Women always want to remain delightful, and a celebration is an opportunity to demonstrate their attractiveness to others. And here every little thing is important: hairstyle, shoes, accessories, clothes.
But sometimes it happens that a girl purchased a dress in advance, and before the event she noticed that the folds, ruffles or bows were wrinkled. Typically, a steamer is used to remove wrinkles.
But what to do if there is no such device on the farm? There are several options for steaming a dress at home without a steamer.
When should you iron your dress?
It is recommended to iron a dress made of tulle, silk, or satin and expose it to high temperatures as rarely as possible. This is necessary in the following cases:
- the item was wrinkled during transportation;
- the product is prepared for sale;
- the dress will be stored in a box;
- it was recently washed.
Before the procedure, it is recommended to wash by hand.
It is important to know that not all materials are allowed to be ironed. This applies to outfits made of heavy, dense fabrics, such as viscose or gabardine.
In addition, do not forget about the decorative elements that adorn the dresses. Areas with rhinestones, lace and beads are more difficult to smooth out. In addition, there is a risk of burning or leaving a stain on delicate fabric.
Experts recommend using steamers for this purpose. However, the dress can be ironed without this device. Doing this at home is not so easy, but it is possible.
What is the fabric made of?
Polyester, or polyester fiber, is a synthetic thread formed by melting thermoplastic or other polymer derivatives. In simple terms, polyester is a man-made fiber that is often used in light industry. The material can be either a translucent veil or a thick cloak. The appearance depends on the chemical composition of the raw material, the type of fiber and the method of weaving.
The combination of fibers in the structure is resistant to various weather conditions. Products do not deteriorate when exposed to ultraviolet rays, heavy rain or frost. The material goes well with natural fibers.
Proven methods
If you don’t have the opportunity to buy a steamer or order a dress steaming service, then try to do everything yourself. The main thing is to be patient and follow the instructions, then everything will work out. To smooth out wrinkled fabric, you only need water or an iron.
Proven methods for steaming holiday outfits:
- A saucepan with boiling water.
- Steaming in the bathroom.
- Smoothing with an iron.
Each method has its own disadvantages and advantages. To smooth out the dress and not ruin it, you need to strictly follow the instructions and enlist the support of a loved one.
Experts still advise you to negotiate with the salon where you bought the dress so that the outfit can be steamed before the special event. Salons provide this service free of charge or for a small fee. Although there is still a possibility that the dress will wrinkle on the road. For this reason, it is important to know how to tidy it up without using professional equipment.
Care instructions
- When washing coats by hand, it is not recommended to rub the fabric against each other. It is enough to carefully turn over and compress the product, after placing it in a special bag for washing. With this approach, the likelihood of unnecessary folds will be significantly reduced;
- At the end of the washing process, there is no need to twist or wring out the material. It is enough to hang it over a basin or bathtub to drain off excess moisture;
- When washing, it is recommended to use special fabric softeners. This will add freshness, softness and reduce the risk of unnecessary wrinkles;
- It is recommended to iron a wool coat when it is not completely dry (there are exceptions, so you should carefully read the instructions on the tag).
In order for the item to remain neat and new in appearance longer, you must strictly follow the listed rules.
If you have any doubts about the idea of washing and ironing your coat yourself, you can take it to the dry cleaner and entrust the job to professionals. Specialists will return the original appearance to any type of fabric. What to wear with a black jacket What to wear with a red coat
Steaming with boiling water
A budget-friendly, but not the easiest way to iron a holiday outfit is steaming over boiling water.
To perform this procedure, follow the instructions:
- To avoid damaging the dress, ask one person to help. He will hold the item so that it does not fall into the hot water.
- Boil water in a saucepan.
- Hang the product on a hanger or clothesline.
- Bring the wrinkled areas to the steam and hold for a few seconds to smooth out the fabric.
- Let the dress cool. Ready!
The danger with this method is that delicate fabric cannot be kept over steam for long, as there is a chance that it will shrink too much. After this, it is impossible to smooth it even with a steamer. In addition, holes may appear in the canvas due to hot steam.
If a girl performs this manipulation on her own, then there is a possibility that the item will fall into boiling water. An assistant will help hold the fluffy skirts so that they do not fall into the hot water.
How to steam things correctly?
How to steam things correctly
- Gently stretch the fabric, holding the item by the bottom edge
- Press the button and press the working surface of the steamer onto the fabric...
- Try steaming your clothes from the inside...
- Use a heat-protective glove...
- Use a glove on collars, cuffs and other parts of shirts
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Steaming in the bathroom
Instructions:
- Open the hot water tap and close the door.
