How to Get Wrinkles Out of Tulle

Co-authored by Bridgett Price and Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: August 26, 2022

Tulle is a great fabric because of its filmy, flowing qualities. Unfortunately, it can become wrinkled as it's stored. To remove the wrinkles, introduce moisture in the form of steam to relax the tulle. You can put the tulle in the bathroom and run a hot shower, wave a steam machine nozzle over the wrinkles, put the tulle in a cool dryer, or use steam from an iron to get the wrinkles out. Always use the lowest heat setting and never apply heat directly to the tulle.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using Shower Steam

1
Hang the tulle on a hanger. If you're smoothing the tulle on a dress, hang the dress on a padded hanger. To get the wrinkles out of a tulle veil, attach the veil to a clip on a hanger.^{[1]
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- For a tutu, hang it on a tutu hanger to ensure that it keeps its shape.
2
Place the hanger in the bathroom. Hang the tulle item on a hook in your bathroom or on the bathroom door. Ensure that the steam can circulate around the tulle.^{[2]
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- Do not hang the tulle from the shower curtain rod since you'll be running the shower.
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3
Lay towels on the floor and run a hot shower. Place towels on the bathroom floor to prevent the floor from becoming slippery and dangerous. Turn the shower on and make the water hot so the room begins to fill with steam.^{[3]
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- Keep the bathroom door open to prevent the fabric from becoming too moist.
4
Lay a clean, dry towel across your arm. Wrap the towel around your arm so it's completely enclosed in the fabric. Use a white towel to prevent colors from bleeding onto the tulle.^{[4]
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5
Run the towel across the tulle to smooth it. Once the room is steamy, slowly brush your towel-covered arm down the tulle. Repeat this as many times as you need to to remove light wrinkles.^{[5]
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- Keep the shower running until you've finished steaming out the wrinkles.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using a Steam Machine

1
Hang the tulle on the pole of the steam machine. Hang the tulle dress or tutu on a hanger or attach a tulle veil to a hanger clip. If you're using a handheld steamer machine, hang the tulle from a shower rod, a wall hook, or in an empty closet.
2
Fill the water tank on the steamer and heat the steamer for 5 minutes. Ensure that the steamer has enough water in its tank to create lots of steam. Once you've turned on the steam machine, leave it to heat up for 5 minutes.
3
Point the steamer nozzle at the wrinkles. Steam will start to come out of the nozzle of the steamer when it's ready to use. Hold the nozzle and move it about 1 to 2 inches (3 to 5 cm) (2.5 to 5-cm) away from the wrinkled tulle. Keep moving the nozzle over the tulle until the wrinkles flatten and disappear.
- Depending on wrinkled tulle, you'll probably need to hover the steam over it for a few seconds.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Removing Wrinkles with Your Dryer

1
Check the fabric label. If you're trying to remove wrinkles from an article of clothing that has tulle attached, read the clothing's fabric label. If the clothing is made with another delicate fabric, you shouldn't put it in the dryer. For example, don't use the dryer if you want to remove the wrinkles from a wool dress with tulle embellishments since wool will shrink in the dryer.
- Avoid using the dryer to remove wrinkles from large items of clothing such as wedding dresses. Don't use the dryer if your tulle has rhinestone, pearl, or lace glued onto it.
- Plain fabrics with tulle such as plain tutus or veils with no embellishments are safe to put in the dryer.
2
Run the empty dryer on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the dryer to its lowest heat setting and turn it on without putting the tulle into it. Run the dryer for 3 to 5 minutes so it warms up.
- Some dryers have a delicate setting, which is the lowest heat setting. Some newer dryers also have a great feature called permanent press. It doesn't always get clothes completely dry, but it works for removing wrinkles in these cases.
3
Spritz the tulle with water. Take a spray bottle full of water and spray the tulle with several spritzes of water. The tulle or clothing item should feel slightly damp. This moisture will create steam in the dryer, which will release the wrinkles.
4
Dry the tulle for 5 minutes. Put the tulle or clothing into the warm dryer and turn it back on to its lowest setting. Dry the tulle until it becomes smooth. Don't dry the tulle for more than 5 minutes or it can dry out and become stiff.
- You can put the tulle into the dryer by itself as long as you've spritzed it with water first.
- The key is making sure you have the right temperature and then removing the clothes immediately from the dryer, the longer they sit the more likely they're going to wrinkle.
5
Remove the tulle and hang it up. Turn off the dryer and immediately remove the warm tulle. Hang it up on a hanger or clip and let it dry completely. The wrinkles should fade once the tulle is cool.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Pressing the Wrinkles with an Iron

1
Fill the iron with water and turn it on. Keep the iron unplugged and fill the iron's tank with water. Plug the iron in and turn it to the steam setting. Let the iron heat up until it makes steam when you turn the iron down.^{[6]
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- Avoid using the iron if it doesn't have a steam setting.
- If your iron is prone to leaving rust spots, avoid using it to steam the tulle.
2
Lay the wrinkled tulle on an ironing board. Ensure that the ironing board is clean and dry. Lay the fabric or tulle dress on the board so the wrinkled area covers the board.^{[7]
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3
Hold the iron 1-inch (2.5-cm) above the tulle. Lower the iron towards the tulle, but don't lay it on the fabric or it could melt. Keep the iron about 1-inch (2.5-cm) above the tulle and hover it over the wrinkles for a few seconds. As the steam from the iron gets near to the wrinkles, they should flatten out.^{[8]
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Community Q&A

Question

How do you get wrinkles out of silk?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Wrinkles in sink can be removed in a variety of ways, depending on what’s convenient for you. You can iron them out, steam them out or sprinkle with water and dry with a hair dryer. For detailed instructions on removing wrinkles from silk, see How to Get Wrinkles Out of Silk.
Question

How do you get wrinkles out of a veil?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Since most modern veils are made from synthetics, the best method for wrinkle removal is steaming––do not iron the veil as it may melt. Try hanging the veil in the bathroom while having a shower, allowing the steam to work its way into it (this may take a few showers). Another option is to spray with a little water and a product designed to remove wrinkles from garments, such as Wrinkle Release. If you have troubles removing the wrinkles at home, a dry cleaner can help.
Question

Can tulle be put in the dryer?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Tulle should not subjected to high temperatures as it will melt. If your dryer has a cold or very cool drying cycle, that should be okay but only if the tulle that is in good condition; if old or it already has some weak spots, it may rip or disintegrate when tumbled. Given that tulle is delicate, it is better to let tulle air dry; it won’t take long if you hang it on a plastic hanger in a well ventilated space to dry.