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Protocol
Method steps
- Read the care label's tumble and iron symbols A crossed-out tumble dryer marks an item unsuitable for tumble drying, and the dots in the drum set how hot the dryer may run; the iron symbol caps the sole-plate heat. Pick the method from these symbols (GINETEX).
- Normal tumble symbol: run the dryer with a damp towel Put the item in the dryer with a clean damp towel or a few washcloths, moist but not dripping, on medium to high heat for 10 to 15 minutes; take it out as soon as the cycle ends and hang it up or wear it (Maytag).
- Mild or no tumble symbol: steam if the label allows Skip steam if the label rules it out, as the iron-without-steam symbol does (GINETEX). Otherwise test the steamer on an inconspicuous area, then keep it moving about one inch from the fabric without holding it on one spot or touching the jets to the cloth. Never steam clothes someone is wearing (Conair).
- For a quick touch-up: mist with a wrinkle-release spray Spray from about 8 inches away until just slightly damp, then tug and smooth the wrinkles and hang the item to dry (Downy). Test any spray on a small hidden area first for spotting (Maytag).
- For crisp collars and cuffs: use an iron In the one side-by-side home trial we found, no other method gave crisp collars and cuffs, so for those use an iron at the heat the care label allows.
If the care label allows normal tumble drying, run the item in the dryer with a clean damp towel for 10 to 15 minutes. Otherwise, if the label doesn’t rule out steam, a handheld steamer, tested on a hidden spot first, scored highest. Shower steam is the weakest; a hair straightener and kettle steam are the two to avoid.
The evidence behind this page comes from three kinds of source. Makers’ own instructions: Maytag (external link) for the dryer, shower, spray and hair-dryer methods, and the manuals for a Conair steamer (external link), a BaByliss straightener (external link) and an Aroma kettle (external link). Tests: a Consumer Reports (external link) lab test of seven sprays, and one side-by-side home trial (external link) of six methods on similar cotton dresses, scored 1 to 5. Safety: GINETEX (external link), Electrical Safety First (external link) and the NHS (external link). The trial is one tester on one fabric, so its scores hold for that case only.
Every method compared
Each verdict below rests on the evidence column; the dryer row follows Maytag’s method with a clean damp towel, and Maytag adds that a few wool dryer balls↗ can help separate fabrics so the warm air circulates more efficiently.
| Method | What the evidence shows | Main limit or hazard | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dryer + clean damp towel | Maytag calls the dryer probably the most powerful no-iron tool, for clothes that can be tumble dried | Its medium-to-high run fits only the normal-drying tumble symbol, not the mild-drying or crossed-out ones (GINETEX) | Use it when the label shows normal tumble drying |
| Ice cubes in the dryer | Home trial: 2.5 out of 5; reduced wrinkles, nothing entirely wrinkle-free | Same label limit as any dryer run | Partial result |
| Handheld garment steamer | Home trial: 4 out of 5, highest of the no-iron methods (ironing scored 5) | Only if the label does not rule out steam; held still or touching, it can shrink, melt or discolour some materials; burn risk near skin (Conair) | Best no-iron result |
| Bought wrinkle-release spray | Consumer Reports: all seven sprays lightened wrinkles a little, only one left the shirt wearable; home trial: Downy 3.5 out of 5 | Downy says best results come with an iron | Touch-ups only |
| DIY spray: water, white vinegar, hair conditioner | Home trial: 3.5 out of 5 | One home trial only | Touch-ups only |
| DIY spray: Maytag's softener recipe | No test of this recipe in our sources | Maytag: test a small hidden area first for spotting or discoloration | Untested |
| Hair dryer over a wet cloth | No test in our sources; Maytag: best on light fabrics and minor creases | Check the care tag first (Maytag) | Limited evidence |
| Hot shower steam | Home trial: 2 out of 5, the lowest of the six methods | Maytag: lighter wrinkles only, not heavy fabrics or deep-set creases | Weakest |
| Hair straightener | No test in our sources | Settings of 180–235 °C (BaByliss) against iron caps of 160 °C moderate and 210 °C hot (GINETEX) | Avoid |
| Steam from a kettle | No test in our sources | Scalding may occur if the lid is removed while boiling (Aroma); steam causes scalds (NHS) | Avoid |
| Hot pot, mattress or heavy-book press, rolling pin | No maker, safety body or test found | Evidence missing | Not endorsed |
Choose by care label and goal
Start from the symbols on the garment’s care label, then the finish you need:
| Your situation | Method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Label shows the normal-drying tumble symbol | Dryer with a clean damp towel, 10 to 15 minutes, medium to high heat | Normal drying allowed under normal load and temperature (GINETEX); method from Maytag |
| Label shows the mild-drying tumble symbol | Not the medium-to-high dryer run: steamer if the label does not rule out steam, otherwise a spray — test either first | GINETEX calls for a mild process with reduced thermal action |
| Label shows a crossed-out tumble dryer | Steamer if the label does not rule out steam, otherwise a spray — test either first | Unsuitable for tumble drying (GINETEX) |
| Label shows the iron-without-steam symbol | No steamer: a spray tested on a hidden area first | GINETEX: iron at low temperature without steam |
| You need crisp collars and cuffs | An iron | In the home trial, no other method gave crisp collars and cuffs |
| Only a hot shower is available | Shower steam, for lighter wrinkles | Maytag: some of the lighter wrinkles relax after about 15 minutes |
On GINETEX tumble symbols the dots in the drum indicate how hot the tumble-drying process may be:
Tumble dry — normal drying process 
Tumble dry — mild process, reduced heat 
Do not tumble dry Not sure which symbol you have? Read the tumble and iron marks on your label in the decoder before you pick a row above.
