Leatherette or artificial leather is an extremely attractive material. Modern science allows manufacturers to create a material that has many advantages over natural leather.
Durable to use, beautiful and varied in color and texture, leatherette is also very practical. That is why it has found wide application and is used both for sewing clothes (leather jackets and pants, skirts, jackets, vests, etc.) and for upholstering furniture.
Its price is much more interesting than leather. One quality of leatherette is upsetting: it is not yet as flexible as regular leather. Therefore, creases on artificial leather do not smooth out on their own. However, this can be dealt with! We will tell you how to smooth out the wrinkles that appear on leatherette.
We use an iron
When traditionally smoothing out creases and folds formed on the fabric, we use a heated iron. The same experience can be successfully used when smoothing leatherette.
Attention! When using a hot iron, do a preliminary test of the material! Iron a test section of the artificial material from the wrong side and check its reaction. The slightest deformation of the front side requires stopping ironing!
Following a simple algorithm will allow you to put a leatherette item in order using an iron:
- An item of clothing is turned inside outto iron from the inside out.
- Laying out the item on the ironing board, only one layer of material should be exposed to the hot iron. If it is impossible to arrange things in one layer (for example, when ironing a sleeve or trouser leg), an additional layer of fabric (for example, a towel), a roller or a small pad is created between the layers of leatherette.
- If there is no lining fabric on the product, ironing can only be done through gauze. or other cotton fabric.
- Iron leatherette at a temperature not exceeding 30 °C, How silk or wool.
- Do not immediately put on a freshly ironed leatherette item. After turning the item of clothing inside out, leave it for 60 minutes. on a hanger. Make sure things hang neatly and volumetrically.
Important! Do not dampen artificial leather or cotton fabric through which ironing is performed!
We use steam
A good result is obtained when steaming leatherette.
Reference! For steaming, special irons capable of generating steam or special clothing steamers are used.
Steaming of items is carried out after a trial procedure. If no negative result occurs when steaming a small part of the material, continue working with all the clothing.
Steaming requires the item to be positioned vertically. The ideal option is to use a special mannequin for clothing.It is also possible to hang clothes on hangers, adding volume to the sleeves or legs.
Place the item so that it is convenient for you to work with the problem area. Using an iron or steamer according to the instructions, apply steam to the fold for a few seconds. Make sure that the household appliance does not touch clothing; do not bring it closer than 10 cm to the material. Under the influence of steam, the fold on the leatherette will smooth out.
Steam over hot water
If your iron does not have a steam function and you don’t have a steamer at hand, don’t worry. A similar effect can be achieved using steam from hot water. True, this will take more time than when using electrical equipment, so it is better to carry out the procedure in advance, for example, in the evening, and put on clothes the next day.
To smooth out wrinkles, first hang the clothes on hangers and place them over the bathtub. We fill it with as hot water as possible and close the bathroom. Steam exposure time is 2–3 hours. After this, the clothes should be dried. It is best if things dry out on their own; placing them near heating appliances is undesirable.
Smooth out wrinkles using a special solution
What should I do if, during trial processing, the material reacted negatively to a hot iron or steamer? Do not despair! Try the effects of a special aqueous solution. You need to prepare it yourself.
This is not difficult to do; in addition to water, you will need ordinary table vinegar (9%) and fabric softener, usually used for washing, and a spray bottle. For the mixture, you need to take all 3 components in equal proportions, for example, mix 5 tbsp. l. each substance.
Having thoroughly mixed all the components, fill a spray bottle with the resulting solution and spray it on the problem area. Many housewives use this method even if they have the necessary household appliances: they like the instant transformation of leatherette and the safety of the solution, which leaves no traces.
Other ways to smooth out wrinkles on leatherette
Check out other ways to tidy up leatherette items. This will help you choose the most suitable way for you to get rid of folds and creases from things.
Hair dryer
By setting the hair dryer to warm air mode, you can treat the problem area with an air stream.
Important! Do not bring the hair dryer directly to the material. Maintain a distance of about 30 cm from the electrical appliance to the surface to be treated. This will allow the material to be ironed out safely.
Weather
Foggy and humid weather is a real help in ironing faux leather clothes. A walk under such conditions will smooth out your clothes; all you have to do is dry them carefully, avoiding wrinkles.
Be careful! Smoothing leatherette requires care and caution. Following certain precautions will allow you to achieve your goal without side effects.
When steaming leatherette with an iron or steamer, do not touch the material, this will prevent stains from appearing.
Dry clothes and other things made of leatherette only naturally! Open sun and heating devices will lead to deformation of the material.
Never use an iron on the front side of leatherette!
Carefully studying the recommendations for caring for a specific leatherette item and following the rules for caring for such things will allow you to maintain their appearance for a long time and enjoy using them.