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How to starch a dress at home correctly

Knowing how to correctly starch a dress at home can save you time and money spent at tailors or dry cleaners. Here are the top three steps to get a perfect starch finish at home, with minimal effort: First, prepare a starch solution with 1/3 cup of starch and two-thirds a cup of cold water, stir until it thickens. Next, dip a piece of fabric in the solution, and wring it out until the starch solution is mostly removed. Finally, iron over the dry garment, making sure you use the right fabric setting for the best results. With the right steps and tools, you can starch your dress at home with great results and save time and money.

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Remember how ballerinas look in their tutus. The splendor of their costumes depends not only on the design, but also on how starched they are. Your dress may look even more spectacular! Just learn to starch things at home. Our guide will help you with this.

Types of Starches

The degree of starch concentration in an aqueous solution may be different; in this regard, starching may be soft, medium hard and hard. The choice of the desired concentration of the solution depends on the type of tissue product.

1. Soft It is used for things made of light fabrics – summer flowing dresses, transparent blouses or chiffon skirts. 0.5-1 teaspoon of starch per 1 liter. water
2. Medium hard Suitable for bedding, shirts, blouses or skirts made of cotton and linen. 1 tablespoon of starch per 1 liter of water
3 Hard With its help, individual elements are processed, for example, cuffs. The method is used for starching the lower skirt in a lush layered dress. In this case, the design acquires the necessary splendor and rigidity.. 2 tablespoons of starch per 1 liter of water

How to prepare linen for starches

The first step is to carefully wash the dress. Then check for visible spots. Spread out each area, viewing it under a stable light source. If the spots still show up, it does not matter. You can remove any impurities and get rid of yellow plaque on white things with hydrogen peroxide.

The recipe is simple: 2 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide are dissolved in 200 ml of water, the solution is mixed. Each stain on the product is wetted, and the dress in a straightened form is laid for drying. It is desirable that the process takes place in vivo, i.e. not with a hairdryer or heater, as some housewives practice. Gradual drying is important here. Drying in the sun is the best option. The spots will disappear literally before our eyes.

So fatty, wine, tea and other pollution are removed. If barely noticeable spots remain, do not worry, starch will make the thing more white, and as a result, spots will not be visible.

The better to starch the dress

The question is really relevant, because in addition to the traditional method of diluting starch, there is a simpler and more universal one – use a starch spray or liquid. They are available at any hardware store and are very convenient..

starch spray

The spray is suitable for starching of individual details of the dress – collars or cuffs. To do this, you will need an iron and a bottle of the product. Having sprayed the necessary sections of the dress with a spray, iron the item with an iron. Before starting the procedure, be sure to read the instructions for using the product and make sure that it is designed for the type of fabric you need.

A starch powder or liquid is used for large items, such as tulle, tablecloths, napkins, or lush petticoats for wedding dresses. It’s even easier to use such products – you just need to add the required amount of product to the machine together with the washing powder. At the end of the washing process, you will get an excellent result – a pleasantly crispy dress. As with the spray, these products have instructions for use. For best results, follow all recommendations..

At home, regular food starch is also used to starch dresses. Some consider this method the best, based on the fact that the mixture is made from natural potato, rice or corn starch. And, indeed, in addition to naturalness, this method is also good because the result obtained is quite resistant. In addition, starching methods using PVA glue, gelatin or sugar are also known. However, most often potato starch is used for the procedure..

How to make starch solution

Having determined the degree of starches (there are only three of them, and we wrote about them above), we take what is needed for cooking:

  • starch;
  • deep glass or enameled dishes. Glass should be heat resistant, because the mixture may have to be boiled;
  • boiling water;
  • a spoon, spatula or other device for mixing;
  • product that we starch.

So, we prepare the solution according to the following rules:

  1. Pour starch into the bottom of the container.
  2. Fill with a small volume of cold water and knead thoroughly. The result should be a white substance, comparable in viscosity to sour cream.
  3. Add boiling water, continuing to mix the mass. It is important to prevent the formation of lumps. If they nevertheless appeared, in no case leave them in the mixture. The result should be a transparent viscous paste.
  4. If the mixture is cloudy – boil it for 5 minutes.

How to dress a dress: instructions

  1. The main thing is to allow the prepared solution to cool to room temperature, you can not immerse things in a too hot mixture.
  2. We place the dress in a container, we achieve that all its parts evenly absorb the paste. To do this, we straighten all the details. A little “carry” the thing in the solution, flip it and straighten.
  3. We get the dress, check if there are any untreated areas. Squeeze a little so that there is no excess fluid.

Starchy Bridesmaid Dress

Dress drying

It is necessary to dry the dress on a hanger-shoulders, straightening each fold. If this is not done, the folds will “petrify” and it will be very difficult to straighten them. Drying is permissible only at room temperature. It is important to let things dry under natural conditions without using any improvised means, otherwise then again it will be difficult to smooth it out. You can not dry at low temperatures, for example, on a balcony in the cold season.

If you liked the result, and you want to keep it for a long time, then you will have to starch the item after each wash. But now, perhaps, it will be necessary to process not the entire surface, but only individual parts. Everything at your discretion.

Ironing rules for a starched dress

An important condition for simplifying the smoothing procedure is to do this while the fabric is slightly damp. In this form, the dress will be ironed easier, and you can give it the desired shape. But if the dress has completely dried out, sprinkle non-conforming areas with cold water and immediately iron them. You can use wet gauze when ironing. Pay attention to the power level of the iron. Starchy things can be ironed only at an average heating temperature and without steam.

Some important nuances

You can starch any products and fabrics except:

  • underwear – the fabric becomes almost waterproof, which means less hygienic for the body. In this case, you can starch individual parts – the collar, the button area or ruffles.
  • things from black threads, as white spots will remain on them;
  • clothes sewn in whole or in part from synthetic fibers.

The procedure is suitable for petticoats, wedding and evening dresses, knitted dresses, as well as items made from natural fabrics, such as linen or cotton.

Useful Tips

Sometimes a dress after starches can stick to the iron. To avoid this problem, add a couple of drops of turpentine to the paste. The dress will get a special shine if you add half a teaspoon of salt or a little blue to the mixture. The solution with blue will need to be mixed well until a uniform consistency (without lumps), so that the product stains the same across the entire surface.

Using our guide, you can easily starch your dresses and you will always look 100%.

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Comments: 2
  1. Magnolia

    Could you please provide step-by-step instructions on how to correctly starch a dress at home? I’m eager to learn the proper technique and achieve a professional finish. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. Mason Reed

    Can someone provide a step-by-step guide on how to correctly starch a dress at home? I want to achieve a crisp, professional look without damaging the fabric. Any tips or techniques would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply
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