When cleaning the house, every housewife removes the curtains for washing. Clean, washed tulle always looks wrinkled and requires ironing. Curtains can be ironed not only on an ironing board, but also without removing them from the curtain rod. This is very easy to do, and a few practical tips will help you cope with the task.
There are several ways to iron curtains. When using this or that method, you must definitely pay attention to the composition of the fabric from which the product is made. If it is silk, satin and other delicate fabric, then the temperature during ironing should not exceed 100 degrees. At higher temperatures, iron marks or difficult-to-remove stains will remain on the fabric surface.
How to iron curtains
The washed curtains are hung on the curtain rod and allowed to straighten for 1-2 hours. Then water is poured into the iron and the device is plugged into the outlet. Curtains are steamed using a jet of steam released from the sole of the iron. Particular attention is paid to places where there are creases or irregularities. The iron should be kept at a distance of 30-40 centimeters from the fabric, not close. Thin fabrics are smoothed out literally in seconds under the influence of steam; thicker fabrics need to be ironed much longer.
Important!
When ironing, wear mittens or an oven mitt on your hands to avoid scalding your hands.
Using the steam mode
Steaming makes ironing synthetic fabrics much easier.
Ironing items made from synthetic materials is most effective using a steam generator or an iron with a vertical steam mode. Using such devices, you can not only smooth out a polyester product with high quality, but also remove dirt stains and unpleasant odors from the fabric. The ironing process itself does not require much effort and is quick and easy.
Before ironing 100% polyester using this technique, the product must be hung on hangers and the device must be set to the mode for delicate fabrics. Steaming should begin from the back, moving from top to bottom, except for the collar - usually it is smoothed last. Then the shoulders and sleeves are processed, after that the front part of the product. The iron or steam generator is kept at a distance of several centimeters from the fabric.
Without iron
Many housewives have long abandoned the iron, replacing it with a modern household appliance - a steamer. The device is very convenient and easy to use; it copes with its task instantly, straightening out even the oldest creases in the fabric. For ironing curtains while hanging, a steamer will come in handy.
Pour water into the container and turn on the heat. You need to wait 2-3 minutes for the water to heat up and steam to start releasing. Pass the steam over the fabric several times with slow movements. In 10 minutes you can straighten even a large, 5-meter tulle without any difficulty. The steamer is suitable even for cotton and synthetic fabrics; after ironing, the curtains will be perfectly straight.
Fabric Features
Currently, specialized boutiques offer a wide variety of tulle, which allows you to give each room a completely individual atmosphere - from delicate, almost weightless, to more sophisticated and luxurious.
- “Mesh,” as the name suggests, is a fabric with a perforated texture. This textile comes in many colors, which allows you to fully express your imagination when creating the color of a room. Such tulle will transmit light perfectly. A mesh curtain looks great both as an independent window decoration and as an addition to heavier curtains. However, this type of tulle has one important disadvantage - dust particles accumulate on it very actively, which should be taken into account, especially if you are allergic.
- Organza is a fairly dense and wear-resistant material, despite its lightness and transparency. Polyester is used as the raw material for its production. Dust will not accumulate on this tulle, and it is quite convenient to use - it does not wrinkle and dries quickly.
- Voile is another type of fabric that can last quite a long time. True, unlike the others, it has a matte structure and translucent appearance. Does not require additional curtains. A veil is created from cotton, silk and wool fibers.
- Muslin is a natural or synthetic fabric with a special plain weave that provides it with strength. The material is light and airy, drapes easily, and allows you to create a unique atmosphere in the room.
- Kisey, or thread curtains, is a lightweight fabric made from individual threads of cotton, linen or silk, fastened together only in the upper part. It is distinguished by excellent breathability, lightness, richness of colors and decor.
- Chiffon is a thin, flowing translucent fabric made of silk or cotton. Gives products a sophisticated look and allows you to create noble ensembles in combination with other materials for sewing curtains. But it is not very convenient to process; an unstitched edge can creep along the threads. Also, chiffon curtains are not very durable.
Without steamer
If you don’t have a steamer or iron at home, or, for example, there’s a power outage, you can straighten the curtains using steam. You need to get steam by simply boiling water. For this method you will need a kettle (gas or electric) or a small saucepan filled with water. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for another 5 minutes. Then take a container of boiling water and bring it to the hanging curtain. Direct the steam so that it hits the fabric. Use your hands to straighten the fabric and remove creases. The material smooths out before our eyes and has a neat appearance. For better results, you can slightly wet the curtains with a clean damp cloth; they will smooth out much better and faster.
