by Eve Lopez

Created on: August 07, 2009

Ironing fine linens is a tricky thing. If it's something that cannot under any circumstances be replaced, your best bet may be to take the item to a professional dry cleaning service. If, however, you're determined to iron that wrinkly fine linen on your own, follow these steps to ensure the item will not end up completely toasted.

1. Always check the labels of the items you want to iron before reaching for that appliance. Oftentimes, the label will tell you how to iron the item, and which setting to use.

2. If there is no label, or your iron doesn't have a particular setting, make sure the iron is set to low to begin with. You can always make the iron hotter if you need to. It's a bad idea to set the iron on hot and have it burn your linen, but you can get some trial-and-error out of the way by putting the iron on low first.

3. Turn the item you want to iron (for instance, an antique blouse) inside out.

4. Place a plain cloth piece over the section of the fine linen that you want to iron. Make sure the cloth is a plain white color, to avoid having any colors bleed on to your fine linen.

5. Make sure you are using the steam function on your iron. This is very important. If your iron doesn't have a steam function, you can create your own by ironing your fine linen in a steamy bathroom. You can also spray a fine mist of water over the cloth that you have placed over the linen.

6. For fine linens like heirloom dresses and table cloths, always make sure the linen is a bit damp before you use the iron.

7. You almost never want to fool around by trying to iron silk linens on your own. Again, however, if you must, here's how to do it: Set your iron on medium, and hold it close to the silk item. Do not actually iron it, but just hold it close to the item. The heat from the iron will eliminate the wrinkles. If that doesn't work, place a thick cloth over the silk item, and run a medium-hot iron over it. Another tip (for the truly panicked) is to hang up the silk item in a steamy bathroom and let the wrinkles naturally unwrinkle themselves without resorting to the use of an iron.

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