- When the room is filled with steam, carefully hang the product above the water at a distance of 20 - 25 cm. Securely fasten the dress to a hanger or rope.
- Leave the room, close the door. The item will be steamed for 4 to 8 hours.
- Hot steam will smooth out all the creases in the fabric, after which the dress will look amazing. Let it cool and put it on.
This is what they do with wedding and children’s wrinkled outfits.
This steaming method is suitable for one person, it also does not require material costs, but there are some risks. If you do not fasten the item securely, it will fall into hot water and become deformed. If there are decorative elements on the dress (rhinestones, stones, beads), they may come off under the influence of hot steam. If the item is made of heavy material, then this method of steaming will not help smooth out wrinkles.
Saving moisture
Water can give complex shapes a look. There are several known uses:
- Just moisten the item from a spray bottle and put it on yourself. Complete the procedure 20-30 minutes before leaving.
- Sprinkle a thin T-shirt or blouse with water and shake vigorously for 2-3 minutes.
- Wet hands will help you quickly get rid of small wrinkles. You need to simultaneously move your palms along the fabric on both sides with slight pressure.
- Knitted sweaters can be revived by a damp towel. Terry textiles are immersed in a container of water and wrung out. It is spread out on a horizontal surface, and then clothes are laid out. The moisture will be absorbed into the fibers and the unevenness will disappear within a few hours. All that remains is to hang the item on wide hangers to dry.
Vertical steamers (floor-standing)
Such devices are more reminiscent of vacuum cleaners, having a capacious (up to 3 liters of water) reservoir, placed in a housing on wheels for ease of transportation, and a long hose on which the iron is attached. Among the most popular brands: Philips (Philips), Vitek (Vitek), Rolsen (Rolsen), Kelli (Kelli).
Although it takes longer to heat the water in such systems, the high steam power ensures long-lasting and efficient operation of the steamer. He is able to smooth out stubborn wrinkles and hard creases on thick fabrics of outerwear, curtains, upholstery, etc.
Both manual and floor-standing models are designed for vertical steaming, that is, they are used to iron things while hanging. The clothes are placed on hangers and steamed on both sides, moving the iron vertically from top to bottom.
After turning on the steamer, let the water heat up to the required temperature so that steam enters the iron at the required pressure.
Security measures
To use your steamer safely and correctly, follow these guidelines:
- use the device strictly for its intended purpose. Do not direct hot steam at people, animals or plants;
- Do not under any circumstances try to iron clothes worn on the body;
- do not leave the device running or cooling down unattended;
- do not hang the device by the steam supply hose, do not disconnect or secure it while the steamer is operating;
- do not add water to the reservoir when the device is plugged in, make sure that the cord is not on a hot surface or in water;
- during the steaming process, wear a special heat-protective mitten to protect your hands;
- After each use, wipe the surface of the iron with a soft cloth and dry the reservoir when the device has completely cooled down.
Instructions on how to use a clothing steamer can be viewed in numerous videos on the Internet or read further.
Step-by-step instruction
- Preparation . Before starting work, you need to assemble the device: insert and fix the telescopic stand, hang the steam iron on the mount intended for it, attach the steam hose. (The assembly process differs depending on the steamer model.)
- Filling the reservoir . It is recommended to fill with cold purified water (filtered, distilled), focusing on the recommended volume marks.
- Inclusion . After installing the tank into the housing, unplug the cord from the device and plug it into a power outlet. After a few minutes, the water will heat up and after the indicator lights up, you can start using the steamer.
- Examination . Press the steam button, directing it away from you.
- Ironing . Move the iron smoothly and slowly over the fabric, vertically from top to bottom. For additional cleaning or ironing, use pads and locking brushes.
Install and remove attachments or clamps only when the device is turned off and cool.
After finishing work, you need to unplug the device from the outlet, wait until it cools down, and then disassemble it. The water container and the holes through which steam comes out on the iron must be periodically cleaned of limescale. The presence of scale leads to hot water splashing out (which is dangerous for you) and leaving marks on your clothes.
The steaming process itself is not particularly difficult; the most important thing is to be careful and use the steamer safely for yourself and others.
Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:
An expert in the field of housekeeping and a master of culinary masterpieces (according to family and friends). I’m used to relying on common sense, everyday experience and women’s intuition.
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The habit of using an automatic washing machine “sparingly” can lead to the appearance of an unpleasant odor in it. Washing at temperatures below 60℃ and short rinses allow fungi and bacteria from dirty clothes to remain on internal surfaces and actively multiply.
