Everything You Need to Know About Ironing
Ironing is crucial for your nicer clothes and the following guide will tell you everything you need to know about ironing 101.
18/03/2019
To many people, ironing might seem like a burdensome chore. Some might just skip it altogether because they think it's unnecessary or too time-consuming. Ironing, however, is crucial for your nicer clothes. If you land a job interview, your dress shirts or blouses will need to look crisper. The following guide will tell you everything you need to know about ironing 101.
How Ironing Works
An iron uses its heat and weight of its underside to loosen chemical bonds in fabric. By targeting wrinkled areas of your clothes, you are able to straighten them out with an iron.
Benefits of Ironing
Ironing yourself not only gets the creases out of your clothes but can also save you money in the long run. You will no longer have to spend money at the dry cleaners or depend on them when you need a pressed shirt in a hurry. Ironing yourself also makes your shirts last longer since you can focus on what parts of your clothes actually need to be ironed.
Getting the Right Iron
Admittedly, ironing can be a time-consuming chore. Working with the right appliance can make the process drastically easier and cut down the time you spend ironing your clothes. Nuageuse provides a consumer guide on irons and reviews different brands. Resources like these are just as good a reference as a home goods store specialist. The iron you’re using will totally make or break how wrinkle free the clothes are, so getting a good quality one is important.
Cleaning Your Iron
Once you get your iron, you will want to make sure it's clean before each use. There should be no sediment or rust on the base plate. If you think there might be some residue you can't see, trying running the iron across an old white piece of fabric to see if anything is left behind. If there is sediment, you can clean it out by putting a mix of 50% vinegar and distilled water in the steamer function.
What You'll Need
In addition to your iron and creased clothes, you'll want a quality ironing board. You should also have distilled water on hand to reset the fabric and prevent burns on your clothes.
A Note about Your Clothes
The clothes you iron should be freshly laundered. It is ideal to take them out of the dryer as soon as the cycle is done to prevent further wrinkles. Even better, you can skip the dryer altogether and iron as soon as they come out of the washer.
Ironing Technique
The temperature you should use depends on the type of clothes you are ironing. Some shirts will have dots on their tags that indicate the temperature you should use. There are different ways you can iron clothes but you'll want to iron in long, straight lines. Use water to dampen particularly stubborn creases. After ironing, a little starch can be used to help keep your clothes stiff throughout the day.
Alternatives to Ironing
If you still aren't convinced that ironing is
for you, a few alternatives include:
Going to
the dryer cleaners. As previously mentioned,
this option is going to be pricier for you in
the long run. However it is a more convenient
way to have clothes pressed.
Steaming: Steaming is typically considered easier than ironing, but will usually not deliver as good results.
Other methods: There are many "hacks" you can use to get rid of creases, some of which include using a hair straightener or running clothes through the dryer with a wet towel. But like with steaming, you probably aren't going to get as good results as you would with an iron.