It’s rare to find someone who enjoys ironing bed linen. It’s complicated, time-consuming and seemingly useless. But we’ve found five reasons why you should still go over freshly laundered sheets with an iron
To iron or not to iron bedding is a rhetorical question and quite comparable to the philosophical ‘to be or not to be? While some air dry their pillowcases and duvet covers and then simply stick them in the cupboard, particularly sensitive housewives iron every inch of the dried out linen. Maybe they know something. We’ve worked out why you should spend a little more time on your bedding.
Reason 1: Comfort
When your linen is ironed and steamed, the fibers of the fabric undergo an intense heat treatment, which softens the fabric and makes it smoother and more comfortable to the touch. This may not be obvious, as we can’t see every thread – but try comparing the way you feel when you sleep with an ironed and untouched pillowcase.
Reason 2: To disinfect
Exposure to high temperatures has another beneficial function – hot steam kills harmful germs and bacteria that may be lurking in the fibers of your fabric. Set the temperature to 90 degrees and switch to steam mode. This is particularly important when you’re recovering from an illness, when you don’t want your immune system to take a hit.
Reason 3: Resistants
Not only do heat-treated fibers soften, making them smoother and softer, but the high temperatures also harden the fibers, preventing them from splitting. So regular ironing is a prophylactic measure against wear and tear on your linen.
Reason 4: It’s not that hard
Many people complain that ironing their linen takes up hours of their day. A quick trick for speeding up the process is to pull out the iron when the sheets aren’t completely dry. This will speed things up and the results will be much more noticeable. Another good trick is to use a table instead of a board for ironing. The larger surface area will allow you to get rid of any crumpled fabrics quicker.
Reason 5: Aesthetics.
If you have guests staying over, the condition of the sheets you use to make their bed will say more than you think. So if it’s important to impress, don’t be lazy to iron them thoroughly. Perfectly flat linen will make you feel like you’re in a first-class hotel.
