Viscose is a type of rayon, a delicate fabric that requires extra special care. To avoid risks of shrinkage, to keep it wrinkle-free and to not get pilling, it’s essential that you need to learn how to look after your viscose items at home, including ironing. It’s quite easy to do, once you have learned the best ways to prepare for ironing. Here are some great tips, broken down into easy steps:

It’s very important to know how to iron viscose fabric; but first you have to prepare your items.

Hand washing is best; some dare to use the washing machine and dry cleaning is BEST. Just make sure that your item is dry and clean. If it is a tiny bit damp, don’t worry, as it is sometimes easier to iron damp viscose.

Read more about how to wash viscose without shrinking your clothes...

Some irons have a useful setting called ‘rayon’ – perfect! If yours doesn’t, you can select ‘silk’ or ‘low’. Just make sure that you turn off the steam setting before continuing on.

You can iron viscose when it is dry, but it is actually easier to iron when a little damp. Spray with a bottle filled with clean water. The garment should only be slightly wet to the touch.

Remember that the rayon can be damaged if you were to iron it on the outside – it can become (unnecessarily) shiny and cannot be undone! Unless you have a press cloth…

This is if you absolutely need to iron your item right side out. Maybe the detailing means that you can’t iron it inside out, so in this case use a piece of unbleached cloth or cotton muslin. 

Rayon fabric can be easily stretched out, especially when it is warm or hot. If you iron your garment in large sections, this could lead to the fabric stretching. Iron in small sections at a time, until you have ironed the entire garment.

The smooth nature of rayon makes it easy to iron, so that you don’t have to press down for a long time. Gently press the iron onto your garment and move across the fabric in a smooth, steady motion.

Do not move your garment until it is fully cool, as the rayon can be easily stretched while it is hot. Leave the fabric to cool for a few minutes to completely cool down, then hang up or store away.

Metal hangers can leave rust spots on the garment over time, and viscose can also slip off a metal hanger, so best to hang your clothing neatly on a non-metal hanger with good grip for extra smoothness!

Rayon attracts insects that love to nibble on it! If you won’t be wearing your viscose garment for a while, store it in a sealed plastic tub in a cool place with lavender sachets to keep the fabric smooth and smelling fresh!

These tips should show you how to iron viscose fabric like a dry cleaner at home, and to keep it looking great for longer!

Find out more about how to care for viscose in our ultimate guide...