Yes, silk does wrinkle, however it is not a fabric that is especially prone to getting wrinkles. When your silk garment is wrinkled, the creases may look more severe than usual simply because silk is meant to be an extremely smooth and glossy fabric. When you have wrinkles, the surface of your silk garment looks really awful and the wrinkles seem to have a more exaggerated look.

When storing silk clothing, you should try to hang it as much as possible. By hanging your silk shirts, silk dresses, silk pajamas, silk blouses, and silk scarfs, you will avoid creating any new wrinkles.

If you fold or roll your silk garments when you are not wearing them, then you should expect some wrinkles to be created. If you are folding silk and storing it in a drawer or on a shelf, possibly under the weight of other folded clothing, you will certainly see wrinkles once you take it out to wear. 

If you are packing a shirt silk, blouse, or dress, into a suitcase to take it on vacation, you should be prepared to iron it once you arrive because there is a good chance you may see some deep creases. The best way to avoid having wrinkles in your silk clothing is to lay them flat or hang them when in storage. 

If your silk garment has indeed become wrinkled, continue reading below to learn:

Why Does Silk Wrinkle?

How to get wrinkles out of silk

How to Iron a Silk Shirt:

How To Keep Silk Wrinkle-free

How To Pack Silk so it Won't Wrinkle

Why Does Silk Wrinkle?

One reason why silk wrinkles are because it is made from natural materials. Its protein-based construction does not necessarily prevent wrinkles from taking place. It will depend on the quality of the silk garment whether it will wrinkle or not.

Another reason why silk wrinkles are because when people are finished wearing the shirt or blouse, they do not hang the item up. They crumple it up and toss it into the laundry basket.

Sometimes the wrinkles come in after they have been washed. The water weakens the fibers and they shrink a little bit creating different issues including wrinkles. A little care in handling the fabric will help prevent a lot of the wrinkles you see from taking place.

Generally some silks are naturally wrinkle resistant but that ability is not present in many of the different levels you can buy silk.

How to get wrinkles out of silk

Using Iron

Ironing is the best way to remove wrinkles from any clothing. The same goes with silk, but it requires additional care because it is highly susceptible to damage due to high heat. That’s why, while ironing silk clothes it is important to set the iron at a minimum heat setting. Some irons also have a specific silk setting that maintains the heat that is just right for the delicate fabric. To further protect the fabric from damage, you can place an old cotton cloth or aluminum foil over the wrinkled area and then iron it. The old cloth or foil will act as the shield and prevent direct contact of silk with the iron.

Using Steamer

Using steam for removing wrinkles from your silk dress is a safe technique. You can either use a hand-held steamer or a steam iron for this purpose. Place your dress on a hanger and hang it in an open area. There must be sufficient space for you to move around the dress. Now take the hand-held steamer or steam iron and spray steam on the dress from a distance of around 6 inches. Start from the top of the dress and proceed downwards. Spraying streams all over the silk will loosen the fibers and render it wrinkle-free.

Using Hot Water Shower

This method is not a very nice option, but can surely be used in case you have no other option. Hang the silk cloth on a hanger and hang it in the bathroom. Choose an area where water does not wet the cloth. Now, switch on the hot water shower and let the water run for 5-10 minutes. The steam generated due to hot water coming out of the shower will help in removing wrinkles. It is better to use this technique while having a bath so that you can avoid unnecessary wastage of water. Don’t forget to close the bathroom door and windows to prevent steam from escaping the bathroom.

Using Natural Drying Technique

Though a time-consuming method, drying wet cloth in sunlight can prevent wrinkle formation. To get rid of wrinkles that are already present on silk, handwash the cloth with plain water and hang it in sunlight. Natural heat will drain out the water from the fabric and the weight of water molecules will remove undesired wrinkles. It is better to leave the cloth in sunlight for 10-15 minutes only, otherwise excessive direct sunlight may damage the fabric. To dry out the silk completely, place the partially dried cloth on a plain surface and run a dry towel all over it, starting from the top and ending at the bottom so that no new wrinkles are formed.

