Starch & Ironing Board
 

How do I prevent starch from burning onto my ironing board? My ironing board covers have to replaced all the time. I'm afraid the burned colored areas will come off on my current ironing project.

Solutions ....
1. do not use starch!
2. wash your ironing board cover more often
3. switch to Sizing or Best Press and you'll no longer have the problem

don't over spray the starch- a little bit goes a long way- ironing board covers are washable- take it off & wash it when starch builds up-
cover your ironing board cover with freezer paper- pressed into place- you can peel it off & toss it when it becomes soiled & just put a new piece on. (i do this when i'm using alot of fusables-working on a big applique project-works great)

Starch scorches when ironed while still wet with a too-hot iron. Usually the fabric itself is not burned, and the scorched starch will wash out in the laundry.

......... though the built-up scorched residue can transfer onto the clean fabric when you work on top of it..

I've never washed mine before. Until I started quilting 5 years ago, I almost never even used my iron. :D

Now I just buy a new one when it bad. Wash it!! What a great idea. lol Cold water? Dry in the dryer?

This may sound crazy, but I put an old terry cloth bath towel on my board when I use starch. My ironing board is very old but very sturdy and is larger than the covers they make now that are cheaper. I have to buy them through Amazon and they are not cheap. They used to make them where you could hand wash them and put them out to dry. (the pad and cloth are together) But now if you do that, they shrink to much to use again. So, I use the towel and remove it when I'm through with the starching part and want to iron the pieces I've cut from the starched fabric.

After I wash & dry my fabric I spray it with starch and put it in a plastic bag for 15 or so mins. Then when I iron, using a dry iron on the cotton setting, it doesn't leave residue on my iron or ironing board cover.

What does putting it in a plastic bag do? Is it sealed up? I'm wondering if I'm using starch wrong. Do I let it dry before I iron it?

I do the same I use a towel on my ironing board. I use binder clips to hold it in place... and launder it when ever I have a load ... and remember it. I find it is also helpful to keep blocks and strips from stretching.. it really holds them in place.

I bought some heavier weight white cotton broadcloth and put that on top of the ironing board cover when I used sizing/starch. (I cut it so it had about a four inch overhang all around and serged the edges

It got nasty, but it was easy to whisk off and put in the wash.

It was also good for protecting the ironing board cover when I had a cat that thought that was the best seat in the house!

The solution is easy. I buy a piece of canvas at Walmart and lay it across the board. Cut it so it hangs over about 6-8 inches. I replace it a couple of times a year.

Putting it in the plastic bag allows the starch time and opportunity to penetrate the fabric. This is similar to sprinkling clothes with water (the old-fashioned way before steam irons came along) and then placing the clothes in a bag to let the water disperse evenly.

With spray starch, it is easy to not wait long enough for the starch to penetrate. If you iron the starch with a hot iron while the starch is still sitting on the surface of the fabric, the tendency is for the starch to scorch.

You can let starched fabric dry completely, then iron with steam (or a mist of sprayed water). A little moisture re-activates the starch.

Freezer paper..........a fantastic idea!! Thank you!

Gr8 tip about the freezer paper...I'm gonna have to try that

AND if you do like to use starch, as some do, thin it down a bit, and spritz your fabric in the sink, allow to sit(I put mine in the laundry basket) and when just damp, then iron it!

I just throw mine in with a load of wash and dry in dryer. I keep several around so when one is in wash I put on the clean one. I prefer just plain cotton ones. Not the "heat reflective" ones.

When I starch I put my fabric in ziploc in the fridge overnight. It helps distribute the
starch evenly. The next day I remove the fabric and put them in between towels to
absorb the excess water. Take it to the ironing board and put a thin muslin on top
and iron until the fabric is almost dry. Remove the muslin and continue ironing.
My iron stays clean that way and no sticking or scorching either.

Thanks for posting this tip! I like to use a portable ironing pad that has foam attached, and I don't think it would survive a wash, but it's great to know there's a way to get around this problem.

