How to Iron Your Clothes

As with most other household jobs, the equipment used for ironing is of vital importance, both for the finished result and for your health. Make sure the height of the ironing board can be ad­justed so that you can iron comfortably both sitting down and standing up. Cover the board with a thick pad, which should be wrinkle-free, and buy two ironing board covers so that one is always clean. A sleeve board and press­ing cloth are both useful, but not essen­tial, as is a flex holder which will prevent the flex falling onto the board and get­ting in the way. If you do not use a flex holder, put the flex behind you and to your working side.

Choosing an iron

There are many different makes of iron to choose from. Steam irons are heavier than non-steam irons, but essential if you tend not to find time for ironing until items have all dried out. Choose an iron that is not too heavy and that can get into corners easily; an open handle can do this better but is less balanced and less easy to grip than a closed handle. Preferably your iron should be capable of both dry and steam ironing and should have a wide range of temper­atures, to suit each fabric type. A spray attachment is also useful for dry ironing.

Rotary irons are expensive and take up space. They will save time if you have a lot of linen to iron and, with practice, can also be used for shirts.

Golden rules

Before ironing check with attached care labels to find out what setting to use and make sure articles are at the right stage of dampness (see box). Start by ironing items that need a cool iron and if you think your iron may be too hot, test it on a seam or hem. If the iron starts sticking to the material, let it cool down.

With large and awkward garments, first iron all the double parts (pockets, seams, hems, etc) on the wrong side of the material. Then turn the garment over onto its right side and iron all the small, fiddly parts (collars, cuffs, sleeves, belts, etc) before ironing the main part of the article.

Iron the collars of shirts and blouses first until quite dry. Start on the wrong side and then turn over onto the right side. Begin ironing at the centre of the collar and work the iron outwards first to one tip, then to the other. Next iron the cuffs, again first on the wrong side and then on the right, and then iron the sleeves (right side only), making sure you do not iron a crease into them. Iron the yoke, if any, then iron the main part of the shirt or blouse, beginning at the buttons on the front and working round the shirt until you reach the buttonholes on the other side. Always iron into gathers and pull pleats into shape and then iron on top. When ironing circular tablecloths, mats, etc, iron from the outside and work towards the centre. When ironing handkerchiefs, iron round the hem first and then iron over the whole surface.

After ironing, leave clothes to air and become bone dry before wearing them or putting them away. Never rest the iron with the sole plate down; rest it on its heel and do not walk out of a room leaving the iron on.

leW ae
V R are under the attic insul­ation or within the tank casing, they should all be lagged.

Insulating the attic

As long as your attic has no awkward corners or obstructions, and there are regular spaces between the joists, you can use sheet insulation material. This comes in a roll and is simply unrolled and laid between the joists. For this, you can use either rolls of glass fibre, foam, felt or a similar material, or preformed moulded insulation. Do not forget to insulate the trap door as well and make sure it has a draught-proof seal, and cover the sides and lid of the water tank. Do not however, insulate under the tank as the warmth from below should be allowed to rise to prevent the water in the tank freezing in winter.