What Is an Ironing Service?
Ironing can be a dull, dreary chore that not many people enjoy doing. That moment when you drag yourself out of bed and put on a wrinkled shirt or blouse because you couldn’t be bothered ironing it first thing in the morning- yeah, we’ve all been there!
In fact, research conducted by GoCompare Home Insurance showed that ironing was the second most hated chore in British households (number one was cleaning the oven). So, it is no surprise that many people are turning to an ironing service, in a bid to rid themselves of that boring chore!
What is an ironing service?
A professional ironing service is where a business irons your items for you so that you don’t have to. You will then book a time slot for your ironed items to be returned to you.
Depending on the business model, the company can collect and deliver your items for you, or you may have to drop them off and pick up your items yourself.
Some ironing services charge per item, while others have an hourly charge.
Where can I access an ironing service?
Research conducted by GoCompare Home Insurance collected and delivered to you across London.
Here is how our ironing service works:
- Order online or from our mobile app (iPhone or Android).
- We will collect your items at a time and place that suits you.
- We will iron your items professionally and work our magic!
- We will then return your clean clothes to you.
We can iron suits, dresses, blouses, skirts, jeans, duvet covers and bedding.
We aim to take as much stress away from your daily life as we can. That’s why we offer an ironing service that collects and drops off your laundry on a schedule that fits yours.
Visit our website here to find out more about our ironing service.
See our laundry and dry cleaning services to find out all the ways we can make your life easier.
What are the benefits of an ironing service?
Outsourcing your ironing to an ironing service has numerous benefits, including:
Saves you the time and stress of ironing clothes and bedding yourself
An ironing service is perfect for those busy families who are occupied with raising children or caring for relatives, so they really could do with the extra free time.
An ironing service is also perfect if you work as a cleaner, nanny, personal assistant or au pair. It means you can get your employer’s items professionally ironed, so you won’t have to do the ironing yourself.
Multifunctional
Some ironing services also offer washing and dry cleaning too, so you can have all your clothes laundered, dry cleaned and ironed- which equates to a massive reduction in household chores.
Ideal for people who don’t know how to iron, or don’t know how to do it well
A professional ironing service will do an immaculate job ironing your clothes or bedding items. They will remove the most stubborn of creases and wrinkles, without leaving any burn marks.
Good for university students who do not have access to an iron and ironing board
Some student accommodation buildings do not come with ironing or laundry facilities. So, an ironing service is a great option for students who cannot do their own ironing.
Less physical labour
Ironing is a physical task which requires setting up an ironing board, carrying a heavy iron and repeatedly pressing it into clothes.
So, an ironing service is very useful for people with disabilities, long-term health conditions, muscle aches and pains, or pregnant women, who may not have the physical strength to iron all their items.
Cost-efficient
If you outsource your ironing and laundry to a professional service, then you will spend a lot less time using your own iron, washing machine and tumble dryer. This will help you cut back on energy bills, which could save you more money than you realise.
Convenient for last-minute emergencies
Got an important dinner party coming up and you’re struggling to de-wrinkle your fancy shirt?
Or maybe you have been invited last minute to a job interview, but you don’t have an iron to remove the creases from your smartest clothes.
No problem- that is where an ironing service will come to the rescue. You won’t have to wait too long to have your clothes ironed because the best ironing services work quickly and efficiently to get the job done and return your items to you.
What is the difference between ironing and pressing?
They might seem like they mean the same thing, but ironing and pressing are different.
Ironing refers to the back-and-forth sliding motion that we all do when we iron our clothes.
Pressing is when you place the iron on the fabric, hold the iron there to add a bit of pressure and then remove the iron.
Pressing is usually done to help a clothing item retain its proper shape, so it is done to suits and seams on clothes.
What is steaming?
A steamer is a handheld device used to steam garments, which helps remove wrinkles.
You usually fill the steamer with water and move it vertically or horizontally over your garments.
The hot steam provides quick de-wrinkling. A steamer is also handy for travelling, as you can pop it in your suitcase and use it whenever you want to get wrinkles out of your outfits.
Can you steam instead of dry clean?
Dry cleaning is much more effective at removing stubborn stains, killing bacteria and removing foul odours. This is because dry cleaning uses a chemical detergent to clean dirt and grime, whereas steaming only uses hot water.
Can dry cleaning remove wrinkles?
No, dry cleaning does not remove creases, nor does it cause creasing or distortion of the garment.
But ironing or pressing the garment will eliminate unwanted wrinkles.
Can I clean my iron?
Through frequent use, your iron’s soleplate will collect grime, residue and mineral deposits.
So, frequent cleaning of your iron will prolong its life and dissolve the dirt that has built up on it. This will also help keep your garments clean.
Make sure your iron is not hot, plugged in, or switched on, while you are cleaning the iron.
Remember to keep water and cleaning solutions away from plug sockets.
How to clean iron
Here are a few ways you can clean your iron, using essentials you will have lying around at home:
Vinegar
Vinegar is a powerful, non-toxic cleaning solution that naturally removes odours and does not leave stains.
Soak a clean cloth in vinegar and place your iron on it, face down. After 30 minutes, remove the cloth and wipe away the vinegar and grime with a damp cloth.
Washing up liquid
Grab your favourite washing-up liquid and dilute it in a bowl of distilled warm water. Soak a towel in the bowl and place your iron on the wet towel for an hour or so. Then, remove the iron and scrub away the residue.
Salt
Salt is a cost-effective and non-toxic cleaning agent which is excellent for removing stains, grime and grease.
Combine half a cup of freshly boiled hot water with 3 to 4 tablespoons of salt. Add half a cup of vinegar. Once the solution has cooled, dip a clean cloth into it and wipe the bottom of the iron gently.
This can help remove burn marks from the iron’s soleplate.
Paracetamol
Did you know that Paracetamol tablets can be used to clean your iron?
Surprisingly, the pain relief tablet works wonders to dissolve burn marks and bring the shine back to your iron’s soleplate.
This method can be very dangerous, as it puts you at risk of burning yourself with a very hot iron. So, this should only be done with the utmost care, in a safe environment without any distractions.
You should only use pure, uncoated Paracetamol tablets, and not the capsules.
To clean your iron soleplate with Paracetamol:
- Empty the iron’s water tank.
- Set your iron to a high heat setting.
- Pick up a Paracetamol tablet using wooden food tongs.
- Rub the tablet over the grime on the iron’s soleplate.
- Along with the grime, the tablet will also melt.
- Keep wiping off the residue before it cakes up and dries from the heat.
- Dig into the steam holes to remove any stubborn residue.
- If there are more black marks, repeat the process with another Paracetamol tablet.
- Turn the iron off, taking extra care to ensure you don’t get burned.
- Once the iron has completely cooled, use a clean cloth to remove any remaining residue.
And there you have it, the answer to the question ‘what is an ironing service?’
At Love2Laundry, we operate a mobile ironing service that collected and delivered to you across London. Find out about our ironing service by clicking here.
Find out more about Love2Laundry’s dry cleaning and laundry services by visiting our website here.
Download our app on the Apple App Store here or on Google Play here.
Read more articles on our blog here.
