Looking for simple yet effective ways of reducing your ironing time? We all know that ironing isn’t the most enjoyable chore, but it’s one that you just can’t get away from.
In this article, we will be sharing 7 simple but effective tips to help reduce the amount of time spent ironing.
How to Speed up Ironing Time
1. Keep your iron clean
You might be surprised by how much a dirty iron can slow down the ironing process. A clean iron is an efficient iron. When a soleplate is dirty, you’ll have less glide and more resistance.
The evenness of the heat will also be affected. For steam irons, a buildup of mineral deposits will affect the output of steam.
A dirty iron will make it take much longer to get through your pile. Some basic maintenance will go a long way to keeping your iron clean and working optimally.
One simple trick is to iron a dryer sheet, this will help remove any residue or debris stuck to the soleplate.
2. Sort everything by fabric type
Before you begin, sort your clothing by both fabric type and clothing type. Because different fabric types tend to require different temperature settings, it’s a huge waste of time to be constantly changing the temperature and waiting for the iron to heat up or cool down.
Instead, iron all of your cotton, then all of your linens, and so on. It’s also helpful to sort within these fabric types the different types of clothing.
Trousers, shirts, skirts, and other kinds of clothing all require a slightly different ironing technique. Batching them can really help to speed up your ironing time.
3. Use a steam generator iron
A steam generator iron is a fantastic device that is guaranteed to reduce the amount of time you spend ironing.
Steam is the key to getting rid of wrinkles and creases, and a steam generator iron can produce massive amounts of steam – resulting in fewer strokes to get your clothes looking new.
Some models in the Philips range (like the Philips GC9630 PerfectCare Elite) can even automatically adjust the temperature for each type of fabric, so you won’t have to separate your clothes or stop to manually adjust temperature settings – a massive time saver.
4. Dampen clothes a bit
Clothes that are damp are much easier to iron. Damp clothing takes much less time to make wrinkle-free and looking great. There are a number of ways to achieve this.
You can take damp clothing right from the washer and start ironing, you can use the steam and spray functions on your iron, or you can use a spray bottle to dampen the fabric.
However you do it, dampness is your friend and it will help you get through your ironing pile much faster.
5. Cheat a bit
If you have to iron a shirt that’s going to be inside a suit, you can get away with ironing just the visible parts.
If no one’s going to see it all day then you can easily get away with ironing just the collar and the front of the shirt.
This is a very sneaky little time saver that can easily cut 5-10 minutes off your ironing time.
6. Try an ironing board hack
Put a piece of aluminium foil underneath the cover of your ironing board. This trick works by having the heat from the iron reflect off the aluminium foil, essentially letting you iron both sides of the fabric at once.
7. Try psychological tricks
If all else fails, you can try to speed up ironing time by using psychological tricks. Set a timer when you iron and try to finish under a certain time. Then, try to beat your record.
Chances are good that you aren’t being as efficient as you could be just in the way you move the iron. Challenge yourself until you improve.
Another good way to trick yourself into ironing faster is to put on some upbeat music. Studies have shown that fast music makes repetitive tasks more efficient and ironing is nothing if not repetitive. A favourite song might also make ironing more enjoyable.
Summing up
Hopefully, the tips above will open your eyes to a few new tips and tricks when it comes to ironing. Personally, I found that switching to a steam generator iron was the biggest time saver for me. Even a budget steam generator iron can help you to spend less time ironing.
If you have any time-saving tips and tricks to share we would love to hear them, just leave your ironing hacks in the comments section below.