When you are doing the laundry, it becomes important to prepare the clothes in a safe manner.
It’s essential to go through these details so you are not cutting corners or ignoring key details that make a difference when it comes to preserving the clothes.
A lot of people make this mistake and it can cause the clothes to start to break down or not age the way they need to.
This will lead you to wonder, can you iron damp clothes?
You cannot iron damp clothes. It is not recommended to do this because the clothes will burn, lose their shape, face discoloration, and/or look uneven. It’s recommended to leave damp clothes hanging and ensure they air-dry.
This is a far better option when removing wrinkles from damp clothes.
It’s often important for people to want to start ironing clothes as soon as possible. They will want to get started as soon as possible even when the clothes are damp.
While this might seem like a smart idea, it is not.
Here is a look at the reasons to not iron damp clothes.
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Reasons To Not Iron Damp Clothes
1. Burns The Clothes
Let’s begin with the main reason to not iron damp clothes.
When clothes are wet, they are going to have a considerable amount of moisture in the fabric. This is moisture that is not going to do well when it comes to handling the heat from an iron.
You have to think about this when it comes to how the clothes are taken care of. If you are not looking into this, you are not going to feel comfortable with how the clothes turn out after the ironing session.
In general, when high-heat meats dampness, you are going to increase the risk of burning. This means the clothes are not going to respond well to the high heat.
It is not recommended to press down with an iron when the clothes are damp. This is going to do a lot more damage than necessary and it’s the one thing you are going to want to avoid.
2. Uneven Results
The results are going to be uneven.
This is one of the biggest concerns a person is going to have when it comes to protecting damp clothes.
The clothes are not going to be even at all.
This is what you are going to want to avoid when it comes to keeping clothes safe. You don’t want a situation where the results are bad to the point things break down.
If the results are uneven, it is not going to turn out as required. It is going to create issues that will only worsen with time.
3. Clothes Lose Their Shape
Most clothes are going to be a specific size.
You are going to want to maintain that size as the fitting is going to be off if the clothes shrink.
Due to the dampness, the fabric is going to be weak at that moment. This is the worst time to use heat from an iron to remove wrinkles from damp clothing.
It is not going to work and you are going to harm the shape of the clothes too.
It’s important to make sure you are keeping the clothing safe and ensuring it does not shrink.
This is how you are going to realize ironing damp clothing is not the way to go.
4. Discoloration
The last issue you are going to face will be discoloration.
When you are ironing damp clothes, you are going to create a situation where the colors are going to begin to discolor.
This means they are not going to look even.
The places where you have ironed are going to start to change color and it will only get worse if you missed spots.
You might get rid of the wrinkles in damp clothing but that does not mean it’s going to be in good shape after the session. The discoloration is not going to look good.
Final Thoughts
Can you iron damp clothes?
You should not iron damp clothes. This can lead to unwanted burning, discoloration, unevenness, and loss of shape depending on how much heat is applied. It’s better to air-dry damp clothing on a clothesline.
This is far safer and is going to make sure the damp clothes do retain their shape over time.
It is common to want to immediately iron damp clothes because you are in a rush. However, this is not the way to go and is going to do a lot of damage. Focus on this when it comes to doing things the right way.
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