Vinegar & Setting Creases in Clothing

by Bobbi
(Lincoln, Ne.)

Have you ever wondered how those creases in clothing, such as the crease in trousers or shirt sleeves or pleated skirts are set permanently and don't come out in the wash?

It's a well known secret amongst home seamstresses that adding a teaspoon or two of white vinegar to your steam iron water tank will permanently set creases in whatever you are ironing.
Once the crease is set, all you have to do is hang your trousers, pants, jeans right out of the dryer, folded along the crease line and hang them up to avoid ironing touch ups. The odor of the vinegar will evaporate along with the steam, so you won't walk around smelling like a pickle all day.

If you mess up when setting your vinegar steam crease, you can also undo that crease with the same mixture, let the garment cool down, and start over again until you get it right.

Occasionally, jeans with creases running the full length of the leg come back into style. This treatment works on denim also. But dress clothes almost always have a leg crease, using this treatment will save you a lot of time in ironing your professional looking wardrobe, and Use caution when pressing fibers that contain polyester or Lycra. A too hot iron will leave 'iron shine' on the garment and ruin it. Using a press cloth (I just use a bath towel or hand towel) will eliminate this problem.

Please note, the vinegar will only leave a permanent crease if the iron is hot enough to produce steam. This is another good reason to use a press cloth.