Why do people starch things if the market is full modern means? To many housewives this method seems “prehistoric”. They probably just don’t know that things after this treatment retain their appearance longer, get dirty less, and stains come off easier.
But in order for the result from starching things to be of high quality, you need to carry out all the work correctly, including preparing the paste. Our article will tell you what to do.
Read in this article:
Why do they starch clothes at all?
Before telling you how to starch a shirt, you should say a few words about the need for such work. So, the mixture, penetrating into the fibers, makes them rigid, so the shirt will look like it was just bought. In addition, starching has other advantages, for example:
Advice: it is important to understand that only natural fabrics can be starched, since synthetic fibers do not have a porous structure, and therefore it is simply impossible to process them.
The only disadvantage of starching is that after processing the fabric stops “breathing” and allowing air to pass through. Therefore, try not to wear things too often after such treatment.
Preparing paste for processing fabrics
How to properly starch a shirt collar? The first thing you need to do is prepare a solution (paste). To do this, you need to study the fabric from which the clothes are made - the concentration of the composition depends on this.
- shirts made from thin fabrics such as chiffon and cambric must be processed in a gentle way;
- for cotton products, use the semi-rigid method;
- dense parts of the blouse can only be starched using the hard method.
Soft paste
To prepare such a solution, you need to take about 70 ml of water and dissolve a spoonful of starch in the liquid. Mix the mixture thoroughly to remove any lumps, then pour the mixture into a saucepan, pour in 900 ml of water and boil the solution. Boil it for three minutes, stirring constantly. A good paste should not have lumps.
Semi-rigid paste
The preparation of semi-rigid paste is similar to the first option, but there is one amendment - you need to take twice as much starch.
Hard paste
Dissolve two tablespoons of starch and a spoonful of water in a container and mix. Take 200 ml of warm water, add 20 g of salt to it, stir until the particles dissolve. Then simply mix the two solutions, boil for a couple of minutes, and leave the resulting mixture to settle for an hour.
Tips for starching things
In this article we will tell you how to make it “crunchy”. Follow all our recommendations that will help you carry out all the work quickly.
Many needlewomen, trying to extend the life of their knitted napkins and other products, starch them. In the article you will find tips that will help you quickly starch your favorite accessory.
How to starch a shirt collar - technology for performing the work
In fact, there is nothing complicated about starching - if you carefully read our article and follow the recommendations, it will take you literally an hour. Before we tell you how to starch a shirt collar, let's study the process of processing the entire product. You may need this if you have a long trip or a serious event where you need to look brand new.
Instructions:
Advice: do not rush to dry freshly processed items on the balcony or on a radiator - this will lead to the fabric drying out quickly, and it will be almost impossible to iron the item. The best option– drying things at room temperature.
Processing cuffs and collars
But you don’t always need to starch an entire shirt—it’s enough to tidy up the collar and cuffs to make the product look perfect. And remember to use a hard starching method, even if the shirt itself is made of thin silk or cambric. Everything is simple here: dip the cuffs or collar into the prepared paste, rub the fabric a little with your hands, as if washing it, and leave it in the solution for 20 minutes. Then we wring out the clothes, straighten them and dry them.
After processing. How to do this correctly so as not to damage the product? We will help you with this!
What to do if you don’t have an iron at hand, but you urgently need to put your favorite blouse or T-shirt in order? you will find practical recommendations for removing wrinkles without the help of technology.
To ensure that the starching process goes as efficiently as possible, carefully read the following tips, which will be especially useful for those who have decided to process things using this method for the first time.
- You can starch only clean (preferably just washed) clothes;
- do not dry starched items in the cold;
- to give the product gloss, add a drop of melted stearin to the mixture;
- A little salt added to the solution will give your clothes a shine.
Tip: you can also starch your clothes when washing them in the machine by adding a little paste to the conditioner compartment.
Conclusion
Now you know how to starch collars correctly, which means you can make your shirt more attractive. No dry cleaning will give you such a great result, while starching things is a quick procedure and, most importantly, accessible to everyone. The only negative is that collars treated with starch paste will be quite stiff, which can create some inconvenience when wearing things! But beauty requires sacrifice, doesn’t it?
Before special events or holidays, everyone thinks about how they will look at this event. Clothing plays a special role in appearance. Some people buy new wardrobe items, while others give their clothes a festive look just by starching them.
Starch looks similar to flour, but its structure is completely different from it. It is used in the food, industrial and household sectors.
In this article we will talk about how to properly starch a shirt.
