Ironing
Heat, moisture and pressure applied together. Two of them are useful and the third is what makes a wool sweater permanently shiny.
In detail
Ironing works by softening the hydrogen bonds within a fibre with heat and moisture so it can be reset flat, and pressure is only there to hold the shape while that happens. Reading it that way explains the wool trade's guidance, which is unusually precise about ironing. Use the wool, medium or two-dot setting. Use moisture deliberately — spray the garment lightly with water first, or use the steam function. Then two prohibitions, both describing permanent changes rather than accidents: do not apply heavy pressure, because it makes the surface of the sweater shiny, which is a burnishing of the fibre surface rather than a heat burn; and never leave the iron standing on the garment for any length of time, because it scorches. The lesson generalises. Pressing harder is the wrong lever, and adding moisture is the right one. The standing rule that governs all of it is the care label: an article whose label says do not iron must not be ironed, and the symbol is a ceiling on severity rather than a suggestion. Synthetic fibres melt rather than scorching, which is a different failure and one no amount of care recovers.
What works
Ironing is safe on, in specific conditions, Waterproof jacket
Safe only in specific conditions
This is only appropriate within specific limits, and nothing is established outside them.
Only within these limits:
- the two-dot, low-temperature setting
- no steam
- a towel or cloth laid between the iron and the garment
- not for SHAKEDRY garments, which must never be ironed
An alternative to the 20-minute tumble for reactivating the water-repellent finish, on this membrane manufacturer's garments. The garment's own care label governs.
Precautions
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
Evidence
Supported
Sources
W. L. Gore & Associates (GORE-TEX brand) · Manufacturer documentation
Relied on for: That ironing is permitted on the two-dot low-temperature setting, without steam and with the garment protected by a towel or cloth, that ironing is an alternative to tumble drying for activating the water-repellent treatment, and that SHAKEDRY garments must not be ironed. (states this directly)
Why
- Ironing is explained by How care labels work
- Ironing is explained by Gloss and light scattering
- Ironing is explained by Thermal shock
Sources for this page
Sources
The Woolmark Company · Trade or professional body
Relied on for: That the setting is wool, medium or two dots, that the garment is sprayed with a little water or steamed, that heavy pressure makes the surface shiny by burnishing the fibre, that the iron must never be left standing on the garment because it scorches, and that a do-not-iron label governs. (states this directly)
GINETEX, The International Association for Textile Care Labelling · Standards body
Relied on for: That the ironing symbols indicate the maximum severity of treatment the article can withstand. (states this directly)