Travel Questions

“What is the best way to pack my suitcase to minimize wrinkling?”

A.Whether you are planning a winter get away or traveling for business, you want your clothes to look their best. Here are six tips to help keep your clothes fresh:

• Don’t fold – roll. Gently rolling your clothes will not only take up less space, but also reduce wrinkles and creases.
• Select fabrics that won’t wrinkle easily such as silks, cotton knits and lightweight wools.
• Put the plastic from the drycleaner over each piece of clothing in your suitcase to help prevent wrinkling.
• Color coordinate. Plan clothing so you can get a variety of outfits out of just a few pieces, so you don’t overload your suitcase.
• Use plastic bags for packing shoes and bring extras for wet bathing suits.
• Wear your heaviest and bulkiest clothes and shoes on the plane, so they don’t take up room in your bag.

Our entire family is in a wedding in Oregon this summer and there are many events planned. What should we do to be sure that our clothes look great?

A. A wedding is one of life’s special moments and you want to look your best. Careful planning is your first step. Determine how many outfits you are going to need and assemble them first. There always is a tendency to over pack and this can cause wrinkling or even damage to clothes. Select fabrics that don’t wrinkle too easily–avoid rayon and linen unless they have a synthetic blend. Silks, cotton knits and lightweight wools generally travel well.

When packing, using stuffing tissue or putting a piece of plastic from the drycleaner over each item of clothing in your suitcase or garment bag can prevent wrinkling. When you arrive, hang the clothes as soon as possible and remove from the plastic bags. If you need to iron the clothes, be careful of shine–iron the clothes on the reverse side when possible and use a pressing cloth or piece of white cotton muslin. Shine on a gabardine, acetate or triacetate fabric will be very difficult to restore. Water and spray starching can cause spotting on some fabrics, so use it cautiously.

With the proper planning, you can wear your clothes with style and grace and enjoy the festivities without worry.

“I am glad to see the return of a more classic look this summer and would like to buy some tulip skirts and blouses with ruffles and puffed sleeves. I do a lot of traveling and don’t want them to get crushed when I pack them. What do you suggest?”

A. Select fabrics that don’t wrinkle too easily–avoid rayon and linen unless they have a synthetic blend. Silks, cotton knits and lightweight wools generally travel well.

Don’t over pack, which is guaranteed to cause crushing and wrinkling. When packing, use stuffing tissue to keep the puffed sleeves from getting crushed. Also, putting a piece of plastic from the drycleaner or stuffing tissue over each item of clothing in your suitcase or garment bag can prevent wrinkling. When you arrive, hang the clothes as soon as possible and remove from the plastic bags.

If you need to iron the clothes, be careful of shine–iron the clothes on the reverse side when possible and use a pressing cloth or piece of white cotton muslin. Shine on a gabardine, acetate or triacetate fabric will be very difficult to restore. Water and spray starching can cause spotting on some fabrics, so use cautiously.