It's an early business meeting. You just got into town the night before. Your flight was delayed, the taxi was late, and your room wasn't ready when you got to the hotel. You were so tired you didn't even remember to brush your teeth before you collapsed into sleep. You wake up with a jolt, since the wake-up call didn't come in time. The alarm didn't go off. You only have 15 minutes to get ready and get downstairs for the breakfast meeting. You pull your outfit out of your suitcase and it looks like someone chewed it up and spat it out. It is wrinkled. The iron in the room is broken. You look like you tumbled out of the clothes dryer. What could you have done to prevent this situation?
Luckily, there are several ways to avoid wrinkly clothes when you pack.
First off, do not overstuff your bag. This is the first rule, and no other technique will be successful at keeping your clothes free of wrinkles if you do not follow this rule. An overstuffed bag means your clothes will be wrinkled, no two ways about it. This is where a packing list comes in handy. Don't take any more than you need. Mix and match separates if you're a woman.
When packing your clothes, make use of dry cleaner bags. They cut down on friction, and the friction is what causes the wrinkles. Put the dry cleaner bag over the outfit like the dry cleaner would, and then fold gently and place in your bag. This will really help your clothes to stay fresh and pressed. Once the outfit is dirty, re-purpose the dry cleaner bag for laundry, stinky shoes, or leaky toiletry bottles.
For clothes that don't have to be ironed or dry-cleaned, like t-shirts, jeans, and other causal clothes, you can either fold them or roll them. For t-shirts, your best bet is to roll. Not only does this keep your t-shirt from getting creased and wrinkled, it also saves space in your suitcase. Fold the arms of the t-shirt in, creating a rectangle, and then fold the rectangle lengthwise. Roll, and you've got your compact, wrinkle-free t-shirt. Jeans and khakis, start by folding them long ways, then roll from the cuff.
For sweaters, fold them like you see them folded in the department store. This allows you to stack them without the underneath sweaters getting wrinkled. For socks and underwear, divide and conquer. Put underwear in mesh laundry bag. This keeps all the underwear together and also keeps it from being handled by inspectors. If it's mesh, they can see what is in the bag and have no need to touch it. Roll up socks and either place them in your shoes, or use them to fill in the gaps after you put all your clothes in your bag.
Once everything is folded and rolled the way it should be, you can start putting it all in the bag. You want everything to fit snugly, but not too tightly, into your bag. You don't want gaps, but you don't want to crowd your clothes together.
If you follow these suggestions, you should be able to get ready for that meeting in no time.
Luckily, there are several ways to avoid wrinkly clothes when you pack.
First off, do not overstuff your bag. This is the first rule, and no other technique will be successful at keeping your clothes free of wrinkles if you do not follow this rule. An overstuffed bag means your clothes will be wrinkled, no two ways about it. This is where a packing list comes in handy. Don't take any more than you need. Mix and match separates if you're a woman.
When packing your clothes, make use of dry cleaner bags. They cut down on friction, and the friction is what causes the wrinkles. Put the dry cleaner bag over the outfit like the dry cleaner would, and then fold gently and place in your bag. This will really help your clothes to stay fresh and pressed. Once the outfit is dirty, re-purpose the dry cleaner bag for laundry, stinky shoes, or leaky toiletry bottles.
For clothes that don't have to be ironed or dry-cleaned, like t-shirts, jeans, and other causal clothes, you can either fold them or roll them. For t-shirts, your best bet is to roll. Not only does this keep your t-shirt from getting creased and wrinkled, it also saves space in your suitcase. Fold the arms of the t-shirt in, creating a rectangle, and then fold the rectangle lengthwise. Roll, and you've got your compact, wrinkle-free t-shirt. Jeans and khakis, start by folding them long ways, then roll from the cuff.
For sweaters, fold them like you see them folded in the department store. This allows you to stack them without the underneath sweaters getting wrinkled. For socks and underwear, divide and conquer. Put underwear in mesh laundry bag. This keeps all the underwear together and also keeps it from being handled by inspectors. If it's mesh, they can see what is in the bag and have no need to touch it. Roll up socks and either place them in your shoes, or use them to fill in the gaps after you put all your clothes in your bag.
Once everything is folded and rolled the way it should be, you can start putting it all in the bag. You want everything to fit snugly, but not too tightly, into your bag. You don't want gaps, but you don't want to crowd your clothes together.
If you follow these suggestions, you should be able to get ready for that meeting in no time.