Starched clothes: pros and cons
Pros of starched clothes:
- If you starch things regularly, you can significantly slow down the wear and tear process of your clothes. Starch has a remarkable property - it compacts the texture of fabric fibers.
- Starch particles attract pollutants. After washing, the starch is washed off along with all contaminants. The clothes, in turn, remain perfectly clean.
- The starch layer is compacted during ironing, so the clothes become snow-white.
- A starched shirt practically does not wrinkle.
Cons of starched clothes
Such clothes have only one drawback: the fabric does not allow air to pass through well. Because of this, it is recommended to wear a starched shirt only occasionally, for example, only for special occasions. It is also not recommended to starch shirts that fit the body.
What starch should I use to treat things?
You can process shirts with any type of starch:
- potato;
- rice;
- corn.
A different starching method can be used for each fabric:
- hard;
- semi-rigid;
- soft.
The starching method directly depends on the concentration of the solution. A properly diluted starch mixture is what determines the appearance of the shirt after processing.
Below we will discuss how to prepare a solution for starching shirts.
Starching a thin fabric shirt
Thin fabrics include chiffon and cambric. Typically, women's blouses and shirts are made from this material. These materials are very sensitive to processing, so they must be starched using a gentle method.
You will need:
- liter of water temperature 25-30 °C;
- a teaspoon of starch.
Preparation of the solution:
- In a small container, dissolve starch in 200 ml of water. It is necessary to stir it thoroughly so that no lumps remain. The result should be a homogeneous mass.
- The remaining 800 ml of water must be boiled. After the water boils, you need to pour the starch mixture into a container on the stove. To stir thoroughly.
- Boil the mixture for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The result should be a clear solution.
The shirt must be starched in the solution for about 15 minutes.
How to starch a shirt at home using the semi-rigid method
Shirts made of cotton fabric are processed using the semi-rigid method. The semi-hard method differs from the soft processing method only in the amount of starch. If you are wondering how to starch white shirt, then this method is perfect for products made of white fabric.
You will need:
- liter of water 20-30 °C;
- a tablespoon of starch.
The solution is prepared in the same way as in the previous method.
The shirt must be placed in this solution for 20 minutes.
Hard starching of collar and cuffs
The collar and cuffs are sufficiently thick parts of the shirt. These areas are best treated with the harsh starching method.
For a hard solution you will need:
- liter of water 20-30 °C;
- two tablespoons of starch;
- 200 ml hot water;
- 15 grams of sodium salt.
Preparation of the solution:
- Prepare a starch solution as described in the soft method.
- Sodium salt is added to 200 ml of hot water.
- A mixture of salt and water must be poured into the starch solution.
- Boil the mixture for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Leave the solution for about an hour.
The cuffs and collar must be placed in this solution for 20 minutes. Then the starched parts of the shirt should be lightly ironed.
A starched shirt should be wrung out well and hung to dry. All folds in clothing should be straightened out. If you cannot straighten your shirt, you can lightly iron it before drying. You cannot dry starched items on the balcony at subzero temperatures or on radiators.
To ensure that the result meets your expectations, you need to listen to the following tips:
- If you add a few drops of turpentine to the starch solution, the starched shirt will not stick to the iron.
- To achieve homogeneity of the starch solution, it must be carefully filtered.
- Before starching, the collar and cuffs must be wiped with hydrogen peroxide, this will remove dirt.
- Dry, starched clothes can be lightly sprayed with a spray bottle before ironing. After a couple of minutes you can start ironing.
- If you want to achieve a glossy effect, add a few drops of stearin to the solution.
- If you starch a shirt with potato starch, you can add a little salt to the paste. This will give the shirt fabric a glossy look and make it look more impressive.
- Dark shirts should not be treated with a cornstarch solution. This way you can ruin the product - yellow spots and stripes will appear on it.
- You cannot starch places on the shirt where there is embroidery from floss threads. The starch will stick the threads together, and the embroidery itself will lose its shine.
- You can't starch synthetic shirts - you'll just waste your time. Synthetic fabric has a different structure from natural fabrics. Starch penetrates into the pores on the surface of the material, but synthetics simply do not have these pores. As a result, the synthetic shirt does not starch.
Now you know how to starch a shirt at home. And, as you have already noticed, starching shirts is not such a labor-intensive process. Material costs are also minimal. All you need is a little starch and water. But the effect is amazing: a starched shirt will always look like new.
