I’ve Been Gatekeeping My Best Travel Laundry Secret

I have a confession.

I’ve been gatekeeping one of my favorite travel tricks for years.

If you’ve ever traveled with me and wondered why I pull a shirt out of my suitcase looking like I slept in it, disappear into my room, and emerge five minutes later looking reasonably presentable, I owe you an explanation.

For years, my solution involved a steamer. And not some cute little travel steamer.

I traveled with a giant Conair steamer.

I loved this thing. It produced clouds of steam. It attacked wrinkles with authority. Over the years, I bought at least five of them because I never wanted to be without one.

The problem?

The damn thing took up what felt like one-fifth of my luggage.

There comes a point in life when you look at everything you’re hauling through an airport and ask yourself an important question:

Do I love wrinkle-free shirts enough to carry a small household appliance across Europe?

My answer eventually became no.

Then I found Downy Wrinkle Releaser.

Spray your wrinkled clothes. Give them a little tug and smoothing. Hang them up. The wrinkles start disappearing.

I thought this stuff was brilliant.

Then I looked at the price.

And being the resourceful Dorothy I am, I thought, “Surely I’m not paying this much for scented water.”

So I went searching.

Turns out, you’re paying quite a bit for something you’re able to make yourself.

My Ridiculously Simple Wrinkle Spray (aka "Crease Release")

There is no laboratory precision involved here. My measurements are approximate, and yours should be too.

Grab a spray bottle and add:

• About 20% liquid fabric softener
• About 10% to 20% rubbing alcohol or vodka, optional
• Fill the rest with water

Put the nozzle back on.

Shake.

Congratulations. You’re done.

Hang your wrinkled garment somewhere, spray the fabric lightly, smooth and gently pull the fabric with your hands, then leave the garment hanging for a few minutes.

I wear a lot of cotton, which seems determined to wrinkle if someone looks at it incorrectly. Even when something comes out of my suitcase looking hopeless, this little mixture does an impressive job.

Within five minutes, I’m usually ready to put the shirt on and head out the door.

The alcohol is optional. I add it because it helps the mixture dry faster. Rubbing alcohol works. Vodka works.

And yes, I have been known to acquire one of those tiny bottles of vodka while flying and put it to work once I reach my hotel.

Dorothy wastes nothing.

Now Here’s the Better Travel Trick

You’re thinking, “Fine, Nick. But now I have to travel around Europe carrying liquid fabric softener.”

No, you don’t.

This is where my system gets even better.

I travel with fabric softener sheets.

I’m not talking about ordinary dryer sheets such as Bounce, although those work in a pinch. I mean sheets made from concentrated fabric softener.

They come in a thin, flat package. Sometimes I don’t even bring the package. I take a few sheets and put them in a small baggie.

Then I pack an empty spray bottle.

And here is where my obsessive packing habits pay off.

I choose a spray bottle small enough to fit inside one of my shoes.

Zero wasted luggage space.

When I arrive at my hotel or cruise cabin, I put several pieces of a fabric softener sheet into the bottle, add water, shake the mixture and let the sheet dissolve into the water.

If I have some rubbing alcohol or vodka handy, I add a splash.

My wrinkle spray is ready.

No steamer.

No giant appliance.

No sacrificing precious suitcase space.

No standing over a steaming machine in a cruise cabin when I should be downstairs drinking something.

A Few Things I’ve Learned

Don’t soak your clothes. A light, even mist works better.

Give the fabric a little help. Smooth it with your hands and gently pull the wrinkled areas.

Then hang it up and walk away for five minutes.

As with anything involving fabric, test the mixture somewhere inconspicuous before spraying an expensive or delicate garment. I use this primarily on everyday washable clothing, especially cotton.

And please resist the temptation to make your mixture 75% fabric softener because more must mean better.

You’re trying to remove wrinkles, not marinate your shirt.

This little trick has retired my beloved Conair steamer from international duty. The steamer stays home. My tiny spray bottle lives inside my shoe. A few fabric softener sheets disappear into my luggage.

And I get the suitcase space back.

I suppose after years of keeping this to myself, I’ve officially stopped gatekeeping.

You’re welcome.

Now please don’t tell Downy what we’re doing.