Hi everyone, Jessica Gordon Ryan here, Leslie’s guest blogger, and today I’m going to talk to you about setting up your laundry room with luxury ironing essentials and give you some tips on ironing your beautiful luxury linens and sheets.
Since part of gracious living is buying luxury linens for our beds, which Leslie wrote about earlier this week, it’s important to take the extra step to have them ironed so your bed welcomes you {or your guests} beautifully when you’re ready to crawl into it. Whether they’re perfectly, crisp, cool and comfortable or soft and silky, ironed sheets are one of life’s simple luxuries. Some people send their sheets every week to the cleaners for this, which is an excellent solution if you can, but others enjoy ironing, finding the process calm and relaxing.
Whether you send them out or do it yourself, there’s absolutely no feeling as wonderful as crawling into a bed that has been meticulously prepared, is there? For many, myself included, a well made bed is essential to a good night’s sleep. What do you need to buy if you’re just starting out? Read on! And, below, Martha Stewart breaks down the ironing process for us so that it’s easy to understand how to do it so you’ll have beautifully pressed linens in your linen closet.
She too believes that ironed sheets feel so much better against the skin. Martha suggests putting your cotton sheets in the dryer until they are just damp. You don’t want them to dry fully. Then, fold the sheets lengthwise into quarters so that the sheet will lie across the ironing board in a nice manageable panel. On a high setting, place the iron on to the sheet and start ironing. As you iron you want to move the sheet up and down the ironing board so as to iron the entire length. { If you have linen sheets, see the tip later in my post for how to iron them and get all the wrinkles out. }
Because the sheet has been folded lengthwise, the creases will not show when the bed is made. Martha also suggests using a very well padded ironing board. The more padding the better, as more moisture will be absorbed. There will be no need to flip the sheet over. As you are ironing the top panel, the underside will become ironed as well.
What do you need to buy for a luxury laundry room? It all starts with a great iron.
A great iron can make all the difference. Rowenta has many models available and is considered one of the best luxury iron by those in the know. Visit the Williams-Sonoma Homekeeping section for more information.
But maybe you’re a more serious ironer and you like to iron everything - from your bedding, kitchen and table linens to shirts, skirts and pants. In that case you might just be the perfect candidate for the Miele Rotary Iron, also available from Williams - Sonoma.
The right ironing board is next on the list and this one, from Williams-Sonoma by Brabantia, below, is an excellent choice. Notice how it had a fold down rack to hold your freshly pressed linens and how it holds your iron, whether you’re left or right handed. It is also adjustable in four heights, which is such a nice feature if different people are ironing at different times.
After selecting the right ironing board and iron, next you need a lovely cover for it, as Martha Stewart recommends. A well padded ironing board makes ironing much easier. A pretty ironing board cover may also help to put you in the mood! The ones below are from Pottery Barn or you can have a custom ironing board cover made if you prefer. One supplier is http://steadybetty.com.
and even though this ironing board cover is also polka dots below, I’ve included it because it shows you how the shape of the ironing board itself can be different. Make sure to check your ironing board’s shape before you buy a cover for it - especially if you’re having a custom one made to coordinate with a decorative detail in your laundry room, something Leslie told me she does frequently for her interior design clients in Midland, Texas.
Ironing 100% Egyptian cotton bedding is one thing, but ironing 100% linen is another! A wonderful blog post I found with detailed instructions for how to get the wrinkles out of real linen bedding is this one, by The Freckled Laundry. Click here to read it and don’t miss the comments on it for additional good tips. Who knew people loved to iron so much??
Lastly, who doesn’t love the smell of fresh lavender in their linens? Spritz your damp sheets with a lavender linen spray - the heat of the iron presses the fresh aroma into the sheets.
Try a lightly scented lavender linen water to help ease you into a good night’s sleep. There are many good ones on the market, and below you’ll find a recipe for lavender linen spray if you prefer to mix your own. If you prefer to purchase your own lavender linen water, there are many varieties in the marketplace, including the one below from West Elm.
Lavender Linen Water
Ingredients:
1 tsp. of high quality of lavender essential oil
2 1/2 cups of distilled or spring water - NOT tap water which contains chlorine.
1/8 cup of vodka
In a spray bottle pour in your water, essential oil and vodka. Mix well and use. You will want to mix the solution prior to each use. The solution may become cloudy and this is normal. The vodka acts as both a preservative as well as an emulsifier. When buying the vodka for this you want the highest proof available, but do not buy an expensive brand.
Now, you have the whole recipe for setting up for a luxury ironing experience for your fine bed linens. Ready to purchase them now if you don’t have any yet? Leslie wrote about how to do that, here.
Anyone want to join me at Pratesi in Italy to go shopping? I’ll bring the wine!!
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Thank you!
Jessica Gordon Ryan
for
Leslie Hendrix Wood
Founder
Editor In Chief
Hadley Court
Interior Designer
Leslie Hendrix Wood Interiors
Midland, Texas
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