The Unexpected Item That Keeps Your Clothes Wrinkle-Free While Crammed In A Suitcase

When packing your suitcases for a trip, your first impulse is probably to save tons of space in your luggage with every hack you can find so that you can bring fewer bags or as much with you as possible — but what about when you need to keep your clothes nice and neat? If you travel for a business trip or destination wedding, you'll want to make sure your outfit for the big day looks clean and tidy when you pull it out of your bag. What is the best way to do that? Use tissue paper.

While you can theoretically iron your clothes when you arrive, as noted by one traveler on Reddit, hotel irons are often not used frequently. As a result, they can sometimes leave brown stains on your clothes. Instead of taking up space in your bags to bring your own little travel steamer, keep your clothes from wrinkling in the first place. While you might think of tissue paper as a quick and easy way to make a last-minute gift bag look more festive, it can also be a vital packing tool. All it takes to keep your clothes looking as lovely as when they went into your bag is to slip in a few sheets of tissue paper while you fold.

As a savvy traveler, you probably know there are many items you should buy at your destination instead of packing. However, for this hack to work, you'll have to acquire your tissue paper before packing up your cases. Fortunately, you can purchase a package of acid-free tissue paper for around $5 or less, so trying this trick won't blow your trip budget. But once you have your tissue paper, how do you use it to keep your clothes from wrinkling?

As demonstrated by a specialist from the luxury garment protection company Hayden Hill, the best technique is to fold your clothes as you usually would but lay down a layer of tissue paper between each fold. This approach will make your garments take up a little more space in your bag, but it will be worth it when you can take your outfit out as soon as you arrive at your destination and have it ready to go.

Folding tissue paper into your dress shirt is a great way to keep it from looking rumpled when you head out to dinner at your destination, but what about more expensive clothing items, like a wedding dress? Believe it or not, many bridal salons will use tissue paper as part of their packaging process! If you booked your destination wedding on a budget, you're likely also planning to bring your dress with you — and tissue paper can still help you out.

Suppose you pack your wedding dress or other important clothing for travel. In that case, you can use the same technique as many bridal boutiques by steaming it before you leave, putting cardboard and tissue paper inside, and then sliding it into a garment bag. As several brides on WeddingWire detailed, you don't want to use tissue paper only in the bodice. It would be best if you also use it in the skirt wherever you need to fold it to make it fit into the garment bag. Whenever possible, try to keep the dress flat until you can hang it up.