Ironing is a tedious chore at best, but there are ways to make ironing easier and quicker. The resurgence in popularity of 100% cotton clothing has brought back the necessity for pressing your clothes. If you want to present a crisp, polished, professional image, then ironing is a necessary evil. Here's how to get the ironing done faster and more efficiently.

• Use the right equipment.
  
  If you're trying to iron on the end of your bed or your kitchen table, it's going to be a frustrating process. Invest in a decent ironing board that stores away when not in use. If your budget allows and you have the space, invest in an all in one laundry center. There are even some very smart wall-mounted options that fold away when not in use, but give you a full size ironing space complete with a place to rest your iron safely.



• Put on your favorite music before you start.
  
  Ironing is a boring, mindless task, so make the time pass more quickly by making it more pleasant. Line up your favorite playlist, or pop your favorite move in the DVD player to watch while you work.



• Iron in your bedroom.
  
  You can use the flat surface of the bed to sort clothing as you finish it, and hang shirts, dresses and slacks directly in the closet to save yourself a few steps.

Tips for Ironing Faster and More Efficiently

• Get organized. Keep everything you need in one place so that it's all handy when you're ready to iron. A few things to have on hand - a thick towel, a moist ironing cloth, a box of paper clips, and a can of spray starch.



• Iron smart. Start with items like synthetics and silks that require low heat, then work your way through cotton blends up to 100% cotton. You will avoid having to wait for the iron to cool, and are less likely to scorch delicate fabrics that way.



• Line your ironing board with aluminum foil under the ironing board cover. The foil will reflect the iron's heat back up so that you will be pressing both sides of the fabric at once.



• Use an ironing center that has a hanging bar or put a hanging rack right next to your board. That way you can hang shirts and slacks immediately after pressing without leaving the board to put them away.



• Leave items that must be starched to the end of your ironing to avoid transferring starch residue to other garments.



• To prevent wrinkles, keep moving freshly ironed garment surfaces away from you rather than pulling them toward you.



• Iron collars, hems and cuffs on the wrong side first to prevent them from puckering.
  
  
• Iron double-thickness fabrics (like lined bodices) on the inside first, then on the outside to prevent pressing wrinkles into the garment.



• Use a sleeve board for sleeves and cuffs to prevent creases. If you do not have a sleeve board, use a rolled up towel pushed inside the sleeve, or make your own from a cardboard wrapping paper tube.

Tips for Ironing Specific Fabrics

• To freshen badly wrinkled corduroy, hold the steam iron just above the fabric until it is thoroughly steamed. While it is still damp, quickly run your palm up along the ribs in the direction of the ribs.



• When ironing acrylic knits, be sure to let each section dry and cool completely before turning the garment on the board. This will prevent the fabric from stretching out of shape.



• If the nap of corduroy or velvet is flattened, you can revive it with this trick - just place the garment face side down against a piece of the same fabric and iron. It will revive the nap nicely.



• Iron wash and wear garments inside out to prevent giving them a sheen when doing touchup ironing.



• Keep embroidery and other details looking fresh by ironing garments with decorations face side down on a thick towel.



• If your chintz fabrics are looking dull, revive them by ironing them right side down on waxed paper.



• Pleats got you frustrated? Hold them in place with paper clips while you iron.

Tips for Keeping Your Iron Clean

• A clogged steam iron has a way of coming unclogged just when you're pressing your favorite black skirt, spewing white mineral deposits all over it. Use only distilled water in your steam iron to avoid mineral deposits that clog steam vents.



• Use a cotton swab to remove any residue from the steam vents in your iron's soleplate.



• Clean the soleplate of your iron periodically with a cloth dipped in baking soda, then rinse thoroughly with warm water.



• If your iron soleplate gets sticky with built up starch, clean it by running it over a piece of aluminum foil, sandpaper or paper sprinkled with fine salt.