Auntie V

Prior to steam irons, permanent press fabrics and/or clothes dryers it was common practice to take the ironing off of the clothes line damp to make it easier to iron. Others sprinkled their clothes and rolled them up before ironing. If all of the sprinkled clothes were not finished putting the sprinkled clothes in a bag in the refrigerator kept them from "going sour" or getting mildew.

Some of my very early childhood memories are of my Grandma filling a bowl with warm water then dipping her hand in the water and flinging the water on the clothes before rolling them up for the ironing basket. In hot weather the basket went to the root cellar at night if she was not finished with the ironing. In the winter time it was put on the back (unheated) porch.

When I was old enough to babysit for neighbors I earned extra spending money by adding ironing services to my babysitting. Besides being paid all of $.50 per hour for sitting I made $.25 to $.50 per piece for the ironing I did.

When the laundry was done with the wringer washing machine whites were washed first. There were two tubs for rinsing the clothes. After the 2nd rinse anything that needed to be starched went into a basket. Then the washer was drained. The rinse water was used to fill washer and clean water went into rinse tubs. Starch and bluing was added to the second rinse water. Then the clothes went back into the water for the starch.

Lori S

I use a dip method , using a large container with a tight seal I use a 50/50 mix of stay flo concentrate to water , then put my fabric in and shake until its all saturated. Then I dry on a clothes drying rack. Any left over mixture goes into a spray bottle with additional water for touch ups or small pieces.

Cass62

My washer has a starch cycle, which I use for fabric which will be cut on grain. If I will be cutting on bias, I prepare a 50/50 mix of Sta-Flo and soak for several minutes, then hang until barely damp, and iron dry.

lass

I mix the starch according to the bottle's direction - usually medium and put it in a small plastic dish pan if it is only one piece of fabric and then in a larger one. This is after the fabric has been washed and dried. After it is starched I put the piece in the dryer briefly until it is damp dry - about 8 minutes. They I take it out and iron it. Hope this helps.

didi

Thanks Bearisgray for the answer about the washing machine, won't be doing it that way, mine don't have a starch cycle.
Lass, I think I'll try your way, sounds easy.
I enjoyed all the stories, brought back memories. How times have changed.

coopah

Just started with this process myself. I bought liquid Sta-Flo, mixed it 50-50 with water, and put it in a small spray bottle. I wet the fabric and then spin in the washer so it's not too wet. Take the moistened fabric, spray with the premixed starch(I spray over the kitchen sink or the tub...they are easy to clean if you get overspray), fold or roll the starched fabric, put it in a plastic bag for a bit, then go iron. It helps to put a bath towel over the ironing board first. When the towel gets too packed down, throw it in the laundry and wash all that starch out...keeps your ironing board from collecting all that starch. The bugs in my septic haven't complained yet, but they aren't getting much starch by doing it this way.

Bubbie

Have never used the washing machine for starching, so that one I know nothing about. Have used the sink for starching (used to work for a restaurant and our bows had to be STIFFLY starched each day), I used full out of the bottle for stiff as a board. You will have to work on how stiff you want your fabric (so mix your starch with that in mind), your fabric needs to be washed then dried (you might press lightly to get the big wrinkles out). Then lay your fabric into the starch (so that every inch is wet), take off ALL excess starch and hang dry (I always did this over the bath tub). When fabric was dry, you might touch up your fabric with an iron. Good luck

MOST of all you don't want to use a lot (if any), steam

maviskw

Bearisgray has a good method.
No, the starch will not hurt your septic tank. It is a natural substance.
When I was young I had to hank the clothes on the line. I put a big lump of Argo starch into the enamel wash basin (held about 5 or 6 quarts), added a little cold water to soften, and then boiling water to fill the bowl about half full. Then it went outside under the wash line. Dad's shirts went in first, then our dresses and a few other things, and last was Mom's aprons. It was very difficult to wring out the shirts because they were so hot. They were then hung on the line.
When they were dry, they were brought into the house, sprinkled with water, rolled up and put into a bushel basket that had an oil cloth liner. The next day, they were ironed.
I do remember that Dad's shirts were the stiffest, and Mom's aprons were not very stiff at all. So saving the left over starch doesn't seem like a good idea. I dumped it onto the grass in the summer time. In the winter, the clothes were hung on lines in the basement, or draped over newspaper covered radiators. (I used to love to sit on those radiators to get warm. LOL)

SunlitenSmiles

Starch was purchased in a box, it was not powder, it was more like granules, you mixed it to a paste and then to a very smooth cream by blending in very warm water with a slotted spoon. Next you kept stirring and adding in boiling water from the kettle until it was almost as thin as plain water. We had the latest bluing it was packaged like a Hershey bar! you carefully break off a little marked off square and it goes into the pan with the starch and you keep stirring until the bluing is all melted. Then after the clothes are washed and rinsed and put through the ringer you starch the things that need starch by dipping the garment or just the collar and cuffs in a basin that is full of half water and half the starch you just cooked, then those clothes go through the ringer again and then are hung out to dry on the clothes lines. The remaining starch solution can be saved in an old glass mayonaise jar in the refrigerator. When the clothes on the line are dry you bring them in and hang or fold except for the ones that need Ironing. T-shirts did not need sprinkling first just pressing, everything else was sprinkled with the water in a clean old ketchup bottle with a metal and cork sprinkler top. After a half hour, they are ready to iron!

oksewglad

I love these stories as it brings back memories from Grandma's as well as growing up on a farm, although Mom didn't starch much.

I prewash and dry. I use the 1:1 water:starch method in a spray bottle...spray the fabric so that it soaks in, let it dry and iron with a dry iron. Spritz it with water if you need to work any wrinkles out. I like to put a FQ on top of my ironing board. It absorbs some of the overspray and excess starch. after a while it is nicely starched as well. Put away and replace with another FQ.