Shake it out
After you take a garment out of the wash, give it two or three hard snaps to prevent it from balling up. Place the item into the dryer or hang it to dry.

Don't overload
Jamming clothes into the dryer prevents proper tumbling, causing clothes to dry slower and wrinkle.

Time it right
Wrinkles form when clothes sit in the dryer, even for a short time. As soon as the drying cycle ends, remove the load, then fold or hang the items while they're still hot.

Add moisture
To steam out wrinkles if clothes have sat in the dryer for too long, add one piece of clean, damp laundry, then run the dryer on the medium-heat (permanent press) setting for 10 minutes.
Invest in a good-quality steam iron

This iron provides a constant surge of steam power to penetrate fabrics from shirts to drapes. Rowenta Perfect Steam Station (1,750 W), $360, rowenta.ca.





The durable nonstick soleplate glides easily over fabrics while the convenient shot-of-steam feature removes stubborn wrinkles. Sunbeam Classic Iron (1,200 W), $28, sunbeam.ca.





This model features variable steam settings and a vertical steam option for removing wrinkles from hanging garments. T-fal EasyCord FV4456 (1,700 W), $75, t-fal.ca.





Fold like the pros
You don't need a degree in merchandising to master the art of precision folding. Use this simple garment-folding template for tidy stacks that wouldn't look out of place on the shelves of a high-end shop. Pliio Clothing Pilers, $20 per pack of seven, bedbathandbeyond.ca.





Learn how to treat stains with our ultimate guide to dealing with stains.

This story was originally part of "Your Ultimate Laundry Guide" in the April 2015 issue.             Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!