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My husband’s white dress shirts are always impeccably ironed. Unfortunately I can’t take credit for it. He is a little compulsive when it comes to his shirts, and he actually prefers to iron them himself. And to that I say more power to him! :-)
Ironing has never been one of my favorite chores, but sometimes it’s simply unavoidable. So I thought I’d try to find a few ironing tips that make the process easier for me. And luckily, I found some really good ones!
So today I’ll be sharing some of the best ironing hacks that I’ve come across. These tips are sure to help make your ironing easier, faster, and more effective. (And if you have a must-know tip about ironing that isn’t listed here, share it with us in the comments if you feel so inclined!)
Related: This Is The Perfect Solution For Your Hard-To-Iron Clothes
10 Genius Ironing Hacks You Need To Know
1. Use Your Dryer
If you need to smooth out a few items of clothing that are only lightly wrinkled, skip the iron and use your dryer! Use a spray bottle of water to dampen the items, then toss them in your dryer for a few minutes. The heat of your dryer will cause the moisture on the clothes to turn to steam, and those wrinkles will fall right out. Throw those clothes on, and you’ll be ready for anything!
2. Wash Smaller Loads
Doing smaller loads of laundry allows your clothes to tumble more freely in the dryer. The steam and heat have more room to pass evenly throughout your clothes, helping to reduce wrinkles overall. So smaller loads = less ironing! :-)
3. Spritz Your Shirts
For super crisp dress shirts, some people swear by using a water bottle to spritz a shirt while ironing. Many steam irons have a spray function, which would work just as well! The additional moisture helps to smooth out wrinkles with less effort, and leaves shirts super smooth. You can also try my wrinkle release spray!
4. Hang Clothes Up ASAP
Once your clothes are done drying, hang them up as soon as possible (preferably immediately!) This simple step can really cut down on the amount of ironing you have to do. The clothes will still be warm enough that wrinkles won’t have “set in” yet, and gravity will help take care of the rest!
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5. Shake It Out
When you’re transferring clothes from the washer to the dryer, give each item a quick shake. A good shake helps to untwist and untangle your clothes, so they’ll have a better chance of coming out of the dryer wrinkle-free.
6. Iron In Order
Organize your items from delicate and less-wrinkled, to sturdier and more-wrinkled before ironing. Before you start ironing check the laundry symbols on the tag to make sure the clothing item can be ironed. Your iron will heat up more as you go, meaning your iron will be the perfect heat level for what you’re ironing at the time. No more waiting for the iron to cool down part-way through your ironing! You’d be surprised at how much time you’ll save this way!
7. Say No To Circles
I had no idea about this, but it turn out that ironing in circular motions is a no-no! Apparently it scratches the fabric and can ruin the fit of your clothes. Instead, use long parallel strokes in one direction to avoid stretching the fabric.
8. Say Yes To Steam!
If it feels like you’re ironing forever and the wrinkles are still there, crank up the steam on your iron! Steam is the natural enemy of wrinkles, and you’ll find that with more steam, those wrinkles will disappear in record time. Better yet, invest in my favorite clothes steamer and say goodbye to ironing forever!
9. Check Your Board
Having a good ironing board is almost as important as having a good iron! A good ironing board makes the whole chore easier, and less likely that you’ll keep putting it off. ;-) If your board is in rough shape, you may just need a new cover. If that doesn’t do the trick, consider replacing it with a new ironing board.
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10. Clean Your Iron
A dirty iron plate can discolor your clothes and snag fabrics, and no one wants that! So if your iron plate is looking a bit rusty or scorched, it’s time to give your iron a good cleaning. The easiest way I’ve found to clean an iron plate is to use a Magic Eraser!
You should also descale your iron regularly if you use tap water in the water reservoir. Check your iron’s user manual for instructions on descaling your particular model. (And once it’s clean, use distilled water in your iron to avoid limescale buildup in the future!)
I hope these tips help make this necessary chore a bit less of a drag! :-)