It is also important that this method processing products will not harm your clothes at all, but, on the contrary, will prolong their life. Why spend money on new items when you can just spend 30 minutes giving your favorite shirt the perfect, formal look?
You can starch any item at home, and men's shirts look especially good.
Nowadays you rarely have to wear starched clothes, but good housewives should know all the intricacies of the procedure. This process requires attentiveness, so most women have long abandoned this method of processing things.
However, starched clothes always look very festive. How to starch a shirt at home?
Advantages
Starch penetrates into the pores of the fabric, making the product more rigid. Therefore, the shirt maintains a presentable appearance longer and does not wrinkle.
Other benefits of starching clothes:
- strength;
- white;
- Dirt-repellent barrier due to the suppression of a kind of film.
It is best to carry out the starching process only on shirts made of natural fabric. Products made from synthetic fabrics do not have a porous texture, so the process is useless.
The only negative is the lack of ventilation. Due to the formation of a film on the shirt, it stops allowing air to pass through, so starched items should be used only when necessary. Wearing such things every day is not advisable.
Preparing laundry
Before carrying out the starching procedure, it is necessary to wash the shirt. Washing is carried out in the usual way using powder and conditioner.
It is important to use the correct temperature conditions so as not to damage the product, and thereby extend its service life.
It is necessary to wash separately from colored ones. Cotton white shirts need to be treated separately from synthetics and chiffon because they require pre-soaking and double rinsing.
After washing, the shirt should be inspected for any remaining stains; if any, they must be removed and re-processed in the machine.
If you starch a stain, it will sink deeper into the fibers and make it more difficult to remove.
Preparation of the product
The degree of fixation and the final appearance of the shirt depend on the prepared solution.
The active formulation should be selected based on the type of fabric. Methods for preparing the solution:
- For cambric and chiffon shirts, use a product made from 1 tsp. starch per liter of water.
- A product made of natural fabric of medium or high density (for example, cotton) is treated with a solution of medium concentration - 1 tbsp. l. for 1 liter of water.
- It is better to starch collars and cuffs using a hard method. To do this, dilute 2 tbsp. l. starch in one liter of cold liquid.
It is also important to prepare the solution correctly. The result of the procedure depends on this.
To do this, the required amount of starch is diluted in a liter of warm water no higher than 20 degrees. If used hot, sticky lumps may form.
The second way to prepare the solution: dissolve the starch in a small amount of water, add 1 liter of boiling water and put on low heat. After 3 minutes, remove from heat and leave for 1 hour. Then used to starch shirts.
If lumps appear in the solution, they can be removed. It's easier to do this if you strain through a strainer.
Procedure technology
How to starch a shirt:
- The prepared solution is not sprayed on the shirt; it is dipped into a basin with paste.
- The laundry is kept in the viscous starch composition for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on what result is required. Men's shirt fabric is generally durable, so it will take 30 minutes.
- After the allotted time for the procedure, the shirt is taken out of the solution and dried on hangers, carefully straightening out the folds and creases. This should not be done near the battery or on the balcony. Overdried material is heavier.
You can also carry out the procedure in a washing machine. Simply add the required amount of starch to the conditioner compartment. No detergents should be used during this cycle.
In addition, it is important to know that the quality of such a procedure is lower. And also, experienced housewives do not recommend getting carried away in this way.
While drying, spray the product with plain water from a spray bottle.
To starch collars and cuffs, you will need to prepare a concentrated solution. After the procedure they will gain perfect shape and rigidity, will not quickly wrinkle and get very dirty.
How to starch certain areas of a shirt? First, the item is washed in a machine and... Then prepare a solution of 2 tbsp. l. starch per 1 liter of water, to which you need to add 15–20 grams of coarse salt and leave it for 1.5–2 hours.
How to starch a shirt collar:
- The cuffs and collar are lowered into the prepared solution one by one. There is no need to squeeze out immediately; the remaining water should drain off on its own.
- The mixture can also be applied to the collar and cuffs using a soft sponge so that the liquid is well absorbed.
- They are then dried, but the fabric should remain slightly damp.
After this treatment, the product will look like new and keep its shape after several washes in an automatic washing machine.
If light-colored material is to be processed, starch is used. You can buy potato, corn or rice.
For dark or colored shirts, use gelatin or commercial starch products.
Add to the prepared paste:
- stearin to give things gloss;
- shine salt;
- turpentine for easy ironing.
Before carrying out the procedure, look at the label so as not to overdo it with an overdose. A harsh solution can ruin delicate fabrics such as silk.
