I'm not very fond of ironing clothes. But I hate wearing wrinkled clothes either. When my sisters finally refused to iron my clothes anymore (they've been doing it for me since my school days), I had to take matters into my own hands and now I can proudly say that I am independent as far as ironing clothes is concerned! Read the following ironing tips and you'll feel the same!
Ironing Shirts
I'm sure many of you, just like me, are reluctant to iron clothes. In case you don't know how to iron a shirt, read ahead and you won't worry anymore.
- Begin with the collar. Iron the back of the collar first and when you're sure that it's neatly pressed, turn it over.
- After the collar, move on to the back of the sleeves. Some ironing boards have sleeve boards. If your board has one, use it to iron the sleeves, starting with the upper arm and then move downwards to the cuffs. If the ironing board does not have a sleeve board, stuff the sleeve tightly with a towel and then press it to remove all the creases. Repeat this with the front of the sleeves as well.
- Once you're done with the sleeves, move on to the body of the shirt. Spread it as neatly as possible on the ironing board. Work your iron from one side to the other gently but firmly to remove all the wrinkles and flip the shirt over.
- Hang it immediately to avoid accidental wrinkles.
Now for some tips on ironing pants.
- Pants should be ironed inside out first. So begin with the waistband and then move towards the pockets and legs of the pant.
- Iron both pockets neatly so that they don't bulge after wearing.
- After the pockets, iron the fly and then carefully press the seams and the hems.
- Then turn the pant to the correct side and place the legs parallel to the ironing board and iron them.
- Press the cuffs and hems and hang the pant.
Here are some tips on ironing dresses.
- Start by spreading the dress neatly across the ironing board. If the dress does not spread, iron it part by part, spreading it as you progress.
- The skirt portion of the dress must always be ironed first.
- If the skirt portion is plain then you can iron it effortlessly, moving from bottom to top. However, if it is pleated, then you can clasp the pleats together with clips to ensure that they remain in place while you iron.
- After the skirt portion is done, move upwards to the body of the dress and press it with short gentle strokes.
- Hang up the dress at once!
Basic Tips
The following tips on ironing will help you immensely if you're not accustomed to ironing clothes.
- Read the ironing instructions mentioned on the labels of the clothes before ironing clothes.
- Different fabrics require different levels of heat for ironing. For instance, cotton requires more heat than cashmere wool. First iron the clothes that require lower temperatures and then go on to the clothes that require higher temperatures. This way, you won't have to wait for the iron to cool down and heat up, thereby saving a lot of time!
- Spraying clothes with starch before ironing keeps them crisp and cool for a long time.
- You can make your own homemade starch spray. Take 2 cups of water in a container and add 1 spoon of corn or rice starch (available in supermarkets) to it. Stir it till the starch is completely dissolved and put the mixture in a spray bottle.
- Spray this on the clothes lightly before you iron them.
- The types of ironing boards that you use while ironing is also very important.
- It is advisable to use strong, folding ironing boards, that can be folded to half their height if you wish to sit and iron. This helps when you have a week's laundry to iron!
- As soon as you finish ironing one portion of the garment, move it away so that that part does not get crumpled again.
- Covering ironing boards with aluminum foil before ironing clothes helps in generating heat from both sides to the garments. This in turn saves a lot of time for ironing clothes that require high temperatures.
- Immediately after ironing clothes, they are more prone to wrinkling. So, after ironing clothes, hang them up immediately.
- Last but definitely not the least, maintain your iron properly according to the manufacturer's instructions. You can take care of your iron by learning how to clean an iron, and in turn it'll take care of your clothes.
