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There are still a few of us who like to iron and feel our clothes look their best when time and care are taken to iron. Sure there are a lot of wash and wear fabrics, permanent press, new finishs and most are not ironing, but even if they say wash and wear the quality is not there unless they are ironed, they just look better.
When you buy an iron or replace the one you have try to buy the best you can as it will be worth the extra expense to obtain. Today's dry, steam and spray-stream irons are designed to control the correct heat for the many different types of fabrics in your home. If you will look on the back
of the labels on your clothing you'll see ironing instructions or let's hope you will. Check the directions for your individual iron to know what setting to use for the particular material you plan to iron. And remember you don't need to apply pressure just glide the iron along the material.
You will also need to purchase a good ironing board, one that will not tip over or collapse as you iron. Look for one with a sturdy metal top with adequate ventilation for the steam to penetrate, and you'll want the board to be lightweight also and adjustable as some of us are tall and others are shorter. Look around and check to see if you can purchase a sleeve to attach to the ironing board. Also some can be lowered enough that you could sit in a chair and iron, although I prefer to stand.
You'll also need to have the ironing board near a good light, such as you would use for reading as you'll need to be able to see what you are ironing to get the best possible ironing done.
First of all, sort everything you plan to iron in one day. If you will start ironing the articles requiring the lowest steam heat setting, you won't have to wait for the iron to cool before ironing other articles. Don't forget when you finish the steam ironing to empty your iron and switch to the dry settings and higher temperatures. Begin by trying the setting on the article as you can always turn the high higher, gradually increase the heat as needed.
Straighten your material on the ironing board, use the palms of your hands and smooth from the center outward, try to iron with straight strokes.
Iron each section completely before you start on the next. Iron the collars, cuffs, sleeves, belts, and trimmings first then the flat sections of the garments.
Also remember that white and light colored cottons
and linens are ironed on the right side, dark cottons and linens on the wrong side; silks and rayons on the wrong side, damask first on the right side, then ironed on the wrong side. Make sure the iron is dry before putting it away also.
Here are a few ironing tips that I might add to help. Before ironing handkerchiefs, fold them in half and pull tight. Lay flat on the ironing board and iron up from the fold. This will prevent uneven edges. Continue ironing and fold as desired. If spray starch sticks to the soleplate
or bottom of the iron, let the iron cool and apply paste silver polish, then wipe with a damp cloth and dry. Or you can remove rough and sticky spots from the iron by sprinkling a little salt on a piece of paper or cloth and running the hot iron over it, but don't do this on irons with teflon soleplates.
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