Alert issued to anyone with iron as chore can have 'worrying consequences'

As much as we may not like the thought of it, it's fair to say that most Brits own an iron. After all, nobody wants their clothes to be creased, wrinkled or unsightly, so it's normal to want to press out any unwanted lines on clothes.

However, little you may know, you may be conducting the task wrong, as ironing can actually have dire consequences if you don't know what you're doing. The matter was recently brought to people's attention on TikTok after a woman shared a video detailing her horrific experience as she made a pretty big ironing blunder that ended in disaster.

In the clip, she admitted she felt "stupid" afterwards, as she didn't follow expert advice before she completed the task. It turns out, there are a few things you need to be clued up onbefore you tackle your ironing.

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Abby Szydlik said: "Am I stupid? This is my shirt that I just tried to iron, and now my shirt is attached to my iron. That is my shirt - hole.

"Literally, I put it on there to try to iron it, but what the heck? It literally just destroyed this shirt. It's so wrinkled, as you can see. Can you not iron this type of material?

"Is this common knowledge? Somebody please let me know. How do I get this off my iron? It is fused. My poor shirt."

In the video, Abby admitted she unplugged the iron immediately when she realised there was a problem, and she was able to make light of the situation. However, there are some dangers you need to be aware of when ironing, and people were quick to point this out in the comments.

One said: "You have to read the material tags. Also, irons have settings." Another added: "That's why I don't buy cheap polyester."

A third replied: "It's a synthetic material, remember that rayon, nylon, polyester etc are essentially made of spun plastic. So, yes, they melt if you iron them. We have a steamer, and that's much safer."

Meanwhile, a fourth also commented: "Why are people being so rude like they've never made an error in their life? I will say, I prefer my steamer over an iron though. Maybe that'll help with that material."

However, while it can be easy for anyone to make a mistake, there are some essential things you need to know about ironing. London-based laundry service, Love2Laundry, has actually shared some essential advice to help people out.

The website reads: "Ironing is the most popular method that people use to get rid of creases in their clothing once it’s been washed. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s the best method out there for all garment types.

"Ironing is not always bad for your clothes if it’s done right, but things can easily go wrong. Overall, we would recommend keeping ironing to a minimum where you can, and use other methods of getting rid of creases wherever possible.

"By ironing your garments, you are likely to shorten their lifespan. This may not always be the case if you know what settings to use and which fabrics to avoid.

"Depending on the type of fabric you iron, you can ‘burn’ the material, which will cause discolouration, shrink the fibres, or even melt the fabric if it is synthetic. After spending the money you did on such delicate fabrics, the threat of an iron is one that most people should seek to avoid."

When it comes to what you should avoid ironing, you shouldn't touch materials like Lycra or spandex as they are synthetic and will melt. Polyester is also a synthetic material that can melt easily, so it shouldn't be exposed to the heat of an iron.

The good news is all three of these fabrics hardly ever need to be ironed anyway, as they don't often crease. Other fabrics to keep away from the iron include cashmere, wool, silk, corduroy and velvet.

Even though some of these materials can be ironed on a low heat or, even a cool iron, it’s best not to iron them at all and use other methods to eliminate creases.

In most cases, experts recommend something like a steamer to get rid of creases in these delicate fabrics. You can also spray some items with water and let them dry.