You are supposed to wait until it sinks all the way into the fabric. I spray the back side of however much fabric I plan on using right away and then let it hang for an hour or so before ironing. I don't trust myself to wait long enough on very light fabric, however so I only use sizing on light colors and I don't think the silvery, heat reflective ironing board covers are a good idea with damp fabric. Mine gets smoking hot and it shocks the crap out of me in the winter "static" cling months. It will be going into hot pads very soon!

I use one of those 18" X 24" (I think) pressing boards. When it got nasty looking, rather than throw it away and buy a new one, I just slipped it inside a white, king-sized pillow case. You can still see the lines on it and when it gets nasty just take it off and wash it. You can get cheap white pillow cases anywhere for about $10.00 a pair.

I've never tried washing mine, I just buy a new one every so often!

Putting the starch sprayed fabric in a plastic bag allows the fabric to soak up the starch, and not remain on the surface. The starch will also moisten any part of the fabric that didn't get sprayed when stuffed into a plastic bag, much like the way they "sprinkled" clothes with water that were to be ironed in the old days.

I like the silver looking teflon fabric for ironing board covers. I can't remember what it is called, but Hancock's and JoAnn's carry it. I make my own covers with this fabric, and it holds up really well, and does not stain easily.

I think the "trick"is to not burn your ironing board cover in the first place. If you are a starcher, pre-starching and waiting for the starch to penetrate the fabric is part of the process. You can choose from several methods. Just as purchasing fabric is part of the process.

I cover my ironing board with a piece of muslin. I have two pieces for this task so when one gets soiled, I put the other one on and wash the dirty one.

I love the freezer paper idea though. I need to use that to keep my press and cut surface 'safe' when I teach classes at church. Gr8 tip!

I cover my ironing board with a piece of muslin (large enough to cover area I will be using) when pressing starched fabric. I starch the wrong side of the fabric and press on the right after letting it "rest" until almost dry. If I see my iron getting a little discolored I keep an old washcloth that I dampened on the side and occasionally slide my iron over it. When I'm finished pressing the starched fabric, I toss the muslin in the washer. I've been using the same piece for years. It works great when I'm using school glue too-washes right out.

Putting the starched fabric in a plastic bag (sealed) allows the starch to penetrate all of the fibers so you don't have areas without starch.

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When I use Starch in Quilting, I use a twin Sheet that I have had around the house. I can just wash it with when needed. That way the starch stays off the ironing board and is always clean.

Kath

That is a great idea! Thanks!

I do the same thing... I cover my board with a washable cloth.. generally an old mostly warn out towel.. It protect the ironing board cover and easily go into the wash...

I make my own ironing board covers.. Not fancy, but they work great.. I have two or three and I wash them if I get in too much of a hurry to get a cover out and cover the board.

I love spray starch and make my own from concentrate.. easy cheap and you can have it as light or heavy as you need it to be.

I made a pressing board with plywood, heavy plastic bag(to keep moisture out of wood), batting and canvas. To protect the canvas, I made a muslin pillow case type protector and when it gets dirty, I just throw it in the washer and it keeps my board clean.

What putting the fabric into a plastic bag is: It distributes the moisture evenly throughout the fabric. When I was young, my mother used a sprinkler top in a soda bottle to sprinkle the clothes the night before she was going to iron. When you picked up a piece of clothing, it was evenly dampened and ironed very smoothly.

If it is burning, sounds like your iron is too hot. I use sizing instead of starch, but haven't noticed a problem.

i had the same problem. now i lay a piece of heavy muslin over the board when i use starch. i serge the edges first. i have 3 or 4 of these and just throw them in the wash with my towels that way i always have a fresh one on hand. i couldn't sew without lots of starch. connie

When I'm done ironing for the day, I take a rag & some 409 or amonia & water & wipe my ironing board down really well. I don't have trouble with starch burning & I use heavy starch when I iron (tho I use sizing on my quilting pieces).

If I want to spray large pieces of fabric, I use the tile kitchen floor. For smaller cut pieces, I have a small table next to my ironing board that I cover with an old pillowcase. I spray the small fabric pieces on the pillowcase. I never spray anything on my ironing board cover. The kitchen floor and the old pillowcase are much easier to wash.

I do the same with a piece of muslin. When it gets nasty I wash it then eventually throw it out. Much cheaper than a new cover.