How I've Reduced Ironing Time By 90%!
Nobody wants to spend time ironing when there's a million better things to do...So here are my 10 tips that will help you reduce the time you spend ironing up to 90%! It has worked for me, so it will definitely work for you.
1. When You Buy.
When buying new clothes, try to go for textiles that are crease-free or can be easily ironed. That is of course if it's not summer clothing that we all should prefer all cotton or linen and also only if you don't have any skin condition that does not allow any synthetic fibres. For example, men's shirts nowadays come in some many iron-free or little ironing fabrics that are a combination of cotton and synthetic fibres. Keep in mind: the cotton should be the primary fabric and the only items to go for this option should be clothes. Try to avoid it for bed linen, underwear and so on.
Ironing of shirts and many other everyday items - Gone!
2. When You Wash - A.
When washing your clothes, try using a laundry detergent and/or fabric softener that works additionaly to eliminate creases, thus ironing time.
Ironing for many items is gone and the time spent in most of the of the others is significantly less!
3. When You Wash - B,
If the reason you iron pretty much all of your laundry is to add to their disinfection, I am sorry to be the one who breaks the bad news, but you are not doing anything. In order to disinfect or sterilise an item it needs to be in 100 degrees+ for at least 10 minutes. (New moms know this from the bottle sterilisers!) So a couple of seconds under the iron's steam will not do much - it only has a psychological effect. If you want your clothing,underwear, baby clothing, socks, bedding and so on to be as hygenically clean as possible, you need to wash it at 60+ degrees in a 60+ minutes cycle, or even better , use a liquid or powder that goes in with your detergent and kills viruses and bacteria at just 30 degrees cycles.
This way, ironing of sheets, socks, underwear, sweatshirts etc- Gone!
4. When You Dry - A.
Avoid using a tumble drier for cotton, linen and generally all fabrics that get easily creased. Hanging them to dry instead will result in lot less creased clothes.
5. When You Dry - B.
It makes a world of difference if you carefully hang the clothes and other items to dry. Try to hang them as straight as possible without creating folds. In most of the laundry items, the result will be clothes that look as if they have been ironed!
6. When You Iron - A.
If you need to do lots of ironing, it is imperative that you invest in a good ironing system. My experience is that a sturdy and reliable iron system with steam generator is going to tremendously improve your ironing routine. Not only will it be easier to remove the creases due to the high volume and pressure of the steam, but it will be twice or even three times as fast, compared to a simple steam iron.
7. When You Iron - B.
Another handy tip when you iron that I've been using, is to pile the items you want to iron and start ironing from the top downwards. The pressure you apply and the steam that is released will pre-treat your lower items so when you get there, it will be lots easier to iron.
8. When You Iron - C.
Do make sure you spray water or water combined with a special ironing conditioner will ironing hard fabrics. It will reduce dramatically the time you spend and make it tons easier to work with thick fabrics.
9. When You Store.
Whether you have ironed your laundry or not, storing them properly will keep them crease-free or even straighten them out. When it comes to shirts, dresses and blouses, you need to hang them, taking attention not to create any folds. Other items such as trousers, t-shirts and sheets can be stored in a cabinet or drawer, but carefully folded so that they keep their crease-free look. If you have not ironed your items, but still fold them properly, you will be amazed how ironed-like they will look, just because of the pressure they get from the items above them.
10. Outsource!
Of course, there is always the option to outsource all or part of your ironing. If you need to have pristine shirts for work or just hate ironing, try taking your laundry to the a dry cleaner or have someone do some hours of ironing every week. It is costly so a great idea is to have the items washed at home to avoid this charge and take them to the professionals for ironing only. Take advandage of offers over a longer period of time or regular service as well as the pickup and delivery that many businesses offer. It is going to give you 2 or 3 hours of free time per week, so why not spend that little money for your own mental and physical health?
Healthy, happy and prosperous living everyone!