Removing wrinkles from nylon rain/wind pants

[razo]

I just found my 90s 100% nylon rain/wind pants and they are completely wrinkled (or maybe crinkled is the right word). Back in the day they used to be so lovely and smooth.

Does anyone know how to make them smooth again? I've tried ironing them with a cloth buffer on low heat but no luck. Maybe there's a trick I don't know about?

[merv]

Would washing them and hanging to dry help maybe?

[annabell-cagoule]

Wearing them, the crinkles should drop out eventually

[vp39]

I've found that I can iron out deeply set wrinkles or folds in vinyl plastic garments by ironing them through a handkerchief with a steam iron, being careful of course not to let the iron touch the plastic. This might work for nylon things. The bonus is that you get an ironed handkerchief.

I had some vinyl lab aprons that had such folds from apparently being on the bottom of a heavy stack, and when I wore them they would erode away on corners of folds. Ironing them as above eliminated that failure point as well as making the aprons nicer to wear.

[razo]

Thanks for all the tips.

I gave it a thorough hand wash with warm water and hung it to dry. After it dried I ironed it through a tshirt on medium heat. The bigger wrinkles have faded and the crinkled look is reduced but its not fully smooth yet. I am going to try just wearing it all day and see what happens.

[razo]

After wearing them all day, it looks like it might not be possible to get the nylon material to be as smooth and flat as it used to be when it was new. I guess this is as good as it will get. At least they still feel nice to the touch.

[annabell-cagoule]

Ah, ok, they have delaminated, so the pvc coating has come away from the nylon. Basically they are nearly dead. The coating peals off leaving just thin normal nylon. Unfortunately nothing you can do with those other than buy a new pair when the coating starts to come away. Sorry

[razo]

I think you might be right. The tag says its made of nylon with a coating of polyurethane.

[annabell-cagoule]

Sadly yes, i have had a few do this, normally it’s either age related or if washed in a machine