Avoiding Common Packing Issues
Hang linen clothes in a garment bag. Linen tends to form and hold creases more than some other fabrics, so packing to avoid wrinkles is the key. If it is possible, the best option is to hang linen clothes on a padded hanger and store in a garment bag. This makes it so that you don't have to fold the clothing, or at least it won't be folded tightly and packed with everything else. Once in the garment bag, if you can, leave it hanging up during the course of travel. If you can't leave it hanging, lay the bag folded lightly in half with nothing on top of it.
Pack linens in a hard-sided suitcase. Although people sometimes prefer traveling with soft duffel bags, these are not a good plan for linen since these bags can be squeezed and crushed easily. A hard-sided bag will maintain its shape and keep the garments inside from unnecessary pressure. The suitcase does not have to be “hard” as in unbending plastic sides, but it should have supports that help it maintain its shape. If you are packing the clothes for a move, consider boxes over bags.
Pack less to reduce pressure. Suitcases that are tightly packed cause greater pressure on clothes, which means the creases are more likely to set. If you are able to pack less overall, do so, but at least try to pack less in the suitcase that your linen clothes will go in. Perhaps you can pack a separate, smaller suitcase for the linen clothes. If you can only have one bag, try to pack it loosely enough that the linen clothes are not smashed.
Unpack linen as soon as you arrive. Don't leave your clothes packed up tight for longer than necessary. Whenever possible, you should unpack linen clothes and hang them up as soon as you arrive at your destination. Rather than leaving them packed for extra days, getting them out quickly will help reduce wrinkles. Once you have them unpacked, hang linen clothes up. If there are wrinkles, you can hang them in a bathroom and turn the shower on hot for long enough to make the room steamy. You can gently pull at the linen to help release the wrinkles. It's also a helpful option to pack wrinkle-release spray when you anticipate possible wrinkles. You can use a steamer or blow dryer to release wrinkles. If you have an iron or steamer available, this is a good option for immediately removing wrinkles upon unpacking. Another good option is to spray the linen item with water, especially in the most wrinkled spots, and then turn the blow dryer on the clothing. The heat will help release the wrinkles.
Minimizing Wrinkles
Pad clothes with tissue paper. Wrinkles are caused, in part, by the friction of clothes pressing against each other, and tissue paper helps reduce this friction. For pants, insert pieces of tissue paper along both legs before folding or rolling. For shirts and suit jackets, insert pieces in both sleeves and throughout the torso. When you fold the clothes, there is still a chance of wrinkling. One trick that might help is to put a little extra tissue paper along the parts of the garment that are folded. Giving the folds extra padding can help keep from forming hard creases.
Pack each piece of linen clothing in a plastic dry cleaning bag. Once you have the clothes properly padded, place each one in a plastic bag before packing into the suitcase. If you don't have dry cleaning bags, zip-lock style bags are a great alternative. Putting clothes in plastic lets them slide around more, so it keeps the clothes from settling into a position and wrinkling.
Pack linens in the best position in the pile of clothes. As you fill your suitcase or moving boxes, put clothes that are less likely to wrinkle on the bottom of the stack and put linen clothes near the top. This will reduce the amount of pressure on the linen and help avoid wrinkles. If you pack a bunch of linen clothes together, try to put larger pieces on bottom with smaller pieces on top. If you are packing for flight, consider placing linen clothes in the middle, as baggage workers may not load and unload bags with the top up. Placing them in the middle ensures that if a bag is flipped upside down, all of the weight won't end up on the linen.
Try the rolling approach. The trick of rolling up clothing to reduce wrinkles is debated, with people advocating for and against it. The idea is that by rolling, you avoid the hard creases that folding typically creates. The downside is that rolling can form smaller wrinkles if the clothes are not rolled tightly enough. Rolling may not work the best for shirts as they will most likely need to be folded in half, but it can be a good option for pants. Fold pants in half lengthwise preserving the crease in the front of the pants. Hold the pants at the hem and slowly roll all the way up to the waist. Gently smooth the pants along the way to reduce any extra creases forming.
Folding the Linen Clothes
Turn lined linen inside out. Some linen clothes have a lining on the inside. If you have pieces of clothing like this, you can turn them inside out to reduce wrinkling. This is especially helpful when you have to pack a suit jacket with a lining. Stick your arm in each sleeve, grabbing the cuff, and pull the sleeve inside out as you remove your arm. Place lined linen on top of all other clothing.
Fold as little as possible. How much you have to fold will depend on the size of your suitcase, but aim for only 1 or 2 folds. For pants, fold in half lengthwise so the legs line up, then either fold in half from waist to cuff or in thirds. For shirts, fold sleeves across torso and try to fold up the bottom third only. For suit jackets, fold in half lengthwise so the sides lay with the shoulders matching up.
Wrap linen items around other items. If you only have 1 or 2 linen items, take one and drape it, unfolded, over both sides of the suitcase. Place a few other non-linen items on top of the linen item. Fold the remaining portions of the linen item over the other clothes. You can repeat this as you have room. This helps the linen clothes by letting them form lighter creases than if they were folded up tight.
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