How to Get Wrinkles & Creases Out of Curtains

Easily de-wrinkle your curtains with or without an iron

When you open a package of brand-new curtains or retrieve curtains that you’ve been storing in your linen closet for a while, you'll likely see deep creases and wrinkles in them. Luckily, there are many easy ways to get wrinkles out of curtains, and we’ll cover them all. Keep reading for everything you need to know to get your curtains looking super crisp and wrinkle-free!

Easiest Ways to Unwrinkle Curtains

Spray wrinkles with plain water.
Spritz wrinkles with a wrinkle-release spray.
Steam wrinkles a handheld steamer.
Iron curtains with a regular iron.
Hang curtains in a steam-filled room.
Machine wash and tumble dry curtains.
Take curtains to a professional dry cleaner.

1

Spritz wrinkles with plain water.

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Fill a spray bottle with water and spray wrinkled areas until damp. This method is super quick and easy because you don't need to take your curtains down. Simply spray them while they're hanging up on the curtain rod. The weight of the curtains along with the moisture from the water smooths out the creases and wrinkles.^{[1]XResearch source}
- You can also try out a 50:50 combination of white vinegar and water to spritz the curtains.
- Vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener, so it can help get rid of creases and stiffness.^{[2]XResearch source}

2

Spray curtains with a wrinkle-release product.

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Spritz creases with the wrinkle-release spray of your choice. These sprays are specially formulated to smooth out wrinkles, so they may be just what you need if plain water doesn’t do the trick. Just spray wrinkled areas until they’re damp, and allow them to hang while air drying.^{[3]XResearch source}
- The dampness and weight of the curtains should smooth out the wrinkles over the next few hours.

3

Use a handheld steamer on your curtains.

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Steam relaxes the fibers in your curtains to eliminate wrinkles. Fill up your handheld steamer’s tank with water according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then plug it in and allow it to heat up. Once it’s heated, aim the nozzle toward your curtains and work vertically, running the steamer from the top of the curtain to the bottom until you’ve gone over the entire panel.^{[4]XResearch source} You can perform this on your curtains without taking them down.
- After steaming your curtains, let them air-dry over the next 24 hours.
Tip: See if anyone you know has a steam cleaner you can borrow if you don’t own a steamer and don’t want to buy one.

4

Use the steam setting on your regular iron.

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Fill the tank with water according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then turn on your iron and select the “steam” setting. Once it’s heated up, hold the iron near the curtains while they’re hanging up, keeping it about 6 in (15 cm) away from the fabric. Press the button on the iron to release the steam, and move the iron back and forth over the wrinkled areas.^{[5]XResearch source}

5

Iron your curtains to get rid of stubborn wrinkles.

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Place your curtain on the ironing board with the reverse side facing up. Spritz lightly with some plain water until slightly damp. Next, iron the reverse side of the curtain on the lowest heat setting, stretching the fabric slightly and holding it taut to prevent any puckering.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Check your curtains’ care labels to make sure they're safe to iron.^{[7]XResearch source} You should see a small iron symbol with dots inside.
- These dots indicate the heat level to use (1 dot = low heat, 2 dots = medium heat, and 3 dots = high heat).
- If it’s not safe to iron your curtains, you’ll see an iron symbol with an X through it on the care label.^{[8]XResearch source}
Tip: Ironing curtains is more involved and time consuming than any other option, but this may be the best choice for deep set wrinkles that won’t come out. Ironing curtains will also give them an extra-crisp look that can be appealing.

6

Hang your curtains in a steamy room.

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Hang the curtains over your shower rod, and turn on the hot water. Close all the windows and the bathroom door, then allow the room to fill up with steam for about 5-10 minutes. Turn off the water and let the curtains hang in the steamy bathroom for about 30 more minutes. Hang the curtains back up on the curtain rod to dry.^{[9]XResearch source}
- Once your curtains have dried completely, they should be wrinkle-free!

7

Place the curtains in a dryer with a damp towel.

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Take the curtains off the curtain rod, and place them in the dryer. Moisten a small towel or washcloth with water, then wring it out until it’s damp. Place it in the dryer along with the curtains, and dry on low heat for about 20-30 minutes. Once the dryer finishes, immediately remove the curtains so no more wrinkles form. Hang them back up on the curtain rod, and voila! You should have crisp, crease-free curtains.
- Check your curtains’ care label to make sure they're dryer safe before trying this method. You should see an icon that looks like a square with a circle inside it.
- There may also be dots inside the circle to indicate what heat setting to use. One dot means low heat, two means medium heat, and three means high heat.
- If the care label has an X through the dryer symbol, this means your curtains aren’t dryer-safe, so you should try a different de-wrinkling method.^{[10]XResearch source}

8

Wash your curtains.

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Launder your curtains to eliminate wrinkles and freshen them up. Check your curtains’ care label and wash them according to the instructions. For example, if the care tag specifies that the curtains need to be washed on the delicate setting with cool water, choose these settings on your washing machine.^{[11]XResearch source}
- It’s usually safest to wash curtains on a delicate cycle, but if your washing machine doesn’t have one, choose a cool wash cycle with a slow spin.^{[12]XResearch source}
- When the wash cycle ends, hang your curtains up to dry. The dampness plus the weight naturally smooths out creases and wrinkles.^{[13]XResearch source}
- You can also tumble dry your curtains on low heat (as long as the care label says they are dryer safe). Remove your curtains from the dryer immediately when the cycle ends to prevent any new wrinkles from forming.
Tip: If the care instructions specify that the curtains are “dry clean only,” take them to a dry cleaners to get them cleaned. Washing dry clean only curtains may damage them.

9

Dry clean curtains if there are stubborn wrinkles.

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When all else fails, take your curtains to a professional dry cleaner. This is the only option for curtains that have “dry clean only” written on the care label. It’s also a good idea if you haven’t been able to get rid of stubborn wrinkles with any of the above methods. The dry cleaner will be able to launder your curtains and eliminate deep-set creases, so that they look good as new!^{[14]XResearch source}
- Dry cleaning is usually the best option for curtains that are made out of very heavy or thick fabrics, like velvet or tapestry.^{[15]XResearch source}