia, I buy cotton knits, usually a little bit of polyester included makes for the ones that wrinkle least, and I actually roll each item tightly. It's amazing what you can get into a small space. Besides who really cares! Judy

Are you all talking about the thin plastic bags they put your clean clothes in when you pick them up from the dry cleaners? Or is there some special bag that a dry cleaner would have? I never use a dry cleaners, so I have no idea? and yes, it's a serious question.