Vinegar Friday -- Does anyone still iron?

TGIVF! Welcome to my monthly feature: Vinegar Fridays where I post vinegar tips on the first Friday of the month. Today we're talking ironing.

Image by George Hodan

I have to admit, this is something I rarely do. Not that I don't ever iron, but it's not a common occurrence. For those of you who do, you may appreciate the following tips:

• You've scorched your favorite tablecloth. Now what? Don't panic...just grab the vinegar and some salt. You want to mix up a small amount of equal parts of both and warm it up. Rub it on the scorched stain. If you find it's still there, dampen a cloth with undiluted vinegar and dab away.
• The vinegar/salt mix is good for getting the dark scorched stains off your iron plate as well. Just make sure your iron's cool before you start rubbing!
• Are your iron's steam vents and spray nozzles clogged up by mineral deposits? Here's what to do. We're going 50/50 again, but this time with distilled white vinegar and distilled water. Pour the mixture into the water chamber, set the iron up and let it steam away. After five minutes are so, turn the iron off and let it cool down. Once cool, rinse the tank with plain water, then refill and shake the water through the iron's vents onto a towel or rag. Make sure you don't start ironing your spouse's dress shirt with your freshly cleaned iron until you've tested it out on an old piece of fabric.
• Want to eliminate those little stitch holes in your clothing where you've let out a hem or seam? Just moisten a cloth with undiluted vinegar and place it underneath the area with the telltale holes. Iron over it and the holes should vanish. See how magical distilled white vinegar is? And remember, in all of these tips, as always, you have to used distilled white vinegar and not any other type of vinegar.
• I guess some people still iron creases in their pants these days...if you're one of them, you can get better results with your knit fabrics in an usual way. Saturate a cloth in a mix of 1/3 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup water. Moisten your knit fabric with the cloth and then cover with a paper bag and press with hot iron.

Okay, there you go. Not a lot of tips this month, but look at it this way: there's less for you to remember! Of course, you can always find these tips and more in my book, VINEGAR FRIDAYS, available here.

Keeping it green with vinegar,