Proper ironing takes a large part of free time for many people. Even though 2 or 3 hours a week are quickly wasted, the activity is not one of the favorite pastimes. In many cases, neck and back pain are the result, so it is all the more important to proceed as effectively as possible. Use our tips to iron faster and better. However, you should allow a little more time, especially for the first few attempts.
Ironing laundry properly: Do not wait too long
To make it especially easy for you to iron T-shirts, dresses and shirts, adjust the pre-work. For wrinkle-prone fabrics, which typically applies to shirts and blouses, only fill the washing machine a maximum of halfway. This way, the garments come out of the drum less wrinkled and you save yourself a lot of time.
Also, remove laundry from the machine immediately after washing and shake out wrinkled clothes before hanging them up. You can also gently pull some sweaters and shirts into shape so that wrinkles are released.
Ideally, you iron the laundry when it is almost dry but still has a little residual moisture. This way you can take the laundry directly from the clothes horse and do not have to store it temporarily in a laundry basket.
Tip: Even if this is not always realistic in terms of time, do not wait too long. Otherwise, creases will increase and the ironing time will be longer. In addition, your motivation will automatically decrease if you have two or three baskets of laundry in front of you.
Observe the temperature
When ironing shirts, T-shirts and other laundry, the temperature setting plays a decisive role. Therefore, always take a look at the care label at the beginning if you want to iron properly.
An iron symbol tells you whether the laundry may be ironed. The number of dots contained in the iron, on the other hand, represents the temperature:
- One point: low temperature
- Two points: medium temperature
- Three points: high temperature
To avoid having to look for the care label on every garment, you can use the following basic rules as a guide:
- Wool and silk you can iron only at very low temperatures.
- Synthetic fibers (for example, viscose) is also very sensitive and can tolerate only a low ironing temperature.
- Linen made entirely of cotton, on the other hand, is rather insensitive to heat, so you can iron it even very hot.
- For blended fabrics, go by the larger component and lower the temperature if in doubt.
Tip: Never iron imprints or decorations directly, but always from the left. The same applies to rather delicate materials.
The most important steps in ironing correctly
Once you have set the temperature appropriately, filled the iron with water and set up the ironing board, you are ready to go.
Unless you have limited ironing experience so far, it is best to start by ironing laundry that is rather basic. This is especially true for T-shirts and sweaters.
Ironing sweatshirts and T-shirts as a starter exercise
Stretch the laundry over the ironing board so that no creases are visible. Now let the iron glide over the fabric with gentle pressure. Start on the outside and work your way along the edges.
Now pull the T-shirt or sweater a little further without losing the tension and repeat the process. Avoid ironing over seams.
Finally, follow the sleeves. Pull them as smoothly as possible, ironing first one side, then the other. Again, move the iron only close to the edge, but not all the way to the outer edge to prevent creases.
Ironing shirts and blouses correctly: With a little skill it succeeds
First iron the collar, always moving the iron from the center towards the two ends. This should be done on both sides, so that this has a lot of grip.
Next come the sleeves. Ideally, you use a sleeve board here to be able to stretch the sleeves. Otherwise, it means pulling a lot to avoid ironing in creases.
Finally, open the shirt and iron the shoulder area. Then follows the rest, where you need to completely leave out the button placket. Here ironing is possible only carefully from the back.
Tip: Iron with enough steam to loosen creases more easily.
Ironing without an ironing board: Is it possible?
A small travel iron as well as a smooth table are enough to quickly and easily iron a shirt even on vacation.
Another method is to hang the clothes in the bathroom. The high humidity (after showering) ensures that minor creases quickly disappear.
In general, however, it is important to unpack the case as quickly as possible in order to avoid creases as far as possible and not to have to reach for the iron in the first place.
Save time and let the experts do the ironing
It is not always the best idea to try to do something yourself. De facto, the time involved is usually high and the result is far from always ideal.
Therefore, feel free to choose a cleaner on suuber.ch and select the additional service "Ironing". This will not only save you a lot of time, but above all a lot of nerves.