Decode the labelStep by step: the methods that work
These five steps run the methods above in the order the label decides.
1. Read the care label’s tumble and iron symbols
A crossed-out tumble dryer marks an item unsuitable for tumble drying, and the dots in the drum set how hot the dryer may run. The iron symbol caps the sole-plate heat: GINETEX sets 120 °C for low temperature, 160 °C for moderate and 210 °C for a hot iron, and chooses the maximum from the care label, not the fibre content. The fibre-by-fibre view is in what can go in the tumble dryer.
2. Normal tumble symbol: run the dryer with a damp towel
Put the item in the dryer with a clean damp towel or a few washcloths — moist, not dripping — and run it on medium to high heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Take it out as soon as the cycle ends and hang it up or wear it (Maytag (external link)). For heat levels and cycles beyond this short run, see how to tumble dry clothes.
3. Mild or no tumble symbol: steam if the label allows
Skip steam if the label rules it out: GINETEX has a separate iron symbol that means iron at low temperature without steam, with a 120 °C sole-plate maximum. For those items, use a spray tested on a hidden area instead (step 4).
Conair’s handheld-steamer manual says to test an inconspicuous area first, keep the steamer moving about one inch from the fabric, and not hold it over one spot or touch the jets to the fabric, which can cause shrinkage, melting or colour shift on certain materials. The same manual says never to steam clothes you, or someone else, are wearing, and warns the steamer may cause burns if used too close to the skin or eyes. For heavier, durable fabrics such as wool coats or bedding, it says slower passes may be necessary (Conair (external link)).
4. For a quick touch-up: mist with a wrinkle-release spray
Downy’s directions: spray from 8 inches away until just slightly damp, then tug and smooth away the wrinkles (Downy (external link)). Downy also says you get the best results when you use it with an iron, and Consumer Reports found that only one of the seven sprays it tested left a cotton-polyester shirt wearable.
For a homemade version, Maytag’s recipe is one cup of distilled water with one teaspoon of liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle↗: lightly mist, tug and smooth by hand, and test on a small hidden area first for spotting or discoloration. No source we found tested this recipe; the DIY spray that scored 3.5 out of 5 in the home trial was a different mix of warm water, white vinegar and colourless hair conditioner.
5. For crisp collars and cuffs: use an iron
In the home trial ironing scored 5 out of 5, and the tester found that no other method gave crisp collars and cuffs. If that is the finish you need, the order and heat are in how to iron a shirt.
The weakest method: shower steam
Hanging a garment in a steamy bathroom is the lowest-scoring method in the evidence we found. In the home trial, the hot-shower method scored 2 out of 5, the lowest of the six: the dress got a tad less wrinkled, but not enough to feel put-together. Maytag sets the same limit: after about 15 minutes in a closed, steamy bathroom the steam should have relaxed some of the lighter wrinkles, and it is not a miracle worker for heavy fabrics or deep-set creases.
The two to avoid: hair straightener and kettle steam
Hair straightener. The BaByliss 2561U’s twelve heat settings run from 180 °C to 235 °C, and its manual says the appliance should only be used as described in its instruction booklet. Its lowest setting is already above the 160 °C GINETEX cap for a moderate-temperature iron, and its highest is above the 210 °C cap for a hot iron. Electrical Safety First adds that straighteners can reach 220 °C, take up to 40 minutes to cool after switch-off, and should not be put on any soft surface while in use.
Kettle steam. No kettle manual we found covers steaming clothes. Aroma’s kettle manual warns that scalding may occur if the lid is removed during the boiling cycle, and says not to open the lid while the kettle is operating. The NHS defines scalds as injuries caused by hot liquids or steam.
Evidence missing. For the hot-pot trick, pressing under a mattress or heavy books, and the rolling pin, we found no maker, safety body or test, so we do not endorse them.
- If steam or a hot plate burns you: the NHS says to hold the burn or scald under cool running water for 20 minutes, as soon as possible, and not to put creams, oils or butter on it.
- Never steam a garment someone is wearing — Conair's steamer manual rules it out and warns of burns near the skin or eyes.
Stop the next load wrinkling
Maytag’s prevention advice comes down to three habits around the washer and dryer:
- Don’t overload. Maytag’s advice starts with not overloading the washer and dryer, because clothes need room to move.
- Don’t leave a wet load waiting. Clothes left forgotten in the washer can get musty and deeply creased, so move them to the dryer promptly.
- Don’t leave a warm pile. Warm clothes left in a pile let wrinkles set in as the fabric cools, so fold or hang them right away.
Your next step
Find the tumble and iron symbols on the garment, read them in the care-symbol decoder, and follow the matching row of the decision table. More drying and ironing guides are collected in the drying and ironing hub.
Related reading
- How to iron a shirt — the order and heat for when you do reach for an iron.
- How to tumble dry clothes — dryer heat levels, sensor drying and running costs.
- What can go in the tumble dryer — the fibre-by-fibre guide to the tumble symbol.