If the item is too dry, dip it in cool water, rinse it a little, and dry it again.
Starched items should not be dried in the cold. It is better to hang the shirt in the room, but away from heating appliances.
Now any housewife can be proud of her husband’s attractive appearance. No dry cleaning will give such a great result.
Ironed, starched shirts look formal and stylish. Completely undeservedly, many people have forgotten this method of processing. Things lose their presentable appearance over time. Starching will allow old shirt turn into a new one: products not only change in appearance, but also become more resistant to damage. The process has been used since the time of grandmothers, but you should not forget how to starch a shirt yourself.
Why do things starch?
Products should be starched for several reasons:
- A starched surface stays clean longer.
- The collar and cuffs do not deteriorate for a long time.
- After treatment, the shirt does not wrinkle longer.
- After ironing, a starched item acquires additional whiteness.
After treatment, the shirt does not allow air to pass through well. Therefore, it is advisable to wear such shirts only on special occasions.
There is nothing difficult about the procedure. Conventionally, three stages can be distinguished in it:
- choosing the type of solution;
- preparing the shirt for the process;
- directly the starching of the thing.
To ensure that everything goes without complications, at each stage we follow simple recommendations and rules. Before starting the procedure, select the type of solution and prepare it. The cost of the paste is minimal. For this purpose, only a container, starch and water are prepared.
Selection of solution and processing methods
Use any type of starch. Corn, rice, and potato are also suitable. The degree of concentration depends on the type of fabric prepared for the process.
There are three processing methods:
- soft;
- semi-rigid;
- hard.
Chiffon or cambric shirts are products made from thin fabrics. They use a soft method:
- To prepare, take a liter of cool water and pour some of it into a small container.
- Dissolve a small spoonful of starch in a container, stirring until all lumps disappear.
- The remaining liquid is placed on the fire and brought to a boil.
- Pour the diluted shirt starch into boiling water in a thin stream, stirring constantly for about three minutes until the solution becomes completely clear.
Cotton shirts are processed using the semi-rigid method. The process of preparing the solution is no different from the previous one. The only difference is the amount of starch. Take a large spoon for a liter of water.
For starching thick parts of shirts, that is, cuffs, collars, use the hard method:
Preparing the solution will allow you to better understand how to starch a shirt collar at home.
Preparation for the process
Regardless of the chosen processing method, it makes sense to carry out the procedure only after washing the product. Some nuances are taken into account:
- Hot water is suitable for washing cotton shirts. You should not add synthetic items.
- Cotton items are washed in hot water. In order to save money, you should not add synthetic things to them. An inappropriate mode can deform synthetics.
- For cotton shirts, it is best to do a separate wash with double rinsing and pre-soaking.
Chiffon or cambric items are washed at a lower temperature than cotton. You can do without pre-soaking or rinse things by hand.
Starching procedure
Microparticles of starch will fill every free cell on the surface of the material. Products made from artificial fabrics do not have such cells in their structure. That’s why it’s useless to starch them.
Clean shirts are placed in the prepared paste for half an hour.
After completing the cleaning procedure, items are taken out, wrung out and hang out to dry:
For more comfortable ironing, do not let the shirt dry out. To do this, as the fabric dries, spray it with water from a spray bottle.
The barely damp product is ironed. Particular attention during the process is paid to the cuffs and collar.
The technique can be used to starch the entire item and to ensure that the collar stands up.
If you don’t have time to soak, you can use a washing machine.
The prepared starch solution is poured into the conditioner compartment. At the same time, do not use any other cleaning agents in the selected cycle:
- To give the shirt a spectacular shine, add a little salt or stearin to the solution.
- Instead of water use soap solution based on baby soap.
- Adding a couple of drops of turpentine to the paste will allow you to iron the product with ease.
To starch individual parts of the shirt, use a spray bottle or brush. In this case, there is no risk of the solution getting on other parts of the item. A completely untreated shirt allows air to pass through perfectly and looks elegant.
How to starch knitted collars
Starch is not suitable for giving the desired shape to bulky objects, for example, crochet boxes or vases. The solution will not give the desired hardness. But he's great suitable for napkins and collars.
It is important to know that after some time the starch will turn yellow, like gelatin and PVA glue. For this reason, when working with light or snow-white yarn, it is wiser to use sugar.
Classic way
To prepare the solution, take a large spoonful of starch into a glass of water. For one liter of liquid, accordingly, five large spoons of the substance will be required.
