How to make your ironing easier

Ironing is for most of us the least favourite part of housework. With our tips on how to make your ironing easier and more enjoyable you might find that it’s not that bad and you may even start to enjoy ironing.

Choose the right iron

We prefer Philips but that’s not to say that other brands won’t work for you. When choosing your iron think of how often you do your ironing and in what quantity. Remember, colour or design of your iron doesn’t guarantee its quality.

Before making your purchase double check the manual. You wouldn’t want to buy an iron that uses strictly only distilled water, for example. Check whether the iron has a function ‘self-clean’ or even anti-drip function. All these will make your ironing easier.

Ironing board plays an important part too

The best ironing board to use with steam iron is the type that lets the steam through.

Different material means different temperature – sort your clothing before ironing

Clothes are made out of various materials and each has its own characteristic and different ironing temperatures. If you are not sure at what temperature or setting to iron a type of clothing, try ironing a tiny bit carefully.

Cotton – iron at higher temperature, you can iron on the outside as well as inside and can use steam. Some dark clothing may leave shiny parts after the iron so turn the clothing inside out first.

Knitwear – be careful when ironing, specially creases, make sure you  don’t stretch the fabric.

Cord & Velvet – turn inside out before ironing and use a towel on your ironing board.

Laces & Embroidery – you can use steam but don’t press too hard on the clothing, you may want to use a ferry cloth placed on the clothing

Polyester & Metallic – don’t iron these on high temperature setting, rather use colder and double check the label.

How not to get bored when ironing

Watch some TV, your favourite soap, show or even a movie and time will fly.

Always remember to move your iron up and down and not in circular motion as this may cause damage to your clothing.

First iron the tricky parts such as collars, cuffs, frills, sleeves etc. To keep on top of your ironing try to iron at least once a week or if you can then hire your local ironing lady.

How to best iron men’s’ shirts

The Collar: Unfold the collar and lay it flat on the ironing board. Starting at the left tip with a high-steam iron, work your way to the center using firm, consistent pressure. Then press from the right tip and work your way to the center until there are no wrinkles. Fold down the collar and proceed to…

The Cuffs: Pull the cuff as taut as possible and lay it on the ironing board. (If it’s a French cuff, unfold it.) Starting at the left with a high-steam iron, work your way to the center using firm, consistent pressure. Repeat from the right side until you reach the center. Then move on to…

The Sleeves: Lay the sleeve flat on the ironing board and work downward from the shoulders with a high-steam iron. Press the cloth at the center of the sleeve without applying pressure to the edges. When the center of the sleeve is free of wrinkles, rotate the sleeve so the cloth that was at the edge is now at the center, and begin pressuring the center without putting pressure on the edges. Continue until you have a rounded, uncreased, and well-pressed sleeve.

Tip for washing white shirts – always use washing powder rather than liquid as powdered can brighten whites better.