Before removing various stains from clothing, you need to find out how safe the selected solvent is for the fabric itself. It is applied in a small amount to an inconspicuous area of the item from the inside out for 5-10 minutes. If the material retains its structure and color, you can move on to stains.
Preparing the jacket
Before ironing a jacket, it is worth preparing the workplace and the item for processing. It is important to make sure that the clothes can be ironed. Read the product label carefully.
If an iron is drawn that is crossed out, it is not advisable to iron the jacket. But at the same time it is possible to remove folds and creases. For this you will need a steamer.
Complete the preparatory stage correctly:
- Make sure there is nothing in the pockets of your jacket.
- If the clothing has stains or other dirt, you should wash the jacket before ironing.
- A clean product is passed through with a special brush to remove lint, dust and pet hairs.
- To remove wrinkles, hang the jacket over a bowl of boiling water and leave for ten or fifteen minutes. The creases will disappear.
To iron, you need to prepare everything you need:
- Ironing board. Boards with an auxiliary platform are recommended. This makes ironing sleeves and hangers more comfortable and efficient. If you don't have a stand, use a small board. Wrap it in gauze or a piece of plain cloth.
- Iron with different functions. Some fabrics may require certain settings. “Steaming” or “delicate ironing” may come in handy.
- Gauze. You need a piece of clean and dry cloth 2-3 m long. Gauze will help you delicately iron the jacket.
To select the desired heating degree, look at the label. By the number of points it is possible to understand what the heating level will be:
- the only point is no more than 90-115 degrees;
- 2 points – temperature 120-140;
- 3 points – 160-200 degrees.
Irons come in different models. Sometimes it is difficult to understand which mode needs to be set. To do this, you should carefully study the instructions for the device.
To properly iron, you should follow several recommendations:
- The process uses an ironing board or hard surface.
- Take gauze and moisten it.
- Use the steam function for certain jacket materials.
- For hangers and sleeves, use a roller or a rag that is tightly twisted.
- The back must be processed not only from the outside, but also from the inside.
- The collar and lapels should be sprayed with water before ironing. Stretch the fabric well while processing.
- If there is an image on the jacket, iron from the inside. To treat the outside, use a lining made of cardboard or a piece of fabric.
- Glossy areas are treated with woolen cloth.
- Products made from pile are ironed in the direction of the grain.
- Do not touch metal or plastic buttons. These fasteners may melt or lose their saturation if ironed.
- It is important to adhere to a certain order, which will help prevent the appearance of creases on already ironed parts.
Finally, hang the product on a trempel until it dries.
Iron maintenance
Cleaning
When the iron no longer glides very well over the fabric or contaminates the ironed clothes, it needs to be cleaned. When used, the base of the device becomes dirty, and a layer of limestone begins to block all holes.
To properly remove scale and clean the iron, it is necessary to remove particles that interfere with the normal functioning of the device.
To properly clean your iron, follow these steps:
- Unplug the iron first before operating it.
- Allow the soleplate to cool or warm up before cleaning.
- For an iron with a Teflon-coated soleplate, do not use an abrasive sponge.
- Use only a well-wrung out cloth or a perfectly dry sponge.
What to clean with?
Use only high-quality chemical solutions for best effectiveness. Do not use too aggressive products to avoid corrosion.
As homemade solutions, you can take vinegar, citric acid, soda (as an abrasive). However, baking soda is not recommended for cleaning Teflon coatings.
Fine salt is used to remove rust, and stains on the Teflon surface can be removed with vinegar. Also among modern cleaning products, a special pencil is used to remove stains. It removes old fibers and dirt from even the most secluded corners.
Looking at the coverage
Also, the cleaning method depends on the type of coating.
The following coatings are available:
- Ceramic (glides perfectly over clothes, is easy to clean, but is fragile).
- Aluminum (heats up and cools down quickly, but leaves a shine on the fabric).
- Stainless steel (glides easily, is durable, but makes the iron heavy).
- Teflon (non-stick properties and easy to slide, but easily scratched).
- Titanium (glides perfectly, strong and durable).
These are the main types of soles. And, as a rule, most manufacturers use just these types, adding special coatings and coatings that make the product unique and recognizable.
Teflon coatings, despite their durability and strength, should not be subjected to mechanical stress.
Storage tank
Empty the water tank after each use. This way it will not stagnate, preventing the occurrence of an unpleasant odor.
Some models require a self-cleaning function for the steam generator. After pressing the button, the iron will release a stream of steam with dust particles in it.