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Ironing without an iron?

MSE_Laura_F
MSE_Laura_F Posts: 1,610 MSE Staff
Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
edited 24 August 2021 am31 10:11AM in Old style MoneySaving
MSE Ant likes ironing, he tells me. The other day he was chatting about this hobby with some of our colleagues and together they came up with several ways of 'ironing' clothes without a traditional iron. The list goes like this:

  • Hang clothes in a steamy bathroom after/during a shower
  • Use hair straighteners
  • On a hot day, lightly spray clothes with water so creases fall out while you're wearing them
  • Wear a jumper over your shirt (removing the need to iron at all)

Have you got any others?

Comments

  • SadieO
    SadieO Posts: 457 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper
    I always do the shower thing in hotels, and hair straighteners are great if you are getting ready and just notice a crease in a hem or collar. Just a word of warning though, my friend once tried straighteners on a nice top when she was in a rush getting ready and the whole thing sizzled into nothing in a split second  :open_mouth:

    This has just reminded me that I bought a spray product called "Tada!", (it will probably have been from Tesco or Aldi) that claims you spray it on your clothes and then just smooth them out and it both freshens them and removes creases. Not tried it yet (forgot I had it) but if it works it sounds good for travelling. 

    I find that modern fabrics, especially those with a bit of stretch, barely need ironing (I remember my mum ironing for *hours* on a Sunday) especially if you hang them neatly while and after drying (make sure the seams aren't scrunched up etc). 
  • goldfinches
    goldfinches Posts: 2,328 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    You forgot the time honoured putting ones trousers under the mattress.
    Does using a smoothing stone count as ironing, it was the method of ironing in medieval housholds in the UK I believe. Then there is using a steamer either a handheld or one where you place the clothes on a body frame and then whoosh the steam from the inside (this gadget seems to be very popular in the US).
    There is the Corby trouser press (I saw a news item a few days ago saying that the inventor had died at the age of 90 something so clearly having an inventive brain is good for longevity).
    Does a steam press like the one used in Prisoner Cell Block H count as ironing? 
    Have you seen goffering irons? They look a bit like a sharpening steel and worked by being heated in a fire, wiped and then using a cloth to wrap a section of a ruff round the metal cylinder.
    One of the finishing processes for woven woollen cloth is to be stretched over tenterhooks to dry at the perfect tension to keep the fabric smooth and square to the selvedge.

    "Only the most pleasant characters in this book are portraits of living people and the events here recorded unfortunately never took place"

    The Tiger In The Smoke
    by
    Margery Allingham
  • MSE_Laura_F
    MSE_Laura_F Posts: 1,610 MSE Staff
    Fifth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I knew the Old Style MoneySavers would be able to increase the list many times over! These are excellent methods, and ones I wouldn't have thought of.
  • Oh dear,I must be odd,I love ironing.I find it very relaxing.
  • GaleSF63
    GaleSF63 Posts: 1,538 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Tumble-drying does a nice job on many fabrics, even easy-iron cottons, but it certainly is not money-saving so probably doesn't belong here!
  • Remove from washing machine soon after the cycle ends, shake out and line dry. Don’t ever buy viscose fabric or linen. 
  • I've just accepted that sometimes you can live without an iron. I lived in student halls and my job required me to wear a shirt that I never ironed. It was never wrinkly or creased as I gave it a good stretch as it came out the washing and another when it came out the dryer. Never ironed that whole year and haven't done so for most of the lockdown. I just shake everything whilst the washing steam is still fresh and it does the job for me
  • I hang my washing to dry either on an outside line or an indoor clothes airer - this stops the creases forming. For formal shirts or other work clothes I put them on a hanger rather than pegging them up/folding over the bars. This is far better than a tumble dryer which seems to set creases. Then I fold carefully and pack clothes in a neat pile, preferably in the airing cupboard if bed linen. As someone who hates ironing this method serves me well. 
  • Hairdryer works well - hanging item in steamy shower doesn't always work, but if you take item out after shower and blow-dry, it works a treat. But beware getting hair dryer too close to clothing in case it melts - dryers get very hot.
  • I iron as little as possible. I use the above tips but also if the creases are just too severe (denim usually) I use a hand held steamer. My other tip for normal creasing is to buy some Lenor Crease Releaser - about £2.99 from b&m. It's fantastic. A quick spray, smooth out & creases disappear!
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