Actually I am sure there are many first rules for fashion. Make sure it's tailored well, wear your size don't try to get into something way to small or way to big becuase neither will do you any favors and so on. However for those who know me know that no matter how pretty the dress or top is or how well it fits you still can ruin everything if you look wrinkled.
Yes I said it, wrinkled, Ironing is very important, I never understood how people leave the house without ironing their clothes. My iron is always ready to go when I am getting dressed. Granted I may like to iron more than the average person but you have to admit it's important.
My friends laugh at me becuase sometimes I save up my ironing for one evening, where I put on a movie and iron the whole time. It is really relaxing and it gives me quality me time. Plus my closet is mostly ironed, which will save me time in the morning.
My point is that you can have on a wonderful skirt and top combo but if you are all wrinkled, you may have ruined your outfit. Especially when it comes to dress shirts on guys, please iron your shirts and your khaki pants! All men should learn to iron and all people should invest in a good iron. You can find some great irons for under $100 that will last a long time.
But the point of my post is not only that you need to iron but that you need to keep your iron clean so that you don't burn your clothes or leave rust marks. If you keep your iron clean ironing is more enjoyable.
So yesterday instead of doing my reading I decided that I needed to clean my iron, meaning that I will have a ironing day coming up soon!
My iron is very special to me, its a Rowentta, this
one to be exact, and lets say that it is wonderful. My mother bought it for me last year as a start of the new school year gift. However irons get dirty, especially when your little sister uses it, doesn't change the fabric settings and burns her blouse. I felt bad for her blouse but the fabric basically melted on to my iron. That is difficult to remove and makes it easier for the iron to stick to other clothing.
So I desperately needed to clean it. There are solutions you can buy but I think the natural way is a lot better. The two ways that I have used and work best for me are the following:
My favorite and I think most effective:
1. Get a wash cloth, one that has ridges, and semi tough (do not use anything with wire in it becuase it will cause scratches in the iron's sole plate and ruin it)
2. While the cloth is laid out get salt (sea salt works best) and make a nice little pile in the middle of the wash cloth.
3. Plug in the iron, put it on the highest heat setting and turn off the steam setting.
4. Once the iron is nice and hot, start ironing over the salt pile, up and down the cloth. Do this for a few minutes and add a little more salt if you want.
5. After a minute you will see the grime come off onto the cloth. Repeat the ironing over the salt until everything is off.
6. It took me about 10 minutes to get the burned fabric off but now my iron is squeaky clean!
The Second Option:
1. Make sure the iron is turned off and cool.
2. Boil equal parts vinegar and salt.
3. Once the salt has dissolved, take the vinegar and salt off the stove top.
(I would use gloves so that your hands don't smell like sour vinegar for the rest of the day)
4. Wait for the solution to be warm, not boiling hot so you don't burn yourself.
5. With a tough cloth (not wire!), dip it in the solution and start rubbing the sole of the iron.
6. Repeat Step 6 until the iron is clean!
After either cleaning process, with the iron cooled and turned off, I'd use a clean and damp cloth to wipe off any excess vinegar and salt. Now you can use your iron with ease!! Let me know if you have any other cleaning suggestions and how these options work for you!
I hope you all are having a wonderful week!!