Advantages of textile curtains
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Thanks to modern technologies, fabric curtains for the bathroom have acquired properties that are completely uncharacteristic for them. They do not absorb water and effectively protect against its splashing around the room. Fabric bathroom curtains have a number of advantages:
- Variety of appearance. These are not only designs and color palettes, but also textures that polymer film curtains do not have.
- The price of fabric curtains is quite low. It allows you to change products depending on your mood, time of year and other factors.
- Modern technology makes all fabric shower and bath curtains waterproof. They do not allow steam or drops of water to pass through and protect the rest of the bathroom from increasing humidity. This prevents the appearance of mold and other negative consequences.
- Textile bathroom curtains are more pleasant to the touch and do not stick to the body.
- All materials are completely safe, do not emit harmful substances and do not cause allergies.
- It is convenient to use textile products. They are treated with special weighting compounds along the bottom edge, so they hold their shape well and do not stick together.
- There are many options for such products. They come in a variety of styles to suit the needs of any customer.
- Caring for such curtains is extremely simple. They are washed in a washing machine and dried flat. They can dry directly at their “workplace”, i.e. on the bar above the bathtub. Some curtains can be ironed on low heat.
Cons of textile options
There are very few disadvantages to fabric curtains for the bathroom. First of all, they include the need for drying. Moisture should not linger on the surface, otherwise there is a risk of mold growth.
When the water procedures are completed, you must wait until the water drains from the surface. Then the curtain must be pulled apart and straightened so that it dries well.
To prevent mold from appearing on the curtain, it needs to be washed quite often. However, frequent washing gradually leads to damage to the moisture-repellent layer. The curtain loses its characteristics.
To reduce all these negative consequences, high-quality ventilation must be created in the bathroom.
How to iron curtains without removing them from the curtain rod quickly and easily
If the curtains are made of heavy material - cotton or organza, you can use this method to straighten them. After washing, the fabric should not be completely wrung out; wet tulle should be immediately hung on the curtain rod. The curtains straighten under their own weight and will remain absolutely straight after drying. It takes a lot of time to straighten - about 10-12 hours, but the result will please you. However, the method will not work for synthetic material and thin fabric.
Important!
When hanging wet fabric, be sure to place dry floor rags underneath or place a basin to drain the water.
Photo curtains
Photocurtains are a new type of window decoration. Its essence is that any picture that you can choose yourself is applied to the material. As a rule, the image itself retains its appearance for quite a long time if you properly care for the product.
Usually, only polyester is used to create such curtains, therefore the ironing rules are similar to the previous point.
Using the steam function is not recommended as it may damage the photo print and cause the material to warp.
Adviсe
In order for curtains to look neat and decorate the window, they need to be washed and ironed at least once a month. In addition to observing the temperature regime when ironing, you need to consider a few more points:
- To wash fabric, it is better to choose a delicate cycle with minimal spin or wash it by hand.
- If you don’t have time to iron the curtain after washing, then hang it along its entire length in the bathroom. You can turn on hot water - the steam will quickly remove the wrinkles.
- It is advisable to start ironing the curtains in the coming days. The longer the product sits in the closet, the more difficult it is to remove creases later.
- When ironing by hand, the curtain must be ironed on the wrong side and be sure to lay gauze on top - this will protect the fabric from burning. Ironing should start from the bottom to straighten the most difficult wrinkles. Then they raise the curtains to the middle and only then iron the top.
Basic rules for washing polyester
Synthetic fabrics should be washed at low temperatures
Synthetics are often used to produce quite voluminous outerwear items such as jackets, raincoats or coats. To less often encounter the problem of how to iron the 100% polyester from which these inconvenient-to-iron items are made, you should follow the following rules when washing them:
- Synthetic materials are susceptible to deformation in hot water. For this reason, such fabric should be washed at a water temperature not exceeding 40°C.
- To prevent dirt or lint from sticking to your outerwear during wear, a small amount of antistatic agent should be added to the water during the last rinse after the main wash.
- When washing such items in a washing machine, the spin mode should be set at low speed. After hand washing, the products should not be twisted or squeezed too much; it is better to squeeze them slightly.
- After washing, the item should be straightened out well, smooth out all the wrinkles with your hand and carefully hang it on a hanger.
Compliance with all these washing conditions will allow the material to straighten naturally and there will be no need to iron the product.
