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Can You Iron Cotton? (Step-by-Step Instructions)

Cotton is one of the celebrities regarding different materials or fabrics! Because you are here, you probably have in your hands a cloth made of cotton that is all wrinkled, and you don’t know whether to iron it or not!

Fortunately, I am here for you! In this article, I will answer the question “Can You Iron Cotton?” along with some other extra information you may want to know! Let’s start!

Key Takeaways

  • Cotton is one of the most famous and the most used material on different pieces of clothing.
  • You can iron cotton easily, only if you have some main things in mind.
  • The main step in ironing a cotton cloth is to turn them inside out so that you don’t cause any damage.
  • When there are wrinkles in cotton, you can also use a steamer which will help you a lot during the whole procedure.
  • If you follow every little step, you will be ironing your cotton clothes in the best way possible.

Can Cotton Be Ironed?

Yes, you can iron cotton fabric, and in fact, it is one of the best ways how you can get wrinkles out of any cotton clothes that you own.

However, you should know that cotton isn’t the easiest material to iron as it is one of the strongest materials that ever existed and you may want to keep that in mind.

Important to Know: The most important thing that you should always have in mind when it comes to ironing cotton clothes is that on the labels of the clothes that you just bought because there is a lot of information about whether that cloth can be ironed or not.

How to Iron Cotton? – Step-by-Step

As I mentioned above, cotton isn’t the easiest when it comes to ironing, and that’s because it is known as a thick and very sturdy material. The wrinkles can stay a bit on cotton-made clothes!

That’s why I would like to share with you some great things that will help you do the job significantly! I will mention some steps that you can follow, and I assure you that they are easy ones.

As always prepare your ironing board. For obvious reasons, we need the ironing board prepared to proceed with pretty much any action.

1. If you just washed your cotton cloth, the first thing you would want to have in mind is to slightly damp it a little bit to iron it easily. (A dry cotton cloth already has the wrinkles set, and it is harder for you to iron them)

2. Moving on to the iron setting temperatures, cotton loves heat, so you don’t have to really worry about the low heat, medium heat, or high setting in general. By the way, you should also fill the iron with distilled water if it is one with steam.

3. When it comes to clothing pieces made of cotton, you should turn them inside out, which is a better way to iron everything, not only cotton. The front part is different when compared to the inside.

4. If you use a spray bottle when you iron your clothes, don’t be afraid to use it on cotton ones. It will definitely help you get out the wrinkles in a faster and better way.

5. The last thing to do is to start ironing, and you shouldn’t be afraid to do so! Start directly by ironing on sections. Depending on what kind of cotton clothing you are ironing, you should start with the thicker parts; for example, if you are ironing a cotton shirt, you should start with its collar.

Using a pressing cloth on a cotton-polyester fabric is an alternative strategy.

You can use a pressing cloth to shield the fabric from shine or iron stains, place the pressing cloth on top of it. If you don’t have a pressing cloth, you can use a piece of waste fabric or a clean cotton handkerchief instead. Stay within the confines of the pressing cloth as you move the iron back and forth.


Can You Steam Cotton?

Besides ironing, another method can help you deal with cotton wrinkles greatly, and it is by using a steamer! That concludes with the answer that yes, you can steam iron cotton and use a steamer to do so.

Steamers are very easy to be used, especially handhold steamers, as they don’t require too many things, but it is important to mention that you have to start from the top part of the clothes and move on to the bottom.

Steam settings won’t be complicated for you to adjust, and you can easily use whatever and whenever you want. Since cotton is a material that isn’t bothered by heat, you can use whatever temperature on a cotton piece of clothing.

I would like to mention here in this part that steamers are mostly used on cotton curtains, and in fact, it is the best method to get rid of wrinkles on curtains. A steamer allows flexible movements, and you can easily hang your curtains in their exact place and then use the steamer on them.

Fun Fact: Steaming is also considered the method of the bathroom! You can hang your cotton clothes while taking a super-steamy bath, and you will notice that wrinkles start to fade and your cotton shirt or whatever is ready to be worn. 

Final Words

Here we came and are at the end of today’s article! I would like to mention again that cotton can be ironed, and it isn’t too tricky!

Once you follow the steps I mentioned in the article, you will have a greatly ironed cotton piece of clothing in your hands, and I am pretty sure that you will love it!

Don’t be afraid to use a steamer as well since it is also known as the best alternative method that deals perfectly with cotton.

There’s nothing more to say; I hope that this article provides whatever you need regarding ironing cotton!


Further Reading

Ironing is indeed an interesting procedure, and it has confused many people. I cannot help myself but mention some other “ironing articles” that you can read and have a clearer idea of if you can iron and how to iron some specific materials.

There is silk and satin, which are way more complicated when it comes to ironing; that’s why I would like to tell you whether you can iron silk and how to iron satin.

Also, you might want to find out if you can iron leather if polyester can be ironed, and also, you can check out how to iron a tie!

Check those articles out, and always stay tuned for more!