Ironing

Honestly, we don’t iron unless it’s for a super special occasion, like a job interview. Ironing makes you re-live the Philippines in April without the glorious sunshine. There are so many other ways to spend one time than to iron!

To avoid ironing, we buy clothes that are wash-and-wear like cotton-knits (t-shirt material), sweaters, and jeans that if folded right after having come from the dryer, loses its wrinkles.

We heard from somewhere that if you hang your clothes in the bathroom and put the hot water on full-blast, the steam will make the wrinkles disappear. It does somewhat but not all the way. Nothing really beats ironing for that crisp, well prepared look. So although both our irons and their horses (don’t buy the small ones, they’re hard to use!) are gathering dust, we’re glad we have them.

Ironing Pants
Contributor: Teresita Jose, Xavier University, Ohio
1. Line up the seams of the insides of the pants and hold in place.
2. Line up the outside seams of each leg to the inside seam
3. Place on ironing board
4. Iron the inside part of each pant leg
5. Iron the outside part of each pant leg
6. Put waist part on board, parallel to the length of the ironing horse.
7. Iron waist area

Ironing Skirts
Contributor: Teresita Jose, Xavier University, Ohio
1. Line up the seams of the skirt
2. Place on the ironing board
3. Iron each side
4. Iron waist area

Ironing Long-Sleeved Shirts
Contributor: Christopher Yao, Boston University, Massachusetts
Match heating setting of iron to type of fabric and buy a spray bottle so you can moisten the fabric before you iron. Also, you may want to buy spray-on starch of which there are two kinds. The regular starch has a crisper finish this will be good for cottons. A spray-on starch with a soft finish is ideal for silk and rayon.
1. Iron the back of the collar
2. Iron cuffs
3. Iron sleeves making sure that there is a neat crease on either side of sleeve
4. Iron front of shirt (the side with buttons)
5. Iron the back of the shirt
6. Iron front of shirt

Wise Words: Get a little spray bottle and fill it with water…spray your clothes before ironing and iron away. It augments your steam option on your old plantsa. Get Niagra Starch as well! Don’t leave your clothes in the dryer too long. Buy wrinkle free outfits. When you are at home, watch your maid, mom, sister, brother, gardener, cousin, aunt iron clothes and learn from the experts. –Rhoel Dinglasan, Yale University, Connecticut