Overcome your incompetence at the ironing board and save cash
Pressing tips from Pedro Vasquez, owner of Pete’s Cleaners in New York City.
1. Fine-tune your temps
Check the clothes tag on your pants. Cotton and linen require more heat, while polyester and other delicate fabrics can be hurt by high temperatures.
2. Flip ’em out
If you iron on top of bunched pockets, the result won’t be smooth. Turn the pants inside out and iron both sides of the pocket flaps.
3. Use H2O
Lightly dampen stubborn creases using a spray bottle or the iron’s spray function. The steam can help eliminate them. For less pronounced wrinkles, hit the steam button intermittently.
4. Press, rotate
Turn the pants right side out; slide them onto the board’s small end through the waist and as far down one leg as you can. Press the front area and top of the leg, using the iron’s entire plate. Rotate the pants and do the bum and back of the leg. Slide the other leg onto the board and iron it as far down as you can. Remove it and iron each leg flat on the board separately, using long strokes from the ankle up.
5. Tackle the tough areas
Press around the fly area, zipper, and pockets with the point of the iron, rewetting with the sprayer as needed.
Iron less!
To cut the time you spend standing at the ironing board, load your dryer half full so the clothes can tumble freely. Then hang your items immediately to relax wrinkles.
