Monday, October 26, 2015

Lessen Your Ironing Load

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

After a small hiatus, we are back to the Dirty Laundry Series and we are discussing ironing more in detail.  We'll go over ways to bringing down that mountain of wash into a mole hill.

As mentioned in our previous series, *hanging laundry out to dry is a fantastic way to shrinking your ironing load.  If you don't like ironing, make sure you choose only the pieces that really need it.  Then get an awesome *steam iron to cut your ironing time in half, at least.  Also, *shaking out your clothes really well after the washing cycle has finished, is a huge help in getting out the wrinkles.


Try to *fold you clothes as little as possible.  Folding brings on wrinkles for sure.  My hanging clothes go right from the line, on to hangers, on to a rolling rack.  This way, if something comes up or I don't have time to get them into the closet, they won't get more wrinkled.  It's also really easy to put the clothes away this way.  Even the kids can just grab it off of the rack and hang it in the closet.


If I do use the dryer, then the clothes also go right from the dryer onto the hangers and on the rolling rack.  Often, you can smooth out wrinkles, too.  The longer your clothes sit in the dryer, when the cycle is finished, the more wrinkles they will get.  I've read putting ice cubes and starting the cycle again fights against wrinkles, too.

The fabrics you choose often dictates how much ironing you'll have to do.  Synthetics often don't need ironing and the iron easier, too.  They also need a lower setting on your iron so make sure you read the care instructions and adjust your iron accordingly.

When shopping for clothes, try to keep your ironing pile in mind.  I'm a cotton freak.  100% cotton, please, but that does mean a lot more ironing.  You can often tell just how bad a garment will need ironing, if you look closely enough.

Wools, cotton knits, cotton blend knits, wool blend knits, angora, mohair and cashmere usually do not need ironing.

Denim isn't too bad either.  The heavier, the better.  Denim wrinkles can also be smoothed out a bit, too.

If you don't know what setting to use on your iron, by all means start off with the lowest setting.  I remember a long way back I thought I'd iron the lining of a jacket.  Oops!  Huge hole!  Never iron spandex, rayon or velvet.  If you dare, go the lowest you can and do a test.

Some old tricks to getting out the wrinkles are introducing damp with a water spray bottle, hanging clothes in the bathroom while you take a shower, but I've found very little effect.  Just get the darned iron out!  Hehehe...

Prioritising could be helpful, too.  Categorise your ironing pile!  Put the clothes that are just slightly wrinkled in one pile or hanging, even better  and have another pile or section of clothes that definitely need the ironing.  When you're sick of it, see what's left.  Hopefully, you'll get through the dire section.  Put yourself in a place with a nice, outdoor view, by the TV or play some music.  I often iron while my boys do their homework.  I can speak with them, help with them and we keep each other busy while doing chores we don't like.  Hehehe...

I found a lot of very helpful links.  Here are some where you can find a lot more detailed information on fabrics, care and ironing.



We've got TEN blog entries on laundry.  From your washing area, machines, detergents, care, line drying and the most efficient and green ways to care for your clothes.  Go to the search field at the top, right of this blog and enter "laundry" and they will all pop up for you.

We'll be back with more laundry advice and tips.  We're still wanting to hit on the basic pieces everyone should have in their wardrobe.  Quality clothing purchases.  Shopping on line for clothes and what to do with your old clothes.

Thanks for spending some of your precious time with The Cherry!




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