Corduroy is making a huge comeback right now. Whether you take a look at the fashion shows or on Instagram and Pinterest, the only looks that seem to be gaining momentum are the ones that contain corduroy.
Corduroy is a type of cotton that is generally recognizable by the raised ridges on its surface. These ridges or lines give corduroy its distinctive look.
Corduroy is used to make jackets, pants, shirts, and much more. It is generally a very easy-to-care fabric, except in one instance.
Ironing corduroy is complicated.
But lucky for you, I will be breaking down the entire ironing process into a step-by-step module that anybody can follow. Read this guide carefully to ensure that you don’t destroy your corduroy garments when ironing them.
How To Iron Corduroy?
There are five steps that one needs to follow in order to get wrinkles out of corduroy clothing pieces.
1. Turn the garment inside out and lay it on a flat surface
Before you do anything else, there are a few preparatory steps that you need to do in order to ensure that the ironing process does not harm the fabric.
First, check the care label (usually attached to the inner side of a shirt or jacket) to see whether the garment is iron-friendly or not.
Upon satisfaction, turn the garment inside out. This will prevent the direct application of heat to the “ridges” of the corduroy. Direct heat can often flatten the unique texture of corduroy, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Finally, lay it flat on a hard surface. This will help in easy and uniform movement of the iron.
2. Preheat the iron and select the right heat setting – medium
It will do you no good if you iron your corduroy while the machine is still cold. So it is necessary to preheat your iron on the right heat setting in order to avoid wasting time.
And what’s the right heat setting, you may ask?
In most cases, the “medium” heat setting is perfect for ironing corduroy. Both high heat and low heat do not work well with corduroy, so it makes sense to go for the option that’s right between these two extremes – medium.
Preheating should take no more than 2-5 minutes, depending on your iron.
3. Use a pressing cloth
A pressing cloth is simply a piece of cloth that is used as a buffer piece between the iron and the garment that is being pressed.
Using this buffer piece means that your fabric will not burn or develop white shiny marks, both of which can happen if the garment is ironed in an improper manner.
And it is even more important to use a pressing cloth when we are dealing with a textured fabric such as corduroy, as it will help us in preserving the nap of the garment as well as take care of the “ridges” of the corduroy fabric.
While dedicated pressing cloths are available in the market, you can simply use an old thin cotton towel. It will do the job just as well.
4. Make slow circular strokes and iron in the direction of the pile
When it comes to the actual ironing, your technique matters a lot.
Start by making slow circular strokes. Deal with the problem areas (such as collars and cuffs) first. Keep moving the iron around, and try to keep your movement unidirectional.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that you should be ironing in the direction of the pile or the “ridge” of corduroy.
What this basically means is that if the corduroy piece has vertical lines running along it, then iron vertically. If the garment has horizontal lines running along on its surface, the iron horizontally.
5. Keep the pressure low
During the entire ironing process, it’s important that you keep the pressure low. It will help you in two ways.
First, you won’t be burning the fabric if you stay in one place for too long, something that can happen if you apply too much pressure.
Secondly, the texture of the corduroy will remain intact and its ridges will not be flattened. Still, I would recommend you to keep checking your garment every once in a while by removing the pressing cloth.
Pay special attention to the wrinkled areas. You can increase the pressure at these points strategically. The entire ironing process will not take you more than 5-10 minutes, including the preheating time.
Can You Steam Corduroy?
Corduroy can be steamed very easily. Just maintain some distance between the nozzle of your steamer and the surface of the fabric in order to avoid flattening corduroy’s ridges.
If your steamer has heat settings, go for the “medium heat” option. Keep the nozzle moving, and make sure that it is 6-12 inches away from the garment. High heat and no distance is a combination that is going to destroy your fabric.
Steaming corduroy works best when the wrinkles aren’t too deep or too numerous. Even these edge cases can be dealt with by a quality steamer, it’s just that the steaming process is going to take a lot longer.
Even while steaming on the “medium” setting, I would recommend you to turn your clothes inside out for added protection against direct heat.
If you want to avoid having wrinkles in your corduroy in the first place, then here is a super-tip for you – Air-dry your clothes instead of tumble-drying them.
Tumble drying corduroy often leads to wrinkles that are very hard to remove and can cause the corduroy fibers to pill. It’s much better to simply hang-dry your corduroy garments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Corduroy jackets can be ironed pretty easily. Just make sure that you are using low heat and a pressing cloth in order to avoid damaging the fabric.
The best way to remove wrinkles from corduroy skirts is to steam them. Because most corduroy skirts do not come with a lot of bells and whistles, steaming them is a great way to get rid of their wrinkles.
Corduroy blazers should be dry cleaned instead of being ironed. Dry cleaning will do a better job of getting rid of all the wrinkles present on the garment.
Corduroy pants can be both ironed and steamed. Keep the heat setting on medium and make sure that you are constantly moving your hand in order to avoid burning the fabric.
Final Remarks
To remove wrinkles from your corduroy clothing (this can include jackets, shirts, pants, blazers, skirts, and everything else), you can either steam them or iron them.
Steaming corduroy works better when there are lesser wrinkles on the fabric or the wrinkles aren’t too deep. Ironing corduroy works well with all types of wrinkles. Here’s the five-step process to iron corduroy:
- Turn the garment inside out.
- Preheat your iron on “medium” heat setting.
- Use a pressing cloth.
- Iron in slow, circular movements.
- Keep the pressure low.
My name is Alex Higson and I am the founder of Magic Of Clothes. I have worked in the fashion industry for many years, and clothes and style are a huge part of my life.