I don’t own a clothes iron. My lifestyle simply doesn’t require me to have ironed clothes. So, if someone were to ask me how to save money ironing clothes then my best advice would be: just don’t iron. However, I know that other people do iron their clothing. Whether it’s required for their professional lives or simply a preference, many people engage in this practice weekly, if not daily. Is it possible to save money on ironing clothes?
Buy the Right Iron and the Right Clothing
Most of the time, the key to really saving money on anything is to shop smart. If you buy the wrong materials to begin with, you waste more money over time. For example, you might find that paying a little bit more for clothes that iron easily saves you money in the long run. It can also be more efficient, saving you time. Likewise, spending money on the right iron (one that will last a long time) can help you avoid having to waste money replacing the item in the near future.
Buy the right iron.
You don’t want to buy the cheapest iron on the market. You also don’t need to buy the most expensive one. Shop around. Get the features that you need but no other frills. Find an iron with good reviews that emphasize long-lasting durability and good performance. Look for energy-saving models.
Buy clothing that doesn’t need to be ironed.
When looking for professional clothing, you can often find a “no iron” mention in the product description. You can also learn about different materials that generally stay wrinkle-free without ironing. Wool and other knits, denim, and rayon are just a few examples of fabrics that don’t typically need to be ironed.
Proper Preparation: Before You Iron
It’s important to have a routine for everything you do regularly in your life. Setting up the right routine can help save time. Done correctly, it can also help you save money. There are certain things that you can do to prepare your clothing for ironing. Here are those tips:
Remove clothing from the dryer immediately.
Hang clothing neatly as soon as you remove it from the dryer. Therefore, you minimize wrinkles. Even if you need to iron the item, you won’t have to spend nearly so much time doing it as you would if you had left the clothes in the dryer for days and allowed wrinkles to set in.
If you are the type of person who irons your linens, then the trick here is to fold them rather than hang them. Remove them from the dryer promptly. Fold them on top of the warm dryer, smoothing them down so that they are crisp. This typically eliminates the need to iron. At the very least, you won’t have to iron for long.
Don’t do your laundry and then let it sit. Don’t let it sit in the dryer. Make sure you don’t just move it from the dryer to a basket. If you want to have wrinkle-free clothing, make time in your routine to hang or fold everything as it comes out of the just-finished drying cycle.
Steam out wrinkles while you shower.
You just woke up. Your work clothes have wrinkles in them. Take them into the bathroom with you while you shower. Hang them up and shower as usual. The steam from your shower will help remove some of the wrinkles. You may find that you don’t even need to iron after all. If you do, the clothes are ready for very quick ironing.
Get your items ready to iron.
Generally speaking, you shouldn’t actually just iron one set of clothing at a time like in the above example. Instead, you should iron as much as possible at once. Just like it’s a waste to put one item in the dryer, it’s a waste to turn your iron on just to iron one thing. Therefore, you should set aside ironing time and do sets of items all at once.
Before you even turn on the iron, you should sort your items into piles. At the very least, sort into lightweight items and dense, heavy items. You should iron all of the lightweight items first, warming up the iron. Then you should move on to the batch of heavier items.
How to Avoid Energy Waste When Ironing
As you can see, a lot of the money that you can save on ironing happens before you even begin the ironing process. Once you start ironing, the most important thing is to avoid wasting energy. The longer an iron is on, the more energy you use; therefore, the more money you spend to use it. Here are some tips to avoid energy waste with your iron:
Clean the iron.
If your iron is dirty then you cause yourself unnecessary hassle. It also takes longer to iron your clothes. Therefore, make sure that you begin with a clean iron. Wipe the face of it down before you begin ironing.
If it’s a steam iron, check for mineral deposits before you start to iron. If they’re on there, they can get steamed into the clothes, which can ruin your clothing. Then you’ll have to buy more clothing, which is a waste of money.
Use the right heat setting.
You do not have to use the highest heat setting every time that you iron your clothing. In fact, each type of clothing does best with a specific level of heat. If you use too much heat, you might even burn your clothing and have to replace it. More than that, though, you’re just wasting your iron’s energy if you’re ironing with more heat than it requires. Figure out the best heat setting for each of your clothing items. Write it down so you remember it for next time.
Additional Tips to Save Money on Ironing Clothes
Finally, here are some additional tips to keep in mind to save money on ironing clothes:
- Don’t iron if you don’t have to. It’s truly not always necessary. Relax a little about it when you can.
- Iron when you have time to iron. If the iron is just sitting there while you do other things then you’re wasting energy. Focus on the task at hand. Turn the iron on, do all of your ironing, and then turn the iron off.
- Try using spray starch. Some people find that they enjoy the crisp feeling of spray starch. Plus, it cuts down on ironing time. Of course, you do pay to buy the starch, so this might be a financial wash. It’s a personal preference.
- Turn the iron off as soon as you finish ironing. Make sure that you immediately unplug it. Don’t allow vampire energy to run up your electric bill.
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