My spine is arthritic, so I have a problem standing for long periods. I started a few months ago to use my chair, which I use for sewing and at the computer, for ironing also. If your ironing board is an adjustable height, you can sit down and lower it until it's comfortable.
I always set mine up where I can lay the finished items on my bed. The ironing basket sits on the floor next to me. It makes it so much easier. I either watch TV or play music whilst I'm ironing.
By Marty Dick from Houston, TX
This page contains the following solutions.
When ironing fabric that is especially wrinkled, wet a cloth, wring it out, and rub it along the fabric as you iron. This method adds a little moisture without making it too wet and works much better than even a steam iron.
Cover an old rolling pin with thin batting and use it inside sleeves to press the seam allowances.
No ironing board or room for one? Iron your clothes over small square or round pillows. Placing the fabric over the pillows to iron is perfect for corners and hard to reach spots that need stretching out.
Hubby found an electric pants presser for $20 at a thrift store. I am learning to use it to "press" his khaki work pants, which come out of the wash all wrinkled.
My sister and I were away and she had a meeting to go to. Her shirt was quite wrinkled. After hanging it in a steam filled bathroom she used her hair straightener to touch it up.
When ironing on a regular ironing board, most of us use the narrowing of it and never think about the wide end. For ironing men's shirts I use the narrow end for the collar cuffs and the shoulder ironing the endside of each first and then the outside.
If you, like me, still have things you will not wear without ironing, I have an idea that will make the chore a little more pleasant. For the past several years, I have been spraying the clothes with scented linen spray as I iron them.
When you need a pair of men's pants pressed and take the shine out use cold coffee on a cloth and set it on the pants and press. This also puts a deep crease in the pants that will last a while.
As I really dislike ironing, I never do a wash load until the previous wash load has been ironed. That way it's always under control. Hope this helps someone.
A friend of mine gave me this tip: Ironing your clothes for the entire work week so you're prepared for each work day with no wardrobe surprises and it saves on your electric bill.
For heavily wrinkled jeans, iron them on a damp towel. It will create steam on both sides and iron the jeans much faster. This also works well on thick cotton clothing, like sweatshirts.
Instead of using the sprayer in your iron, try using a spray bottle. A spray bottle on mist offers you much more control when applying water.
Instead of dampening the clothing you are ironing, try spraying your ironing board's cloth cover. It will spread out the moisture more evenly.
Use some sort of a pressing cloth when ironing delicate fabrics and don't use high heat. Lightweight cotton towels work well as a pressing cloth. Just lay the pressing cloth on the item you wish to iron and it will help protect it from the heat.
To help your iron glide more easily over clothing run it over a sheet of waxed paper first. This is a page about the benefit of using waxed paper on your clothes iron.
Ironing a narrow strip of fabric such as a ribbon can sometimes be frustrating. This page offers some suggestions for making that job a bit easier.
