You asked why your mother put the clothes in the fridge after they were starched. Back in the olden days when I was young, we would dry the clothes then before ironing we would "sprinkle" them with water, roll them all up in a towel and place in the fridge for awhile before ironing so the dampness would migrate throughout. It was much easier to iron starched clothes when they were damp. Boy, I'm glad they invented steam irons.