Whether it’s wearing your sharpest outfit to a client meeting or a favourite frock for a night out - it is a common belief that when you look good, you feel good. However, this process often involves some form of garment care and a little TLC.

For many Australians, ironing is considered a necessary evil. As much as we try to avoid ironing, it ends up forgotten about until the 11th hour, making it a more painful experience as we rush to quickly freshen up our ensemble before rushing out the door.

As part of a series of tips and cheats to ironing, we’ve put together a beginner’s guide to smoothing out wrinkles, both soft and stubborn.

• invest in a quality iron and full sized ironing board – a half board will only get the job half done
• cover the ironing board with foil under the ironing board cover
  this lets steam and heat reflect back - it’s almost like ironing both sides simultaneously, saving you time
• hang damp garments immediately from the wash cycle using a clothes hanger
  this helps maintain the structure of the garment - ideal for business shirts and thicker fabrics - reducing the amount of heavy fold marks
• for more stubborn fabrics, iron while fabrics are still damp - the moisture helps to achieve smoother results
  it also means you can skip spraying mist on fabrics prior to ironing 
• take your time ironing - rushing often leads to placing unintended creases in places you don’t want creases, requiring you to go over the same spots.

As unappealing as it sounds, we also recommend developing a habit of ironing in batches. Simply switch on a radio or TV for background entertainment and off you go. This helps avoid a last minute rush and means you’re less likely to make mistakes.

APPLIANCES

• Steamline Auto Advance Steam Iron
• Swift Steam Garment Steamer
• SteamStation Steam System