Using Hair Dryer

This is a quick fix way of removing one or two wrinkles on the silk that have appeared here and there. To begin with, use a fine mist spray bottle and spray water on the wrinkled area. Remember not to wet the area more than necessary, as drying will take time. Now use a hair dryer to blow hot air on the slightly wet area so as to free it from wrinkles. Hot air will dry the area and remove the creases. If you are not sure of how hot the air will be, you can simply switch off the heating filament and blow normal air to dry the fabric.

How to Iron a Silk Shirt:

Turn the shirt inside out and lay it flat and evenly on the ironing board, so that the dull side of the fabric is facing skywards. Always iron silk from the dull backside and never the glossy front side. 

Use a spray bottle filled with water to add moisture to your silk shirt. The shirt should be slightly damp, but not soaking wet. 

Cover the area you wish to iron with a cotton press cloth. This can be a bandana, pillowcase, t-shirt, or thin cloth. Never press a hot iron directly onto silk fabric. Always keep a press cloth in between the silk and the iron. 

Turn the iron on to the lowest heat setting possible. If your iron has a silk setting, use that. The low setting may also be referred to as delicate or gentle. 

Hand press the iron onto the wrinkled areas, always keeping the press cloth in between. Do not slide the iron back and forth. Briefly press the iron down on a specific area, then lift, and reapply. 

Continue until all the wrinkles have been completely removed. 

Hang or lay flat to air dry in a cool place, out of contact with direct sunlight. 

How To Keep Silk Wrinkle-free

One of the ways you can keep your silks wrinkle-free is by hanging them in a closet with a cover that has good breathing characteristics. This cover will let the fabric breathe while keeping them from getting any moisture on them and from touching other clothing.

The trick is to know what variety of silk you own. Certain silks, like crepe de chine, habotai, noil, charmeuse, and ahimsa do not wrinkle very easily. Just keeping them separate from other clothing should help keep the wrinkles away.

When it comes to silk dresses, you may be faced with a challenge that is very hard to overcome. This style of silk seems to wrinkle the most no matter where it is or how you treat it. You may be ironing, steaming, and moving the dress constantly in hopes of preventing wrinkles.

How To Pack Silk so it Won't Wrinkle

One of the best ways to prevent wrinkles when you pack them for a trip is to put tissue paper between the folds. Once the tissue is in place it somehow keeps the wrinkles away.

When it comes to those vulnerable silk dresses, you should pack them in the middle of your other clothes. Make sure the dress lies flat and is covered by other items. The next top layer should be another delicate clothing item, then more regular clothes after that.

Alternate the layers and where the collars lie to make sure you can prevent wrinkles. Finally, lay a clothes garment bag as the top layer before closing your suitcase. That will help prevent creases and wrinkles from forming.

Can Silk Wrinkle FAQ

HOW DO YOU KEEP SILK FROM WRINKLING?

Hang your silk clothing as opposed to folding or rolling it. Silk can wrinkle quite easily, so hang or lay flat to avoid the creation of wrinkles. 

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF ITS REAL SILK?

Touching silk is the best way to tell if it is real or not. The smooth, soft surface of silk fabric feels unlike any other and is easily distinguishable from imitation fabrics such as polyester. 

CAN 100% SILK BE IRONED?

100% silk can be ironed by first being turned inside out and then placed to lay flat on an ironing board. Use a spray bottle filled with water to add moisture to the silk, and then lay a thin cotton press cloth over the top of the area you wish to iron. Turn the iron on to the lowest heat setting possible and then hand press the wrinkled areas. 

DOES SILK WRINKLE AFTER WASHING?

If you lay your silk flat to dry or hang dry your silk properly, you will see very few if any wrinkles on your garment. If you hold, roll, or incorrectly hang your silk, then you may see some wrinkles after washing. If you want to get wrinkles out of silk, the most effective way is to iron them out.