Have you ever come across caution labels such as "Iron With Caution" or "Don't Use Direct Steam" on your wool clothes? Are you wondering why you should avoid applying direct and high-heat iron on wool clothes? Or for that matter, is it even necessary to iron wool clothes?
Well, we have got you covered! In here, we will find out answers to questions like – How do you get wrinkles out of wool? Can wool coat be ironed?
Let’s get started.
Wool is basically a natural fiber. It provides wonderful resilience when knitted or woven into a fabric. That's why heavier types of wool clothes tend to suffer less from creasing during laundering. So should you iron them or not? Well, that depends on your personal preference.
Simply, hanging a wrinkled wool garment in a humid environment relaxes the natural fibers, and works for a lot of people, thus eliminating the need of iron. However, if that doesn’t work for you, you might want to use steam iron gently to remove deep wrinkles from woolen fabric.
Ironing wool clothes not only helps them get rid of wrinkles but also kills odor-causing bacteria and allergens and keep them fresh!
It is highly recommended to use a cotton-based heavy cloth as a pressing mesh to iron your wool clothes effectively. All you need to do is place the pressing mesh between the iron surface and the wool garment for soaking the excess heat. In addition to using a cotton cloth, you can also use a white towel or handkerchief.
How does it help? A pressing cloth acts as a protective shield and prevents wool fibers from getting fused together due to the excess heat. This is perhaps why when you iron your wool coat without a pressing mesh, shiny scorch marks appear on the surface of the fabric, which is nothing, but overheating of the wool.
Steam iron with heat regulator is your best bet for ironing wool clothes. This is because they have a well to hold water and the escape vents allow the steam to moisturize the fabric.
If you don't have a steam iron, then you may use a dry iron and add water drops to moist the woolen surface while ironing. Another suggestion is to use a wet cotton towel as a pressing mesh. Simply wring out most of the water from the towel before placing it in between the dry iron and the wool cloth.
Avoid ironing wool sweater with only dry heat as it will definitely lead to scorch marks.
Wool is a natural fabric that requires mild ironing. Choosing a too-hot-temperature setting could lead to discoloration and scorch marks.
If your iron comes with pre-defined settings for different types of fabrics, then simply choose 'Wool' setting on iron. Otherwise select a low heat setting, preferably 1 or 2, if it comes designated by numbers.
It's always a good idea to iron woolen pants inside out. It will protect the outer surface of wool from heat-induced shine.
You must have observed one-way traffic? Adopt a similar approach while ironing wool clothes. Place the hot iron at one end of the cloth and gently move forward to the other end. Repeat the process again until you get the desired result. Never wiggle around in a crisscross motion as it would enhance the wrinkling even further.
Ironing Wool Clothes - Dos and Don'ts |
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Ironing is the best way to create a crisp finish on your clothes. While it's a straightforward task for cotton and linen items, ironing natural fabric requires you to take some precautionary measures. We hope that the tips discussed in this article will prove to be helpful in your bid to iron wool clothes properly.