How to iron properly; easy ironing

The best ways to iron clothing. Iron washed clothes while they are still slightly damp. Otherwise, spray them with water and roll them in a towel for an hour. When ironing a batch of clothes, do the items that require the lower iron setting first.

When possible, iron dark fabrics, acetates, rayons, and silks on the wrong side to prevent surface shine. Steam wrinkles from wool, or use a dampened press cloth and a light upand-down motion instead of a glide. Iron napped, nubby, embroidered, or appliqued items on the wrong side with a terry towel between the garment and the ironing board.

Blouses

Start with the collar and cuffs, ironing the wrong side first; hold them taut so that they don’t wrinkle. Next are sleeves. If a sleeve has a gathered or pleated cap, it should be pressed on a sleeveboard. Otherwise, avoid the top edge as you iron the sides. Then center the seam underneath and iron the top, taking care not to crease the sides. Iron the sleeve cap over the end of the board, using the tip of the iron for gathers.

Skirts and pants

First iron the waistband of a skirt over the end of the board. On a pleated skirt, iron a little below the waist; turn the skirt around and iron the rest of the pleat length. Press a skirt with gathers or unpressed pleats from hem to waist.

Iron the top of pants first. Then lay the pants flat, legs on top of each other, with the side and inseams aligned. Fold back the top leg and iron the inside of the bottom leg. Turn the pants over and repeat on the other side. Then iron the outside of each leg, setting the creases -to the seat in back, to 6 inches below the waistband in front-with a dampened press cloth.