This incredible TikTok hack is helping everyone from weddinggoers to job interviewees look sharp.
The advice from user Michelle (@livenaturallyhandmade) reveals the secret behind giving your clothes that long-lasting, crispy clean look that used to only come from the best dry-cleaning services.
@livenaturallyhandmade Do you know it's easy to make your ironing faster diy spray starch #cleaningmyroom #ironinghack #ironingclothes #diycleaninghacks #cleaningproducts ♬ In The End - Mellen Gi Remix - Tommee Profitt & Fleurie & Mellen Gi
The scoop
Anyone who has used a clothing iron — an ever-declining population — knows that water is the main ingredient when ironing your dress shirts. But the secret ingredient is unexpected and probably hiding in your pantry: cornstarch.
This TikTok user explains that before ironing your clothes, you should create a solution of one tablespoon of cornstarch to one cup of water and heat it in the microwave until hot, not boiling. Next, place the cornstarch-water mixture into a spray bottle to spritz your clothes before picking up the iron.
Not only will this hack have you feeling like Heisenberg, but it will improve your ironing results. When the cornstarch-water mixture is ironed into your clothes, it will leave your clothes feeling crisper and cleaner for longer than water alone.
How it's helping
This hack is guaranteed to make ironing your clothes faster and less frequent, saving you time and money.
As an added bonus, anything that reduces the need for dry cleaning your clothes is a major win for the environment.
Around 80 to 85% of dry cleaning products are considered carcinogenic. These products can cause lung and skin cancer and often leach into our water supplies and soils during the dry cleaning process.
Compared to the toxic forever chemicals used by most dry cleaners, cornstarch is a far safer solution for your clothes and skin.
Users also love this hack because it lets you get more use out of your clothes. Dress shirts, pants, and other formal pieces need to be ironed more regularly to preserve their wrinkle-free professional look. However, the cornstarch-water mixture acts as a wrinkle-fighting shield that can reduce the number of times you need to iron your clothes, minimizing your energy usage.
What everyone's saying
The comments section was filled with people verifying this conventional wisdom, with one user writing, "Old school moms know this!" and another stating, "Yes, I do that too, my granny taught me when I was young."
The original poster, Michelle, continued with helpful advice in the comments section, telling one user who had residue on their clothes after using this hack, "You had too much cornstarch."
While some users were skeptical of the hack, the overwhelming number of people confirming this old-school wisdom should be enough to get anyone to try this once.
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