7 Tips to Avoid Ironing

It seems like I should be promoting ironing and how to iron a dress shirt properly, but I’m not. Don’t get me wrong, I like ironing, but I don’t always have the time and find it quite unnecessary if the proper steps are taken. When I’m washing the Husband’s work clothes, I always take them out within minutes of the dryer going off; now everything else in the dryer, that’s a different story. Now when Husband does the laundry, he doesn’t do this. He hasn’t figured out this trick yet because once his work clothes are wrinkly from sitting in the dryer, he comes over to me with big ol’ puppy dog eyes asking me to iron them. Works. Every. Time. And it’s somehow always at 9:30 pm on Sunday. Boo. Oh well, I have a thing for creases in dress shirts; they just look so professional. Okay, on to my 7 tips to avoid ironing at 9:30 Sunday evening.

1. Fold Clothes as Soon as the Dryer is Done

I know I just explained this one but it totally works, especially if you buy the wrinkle free shirts (a serious Godsend). As the clothes are still warm, they won’t wrinkle, but as soon as they cool down, that’s when the wrinkles set in. Clothes fold so much nicer when they are warm. When they hang to cool, I find my clothes get this nice crispness to them and they are, of course, wrinkle free.

2. Turn the Dryer Back On

Wasteful on energy, but good for freshening up old laundry. Depending on how long the clothes have been sitting in the dryer affects the effectiveness of this tip. After a day, you’re good; a few days, the clothes look like they’ve been worn. I usually use this tip if I put the clothes in the afternoon but don’t get to it until later in the evening. Some people say to put a damp rag in with the clothes to get the wrinkles out; however, this has never really worked that well for me.

3. Invest in a Garment Steamer

These are so nice for a quick touch up and are super easy to use. You leave the piece of clothing hanging and gently run the steamer over it and the wrinkles disappear. I had one for a while and loved it. Another nice thing about the steamer option is that it will get rid of funky smells in your clothes if they’ve been in the closet for too long. P.s. steam is hot, just in case you were wondering; don’t ask my left pointer finger how I know.

4. Don’t Dry Them Completely in the Dryer

Try drying your clothes 80-90% of the way in the dryer then hang them  up to air dry the rest of the way. This will help your clothes last longer as well as keep in the wrinkles away. Or just skip the dryer completely and line dry your clothing.

5. Use a Flat Iron for Touch Ups

For small ironing jobs like fixing curled collars or wonky buttons this one works well and you can do this in less than a minute while doing your hair. I love using this tip when I’m in a rush and don’t have time to pull out the iron. Just be sure to check the temperature of the flat iron and the material you intend to use it on.

6. Use a Hair Dryer

I’ll take a hair dryer, turn it to the hottest setting and point it closely to the wrinkles. Actually, it would probably work better if you lightly misted the clothing with water first then dried it with the hair dryer. This method makes wrinkles less noticeable, from “wow that’s been sitting on the floor for a week” to “might have been in the dryer too long.” Definitely not my favorite but works when I don’t feel like ironing.

7. Buy Wrinkle Free Clothes

Ironing is an unnecessary, time-consuming chore that can be completely avoided if you buy wrinkle free cloths and care for them accordingly. Wrinkle free clothes will still wrinkle if you leave them wadded up under the bed for a week. I’m starting to buy more wrinkle free dress shirts for the Husband, but I don’t always remember to check the label.

Those are my best tips to avoid ironing, tried and true. Using these tips, I only iron about once every couple of months now to help keep Husband looking super professional for work.

Happy Procrastination!

Angela

How do you avoid ironing?

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