Ironing tips to help it become less of a chore

Iron on ironing board

Let’s face it, ironing is a chore that we could do without. It’s time-consuming and tedious and sometimes a large pile of ironing never seems to go down, no matter how many hours you have been trying to tackle it. We can’t say these tips will make your ironing less of a menial task but they might help it get done quicker!

Shake your laundry

When using the tumble dryer we tend to just put clothes straight in from the washing machine. However to prevent clothes becoming creased, give clothes a shake and then put them in the dryer. It’s also useful to use your tumble dryer’s anti-crease button.

Have separate ironing piles

As different clothing requires ironing at different temperatures, it’s a good idea to separate your ironing into different piles such as delicates and medium iron. This way you don’t have to keep changing temperature settings in between ironing.

Don’t overfill your washing machine/ tumble dryer

Loading the washing machine

You will get more creases in your clothes if you overfill your machine or tumble dryer, making them harder to iron. Don’t half fill them either as it is less economical and bad for the environment, just fill them so they are reasonably full and your clothes can move around the drum with ease.

Descale your iron

If you live in a hard water area you have probably seen chalky white/brown mineral deposits when ironing. To stop the limescale build up in your iron, try to use boiled water (make sure it’s cool before adding) and try to descale every 3 months or when you start to see deposits. Always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Hang-dry and hang up clothes

When hanging your clothes on the line, take a look at which garments you could put on hangers to dry like dresses, as this will help to stop creases setting, meaning less ironing.  Also try to put ironed clothes away in your cupboard as soon as you can to stop new creases setting in!

Check the label

Clothes care label

Always check the label on fabrics you’re not sure about particularly delicate fabrics. Try to iron inside out, especially on embroidery and motifs to stop them getting burnt onto the soleplate. This will also protect fabrics which take on a ‘shine’ when ironed.

Separate your pleats

Pleats can be tricky to iron. Before ironing fold the pleat in place and iron over from top to bottom. You can also separate pleats using bobby pins, just remember to pull them out before ironing the area. When done hang up your garment to hold pleats in place, otherwise unwanted creases will start to form.

Folding your clothes away after ironing isn’t much of an issue as you can put them away in your cupboard, drawers, etc, however folding clothes for a suitcase can be a different task entirely. If you are struggling to get your suitcase packed for holiday take a look at our 10 handy tips to help pack your suitcase like a pro blog.

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