You may have a wrinkled shirt that you want to wear to an important meeting or special occasion. You don’t have enough time to remove the wrinkles in the dryer, so instead take out the iron. Unfortunately the iron may be far too hot, leaving light or dark brown marks on the fabric. Before tossing out the clothing, you may be able to restore it if you treat the damaged area immediately. Here are several tips to restore heat scorched clothing and prevent future wrinkles.
Restoring White Clothing
Light scorch marks should be treated with heavy-duty laundry detergent immediately. Use your fingers or a soft-bristle brush to gently place the detergent on the mark. Let the detergent settle in for about 10 minutes and then use the hottest water possible to rinse out the fabric. If you cannot work on the scorch mark immediately, you may try using distilled white vinegar and a white cloth. Gently move the cloth from the burned area to a clean area on the garment to transfer the scorched fibers. Then rinse the vinegar out using cold water and a white cloth.
Removing darker scorch marks may be more difficult. First, open a window or use a fan to ventilate the room. Then apply hydrogen peroxide on a cotton swab to small sections of the stain. After applying the hydrogen peroxide, you now want to use household ammonia on the stain. Never combine both liquids into the same bowl, however. After applying the ammonia, let it sit for five minutes and then rinse out the garment with cold water. Repeat the action if necessary.
Restoring Colored Clothing
Treating colored clothing is somewhat similar to treating white clothing when removing light scorch marks. Start with heavy-duty detergent and wash using the hottest water setting possible. If that doesn’t work, you may switch to white distilled vinegar. Rinse out the shirt repeatedly to ensure all the vinegar is removed so the garment doesn’t discolor.
Another option is to use oxygen-based laundry detergents to remove the mark. Keep in mind that this type of detergent should not be used on leather, wool, or silk. Submerge the garment in the detergent and let it sit for at least 8 hours. Then wash the garment and repeat the process if the stain remains.
Restoring Wool
For heavy scorch marks, brush away the charred wool fibers with a soft brush. If the garment is made of washable woven wool, rub gentle liquid detergent on the garment and use cold water on a gentle wash cycle. For knitted wool, hand-wash the item instead.
Preventing Future Wrinkles
Storing clothing correctly can prevent wrinkles so you won’t have to iron them. When removing clothing from the dryer, place clothing on a hanger while you gently pull to straighten out the fabric. Ensure there is enough space between clothing on the closet rod for air circulation, and to remove further moisture. As the fibers relax, clothes will be less likely to retain wrinkles.
Clothing that will go into a drawer should be folded on a flat counter. While folding the clothing, keep pulling the seams and edges straight. Never cram clothing into an overcrowded drawer. A home closet organizer such as Closet & Storage Concepts Nevada can help you redesign your closet spaces to add extra room for all your clothing.
Photo credit: straga