Errors
Sometimes, due to inexperience or ignorance, people spoil expensive things. The most common reason is an incorrect choice of temperature conditions, as a result of which the delicate fabric base begins to shrink and holes form on its surface. If the material has deteriorated in an inconspicuous place, you can try to cut off the damaged piece of fabric. If the curtain is burned in the middle, then nothing can be done, the product can be thrown away.
The most common errors are also related to:
- With washing and drying in a machine at high speed. As a result, the curtain ends up with a large number of creases, which are difficult to fix.
- Untimely ironing. The product lies unnecessarily for several weeks after washing, so it is difficult to iron it out.
- Using an iron or steamer with a dirty surface. Soot on the sole immediately transfers to the fabric and, under the influence of temperature, eats tightly into its structure. It is difficult to remove carbon deposits from the curtain, so it is removed from the sole in advance. You can remove carbon deposits using a special cleaning pencil. It can be purchased at household goods stores.
You can iron even the thinnest tulle and curtains made of delicate fabric even without using an iron. You just need to know a couple of tricks and be able to apply them in practice, and you can safely hang the curtain on the windows, it will be beautiful and neat.
Step-by-step instruction
Fundamentally! For lining, be sure to use snow-white cotton fabric - colored materials can fade under the influence of temperature.
- The ironing temperature is selected strictly in accordance with the temperature regime designated for a given type of fabric.
- To iron the seams, use a lining of 1 or 2 layers of gauze. While ironing seams and stitching areas, turn off the steam function on the iron - steam may not destroy dense fabric, but delicate materials will go in “waves” under the influence of steam.
The sizes of modern ironing boards are not designed for large and long items. To prevent the fabric from falling to the floor during ironing:
- Place the ironing board very close to the window. Start the process from the highest part of the curtain, lowering it evenly down. When the fabric begins to touch the floor, hang the curtain on the curtain rod - this way you can iron its lower part without any problems.
- You can use any round object 1-1.5 meters high. Start ironing from the bottom of the curtain, evenly wrapping the ironed fabric on a stick - this way the fabric will not wrinkle or get dirty.
Additional tips for ironing curtains
- Silk and taffeta. Ironing of these fabrics is carried out only from the inside at a low temperature. Be sure to iron silk and taffeta dry, without wetting them with water.
- Curtains with embroidery. Ironing is carried out from the wrong side of the product; the fabric must be slightly moistened with water beforehand.
- Velvet. This is a very capricious material, so it needs to be smoothed dry and only from the wrong side. Do not use the steam mode for velvet - under the influence of steam, such fabric may become deformed.
- Curtains with lining. This type of curtain requires ironing on both sides - from the front and from the back. The temperature regime must be selected for each side separately.
How to iron curtains without an iron
You can iron curtains without an iron using a steam generator or steamer. Directed steam exposure will help smooth the fabric without using a regular iron . Also, using steamers will eliminate the need to use a bulky ironing board.
Important! You need to start steaming from top to bottom, slightly pulling the fabric with your hand.
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How to iron organza curtains
Organza and chiffon do not like moisture and steaming, and do not react well to high temperatures. Therefore, when working with organza or chiffon, use the minimum temperature setting, otherwise your curtains may become “wavey.”
Application
Bed linen is often made from polyester, but I read quite a lot of reviews about it - all without enthusiasm. Mostly they complain that such underwear does not absorb sweat well, it is uncomfortable to sleep, and some people develop allergies.
They sew tablecloths, curtains, draperies, upholstery for upholstered furniture, even carpets.
The most common types of clothing are suits, jackets, and underwear.
A popular ratio with wool is 55% wool and 45% polyester. This option is often used when sewing trousers, skirts, and jackets.
Together with wool, it ranks second (after cotton) for making socks. This is explained by the fact that such socks are very cheap. But this is probably their only advantage. There are many more disadvantages - such socks barely allow air to pass through, your feet sweat in them, and they retain heat very poorly. In general, the same lack of hygiene that I mentioned above.
However, pure polyester socks are almost never seen. It is much more common to see 80% cotton and 20% polyester on the label. This is the most successful combination that you can safely buy. Such things will not stretch and lose shape.
Often used for sewing jackets. Can be used as a filler for warm clothes along with padding polyester and holofiber. Here, for example, is what I saw on the label of my favorite coat:
In combination with a membrane fabric, it is very popular among athletes for sewing sports suits, swimsuits, and hiking equipment.
