How Necessary It Is to Iron Socks and Underwear

We’re used to ironing clothes for them to look neat and fit well. But what about the clothes that nobody sees? It seems so sad to spend time ironing socks and underwear.

With 5-Minute Crafts, you will find out if it’s necessary to iron undergarments and socks.

How necessary it is to iron underwear

When we remove the underwear from the dryer, we need to decide what to do next: iron or put them away.

Unfortunately, our freshly washed clothes are not as clean as we think. Bacteria inside the washing machine can survive from cycle to cycle. The thing is, only extremely high temperatures can kill them (some bacteria can survive even 60°С). But not all clothes can be washed at these temperatures and that is why experts recommend ironing.

It’s believed that underwear contain the most germs. Regular underwear may be covered with feces and genital infections. Ironing makes underwear more sterile. People that have fungal infections have to iron their underwear.

Why it’s better to iron

• There are bacteria in the washing machine. It’s believed that all kinds of bacteria can reproduce in our washing machines, like E. coli and salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and many others. The dirty clothes we wash are the sources of these germs.
• We make mistakes during washing. Some people load the washing machine so much that it has a negative impact on the washing quality.
• There can be dust mites. Dust mites could be any item of clothing and they can lead to all sorts of problems, including allergies. Irons and steamers can help you get rid of them.

How to iron underwear

Underwear, especially for women, are made from thin and delicate fabrics. So, you have to be careful with them.

• Check the labels. Cotton, silk, viscose, and polyester are completely different fabrics that require specific temperatures.
• Set the iron at the right temperature. If you are in doubt, set a minimum temperature that you can later increase.
• Carefully iron the clothes. To protect the material, cover the underwear with a protective piece of fabric and iron on top of it.
• Fold the underwear and put them in the drawer.

How necessary it is to iron socks

We’ve figured out that underwear should be ironed but it’s not necessary for socks.

After drying, socks are usually wrinkly. But when you put them on, they stretch. In addition to that, experts don’t recommend ironing them.

The thing is, most socks contain stretchy fabric that helps them fit. The material has a low melting temperature and ironing has a negative effect on it. If ironed, this fabric in the socks will stretch and won’t fit you well anymore.

How to iron socks

If you still want to iron your socks, do it this way.

• Open the sock and put it on the ironing board.
• Cover the socks with a piece of fabric folded several times. It will protect the socks from the iron.
• Set the temperature on the iron. You can set it to above average because the fabric protects the socks.
• Carefully iron the socks and then turn them and do the same on the other side.
• Fold the socks and put them away.