How to Keep Shirts Crease-Free When Travelling

A work trip, a wedding or a long weekend away: you pack a smart shirt, and it comes out of the suitcase looking like it has been slept in. With a bit of planning, shirts can survive a journey in much better shape, and creases that do appear are easy to deal with when you arrive.

Before you pack

Start with a smooth, fully dry shirt

A shirt that goes into the case slightly damp, or already creased, will only get worse. Pack shirts that are completely dry and smooth.

Choose fabrics that travel well

Some shirts crease much more easily than others. If you have a choice, pack the ones that hold their shape best, and save the most delicate ones for trips where you know you can hang them up.

How to pack a shirt

Fold it properly

Button the shirt, lay it face down, fold the sleeves back along the sides, then fold the body in half or thirds. Our step-by-step guide on folding a shirt without creases shows the method.

Or roll it

Rolling works well for casual shirts, polos and t-shirts. It avoids sharp fold lines, although very crisp dress shirts are usually better folded.

Pack it in the right place

• Put shirts on top of heavier items, not underneath them.
• Fill the case so things do not slide around and bunch up.
• Use packing cubes or a folder to keep shirts flat.
• Place a layer of tissue paper between folds if you want to be extra careful.

When you arrive

1. Unpack shirts first and hang them up straight away. Many light creases drop out on their own within a few hours.
2. Use the bathroom steam. Hang the shirt in the bathroom while you shower, away from the water, and close the door.
3. Mist and smooth. A fine water spray and a gentle tug on the fabric relaxes most remaining creases.

More quick fixes are in our guide to getting creases out of a shirt fast.

Before your next trip: start smooth

The best travel tip is to leave home with shirts that are genuinely smooth. If ironing the night before a trip is the job you always run out of time for, an automatic ironing machine takes care of it. Put the shirts on damp after the wash, and each one comes off dry and wrinkle-free in around 8 to 12 minutes while you pack everything else.