The Ironing Board

Stephb1986_2

we have run a ironing service for 6 years now

the best steam generator iron around is a tefal pro express

non iron shirt do still need ironing

i wouldnt recommend using descaling liquid in a iron the best way is to drop the temperature to the lowest and turn up the steam until it runs clear then turn the temperature up and steam down and it should be fine sometimes they will let out hard scale in little rocks.

HTH

Steph xx

Stephen_Leak

How to iron a shirt.

Basically, you work in decreasing order of thickness of material, so that the bits you've just ironed don't get creased up again whilst you iron the other bits.

1 Collar. Iron flat. Do the inside first. Iron from the middle to the ends and then back from the ends to the middle. Repeat for the outside. Turn down by hand.

2. Shoulder "yokes". Put the shirt over the end of the board and do each side separately.

3. Cuffs. Iron flat. Do the inside first, then the outside.

4. Sleeves. Do the cuff opening first. To avoid double creases or "tramlines", iron the crease in from this side only. When you do the other side, only iron up to just short of the outer edge.

5. Body. Do the front panel with the pocket and "placket" first, then the back, and finally the other front panel.

Stephen_Leak

Further ironing tips, albeit a bit of a cross-over from the OS Forum.

Make your own ironing water by adding a few drops of essential oil to ... water.

I keep some in an old washing-up liquid bottle for squirting into my steam iron, and some in a spray bottle for, well, spraying.

It also turns ironing time into a DIY aromatherapy session.

PS. I also use the spray as a room freshener.

Gers

How do I stop my lovely iron from leaking from the sole plate when using the steam function??

Don't usually iron but have got a special occasion coming up so wanted to iron - as I move it across the fabric I get trails of water across it. NOW I remember why I stopped ironing.

Some advice would be gratefully received.

ailuro2

For cotton shirts that are hard to iron- this came from a lady at the old fashioned gentleman's outfitter in Broughty Ferry - and it's a gem.

Hubby's jacobean/rob roy shirt for wearing with his kilt outfit - 100% cotton, I had tried everything and the results were still awful, stubborn creases everywhere even when ironed from WET!!:eek:

Take cotton garmet while still damp, or spray with plain water. Put garment in plastic bag, tie loosely. Add to FREEZER for at least an hour, overnight is fine too.

Remove from freezer and iron as normal.

I promise, you will not believe the difference.;)

I do this for any cotton shirts that are being worn for somewhere special, and for the cotton pillowcases for the guest bedroom.

missbargain

~ Stephen Leak

that's exactly how my mother tought me to iron, all those years ago...

~ G G

that was funny :rotfl: , a shame it's a bit too close to home, too.

My mum also tought me to, before I start ironing, spray shirts evenly (not soak them, just mist them) with water from the water bottle, roll them in a kind of loose roll, and let them sit for 5-10 minutes. They are much easier to iron this way, especially if they are super dry to start with. Of course, unneccessary to do this if they are still dampish.

Now, can someone, PLEASE, tell me the easiest way to iron bedsheets, especially duvet covers. They drive me crazy, take ages to do, and by the time I iron one bit, another one creases. I was thinking of not ironing them at all, but I like that crispy, smooth, velvety feel of well ironed sheets, even if it only lasts for one day (similar feeling to the freshly done blow dry, so fleeting but wonderful.....;) )

Winky,_The_House_Elf

MissBargain, Home made starch is excellent for making irong a breeze and is great for bedding.

Take a spray bottle and add a table spoon of corn flour, top up with water and shake well, if you like it to smell nice add a drop of essential oil (Lavender is really nice) and spray away!

Gets coton really crisp and you only have to iron it once! Cuts my ironing time in half. Costs pennys insted of pounds for the aerosols, also you can experiment with different stregnths, OH much prefers just a little starch in his shirts, but he loves extra crisp pillows and sheets!

Hope that helps

Winky

Contains_Mild_Peril

Stephb1986 wrote: »

non iron shirt do still need ironing

In my experience they don't if tumble dried (even if you line dry them for a while first to get that nice fresh smell and save electricity, then just put the damp shirts in the dryer for the last few minutes) and hung up immediately afterwards. Note: does not work if hung in overstuffed wardrobe squished between other clothes!

brownbake

In my opinion this board would be better off being moved to the old style board? Ironing board = iron clothes on an ironing board.

Use decent laundry tabs - from experience and confirmed by a Which report Ariel liquitabs are the out and out winners. 1 tab in drum = no need for additional fabric conditioner / softener - great at getting out stains, smells lovely and really easy to iron.

As long as you don't keep wet washing in the machine for too long after wash finished and it is, at the least removed, ironing doesn't deserve such a big portion of the site..

Remove creases - that's ironing for ya!!!

RiaMac_2

1. Banish all children from room (including OH)
2. Put on favourite programme/film/music
3. Rummage through ironing, taking out everything that can be used without being crease-free (tea towels etc)
4. Pour glass of chilled WHITE wine (don't notice if it drips onto clothes, unlike red or rose)
5. Iron things that matter how they look, first.:rotfl:
6. Anything that can get away with being ironed badly can be done at the end of the bottle.
7. Allow children and OH back into room when ironing done, to put their clothes away. OH can put your clothes/bedding/anything else, away too as you've already done enough!

:T