To prepare a sugar solution, dilute three dessert spoons of sugar in a glass of water. Fifteen grams of refined refined sand are added to a liter of liquid.
When choosing any of the methods, the cooking procedure is the same:
You can starch a collar using the cold method.. For this, add one large spoonful of starch to a couple of liters of water:
- The starch is diluted with cool water and the product is placed in a container.
- Leave for 20-30 minutes.
- Take out and wring out the starched collar, lay it out on a flat surface on a towel.
- Cover the top with a thin cloth, smooth it out, and shape the openwork edges.
- The work is ironed while the item is slightly damp.
- Set the product aside until completely dry for a couple of hours.
If you iron a white collar until it is completely dry, very soon the item will acquire an unpleasant yellowish tint.
Starched items do not like water. This means that after washing you will again have to “bathe” your shirts and collars in the paste.
Alternative method
You can use an alternative method using a starched collar:
After the procedure, the product looks great. Neither dry cleaning nor machine washing gives this effect. The only disadvantage of the treatment is that the shirt becomes too stiff, especially the collar, causing discomfort when worn.
Attention, TODAY only!
Knowing how to starch a shirt, you can give an ordinary product an unusually solemn look. Just a few years ago, this approach to processing men’s and women’s shirts was used everywhere, even in everyday life. Today, the direction is undeservedly ignored by many housewives.
Most often they explain this by a lack of free time, but, as practice shows, additional manipulations only take a few minutes. Others simply don't understand the beauty of the approach.
In addition to the touch of festivity, starching shirts is considered beneficial from the practical side of the issue:
- If products intended for regular wear are constantly starched at home, you can count on a reduction in their wear rate. The texture of the fibers becomes denser, and they deteriorate more slowly.
- Treated items retain their neat appearance longer and do not wrinkle so quickly.
- During the starching process, an additional layer is formed on the surface of the fabric, which after ironing becomes denser and provides the fabric with additional whiteness.
- The starch layer is also a protective barrier that prevents rapid contamination of the garment. Under the influence of water, this film dissolves and allows you to wash the fabric without any problems.
Tip: Few people know that you can starch a shirt only from natural fabric. Synthetics do not have that unique porous texture that can pass the solution between the fibers and fix it there.
Despite the abundance of advantages, starching has one significant disadvantage - after such processing, the products no longer allow air to pass through. Therefore, it is not recommended to wear starched shirts all the time.
Rules for preparing the composition and important nuances of the process
One of the most critical stages of work is the preparation of the active composition; the degree of tissue fixation and the final appearance of the product will depend on its quality.
In this case, it is necessary to rely not only on the desired level of rigidity, but also on the quality of the material:
- The soft way. It is used for processing chiffon and cambric. To do this, dissolve a teaspoon of starch in a small amount of water, then add a liter of boiling water to the mass and cook it over low heat for no more than three minutes. The end result should be a transparent and homogeneous product.
- Semi-rigid method. Ideal for cotton. It differs from the previous approach only in the amount of starch. We take it in the amount of a tablespoon.
- The hard way. Used for starching cuffs and collars. First, grind two tablespoons of starch with cold water to a paste. Then dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a glass of boiling water and mix with starch gruel. Cook the resulting mass for a couple of minutes and leave for at least an hour.
After preparing the composition, we begin processing the washed product or its individual parts.
Manipulation technology and secrets from experienced housewives
The starching procedure itself is quite simple, but to obtain an optimal result it is worth considering several important points:
- If the product needs to be completely processed, then immerse it in the prepared composition for half an hour. Partial processing does not require long soaking; we simply thoroughly wet individual areas.
- Before starching the collar, it is recommended to wipe it with hydrogen peroxide. This will get rid of yellow stains and prevent their rapid appearance.
- Through right time We take out the item and hang it up, carefully straightening out all the folds and creases.
- Drying a piece of clothing in a natural way, sprinkling with water from a spray bottle as it dries.
- When the shirt is only slightly damp, iron it, paying special attention to the cuffs and collar.
- Drying fabric treated with starch on a balcony or radiator is not recommended; this can lead to overdrying of the material and the formation of strong creases.
- If the product needs to be given a solemn shine, then a little salt or melted stearin should be added to the working composition.
- Today you can starch shirts even in washing machine. To do this, you just need to pour the starch into the conditioner tray. Other means are not used in the same cycle.
Such an economical procedure as starching shirts allows you to achieve an effect that even dry cleaning employees cannot guarantee. At the same time, no negative consequences not observed for fabric.
