Ironing is back in vogue. It used to be that we could get away with wearing wrinkled clothes, and our friends would think it was trendy. No more. Now, prospective employers and clients, not to mention future in-laws, are looking closely at how pressed and crisp our appearance is.
That's what the "iron lady" says, anyway.According to Barbara Zagnoni, consumer education director for Rowenta Inc., a leading European manufacturer of high-end irons, many Americans are suffering from "persistent wrinkle syndrome."
She says, "If your clothes are wrinkled, you'll have a disheveled appearance, which can be interpreted as disorganization, messiness or laziness."
Nobody wants that, so Zagnoni travels the country trying to renew people's interest and faith in irons. Recently, she visited Salt Lake's ZCMI stores to conduct training seminars and answer consumer questions.
She enjoys meeting people and finding out what they are thinking. Because Rowenta irons are a bit more expensive than many, she has to demonstrate them so people can get the vision.
She teaches people "the magic of steam."
She looks very intent when she says, "It IS magic. A wrinkle occurs when the fibers in a fabric lay flat and become crumpled - out of whack. When you put steam on it, it releases those fibers. The steam loosens them up."
Zagnoni is especially interested in reaching the people who dread ironing, the ones who say, "To heck with it - I'm going to take everything to the cleaners."
It's not that she has anything against people who take everything to the cleaners, but she says that most people can't afford it and that some articles of clothing wear out faster - and besides, they may have to redo their shirts when they get home.
"I had a white linen blouse, and I like it to look really crisp, like it does when it's new. When I got it back from the cleaners, it was like a handerchief - it was limp." So now she presses it herself.
Zagnoni has also found that many more men are doing their own ironing because they're very particular and want their shirts to look terrific. Others enjoy the relaxation of ironing - they can do it while they watch TV. It's also different from their regular work - and it only takes five minutes.
She's not kidding about the five minutes. You can do it if you know what you're doing and you have a good iron.
The average time spent ironing a shirt is 12-15 minutes. Zagnoni says anyone who uses a Rowenta should be able to iron a shirt in five minutes.
"That means if you have five shirts to do for the week, it should only take you a half hour to do them. Most of the time, it's going to take you 30 minutes to run to the cleaners and back, anyway."
Besides, Zagnoni says, a lot of men are tired of the abuse their shirts are receiving at the laundry. "If they take a shirt six times, the collar begins to fray. The pressure from the big machines eventually breaks down the fibers, and they start seeing wear around the collar. It also flattens the buttons. You end up replacing your shirts more frequently."
Zagnoni says everyone is better off doing it at home. Unfortunately, a lot of people, especially men, do not know how. "Sometimes, young men don't even know how to get the shirt on the ironing board. Men are often not taught how to iron."
The big problem, Zagnoni says, is that men often iron the bigger parts of the shirt first. Then, when they do the smaller parts, they wrinkle the bigger parts. They should start by ironing the collars, underside first, then moving on to the yoke by slipping one shoulder over the narrow end of the board.
Next, they should iron the cuffs, insides first, then the body of each sleeve. Finally, they should iron the body of the shirt, beginning with one front panel and continuing to the other.
On pants, men should go from the pockets to the waistband, then lay pants flat, legs on top of each other with the sides and seams aligned. Then fold back the top leg and iron the inside of the bottom leg. Use a burst of steam to set the creases. Turn the pants over and press the inside of the other leg. Then iron the outside of each leg.
Once the technique is learned, the one doing the ironing should be careful that the iron works well. "You think an iron is an iron, but it just isn't true. A lot of irons leak, or you may not get enough steam. Most irons don't stay hot enough. You pretty much get what you pay for. You need steam to loosen the wrinkles, and the weight of the iron flattens them out."
Zagnoni says, "If you go over the same spot several times, you need a new iron." Irons are priced from expensive to very inexpensive, but the more expensive ones - in Rowenta's case, from $60 to $300 - give the best service. Remember, she says, you get what you pay for.