How to properly starch things made from different fabrics?

How to starch things and why do you need to do it at all? When starching, a thin film is formed on the surface of the fabric, which makes it denser and holds its shape better. In addition, due to this film, any contaminants are not absorbed deeply into the structure of the fabric, which means they are easily washed off. And if it is a light-colored item that has slightly yellowed over time, then starching will slightly whiten it and give it a fresher look. The only drawback of starched clothes is that they allow less air to pass through, meaning that on a hot day they will not be very comfortable.

Preparation of starch solution

To starch things at home, you can use any starch - corn, wheat, potato. There is no significant difference in the result in this case. Although many housewives note that corn starch thickens worse than potato starch.

Depending on the material of clothing or linen, different amounts of starch are added to the water per liter of water.

1. For thin fabrics like chiffon, organza, cambric, tulle, half a teaspoon is enough.
2. For bed linen, various decorative napkins and clothing, a whole teaspoon is usually added.
3. For individual elements of clothing that should be especially tough, collars or cuffs, for example, or a petticoat, two teaspoons of starch are already used.

The starch must be diluted in a container with cool water, stirred thoroughly, and then pour in a small amount of hot liquid.The result should be an absolutely transparent thick paste. If the mixture is not clear enough, it can be heated for a few minutes.

Advice

If it was not possible to make a starch solution without lumps, then the mixture can be strained through cheesecloth to get rid of them.

How to starch correctly? This should only be done with clean items without any stains. They can be either dry or slightly damp, it doesn't matter. You should dip the product into the starchy liquid, let it soak thoroughly, and then take it out and squeeze it a little to remove excess water. Starched items are dried at room temperature at home. You should not place them near heating appliances, otherwise they will dry unevenly and will be inconvenient to iron. Speaking of ironing, it should be done on slightly damp items. But how to starch a bow, which is better not to iron, so as not to melt the fabric? It will have to be shaped by hand.

Why don't we starch?

1. You should not starch or gelatinize underwear, because the procedure makes it airtight, which is bad from a hygienic point of view.
2. Black and simply dark things are not suitable for starching - noticeable white stains remain on them.
3. It makes no sense to starch, sugar or gelatinize synthetic clothing - there will be no special result.

How else can you starch something?

Starching “the old fashioned way” is a rather long and labor-intensive process. Now there are much more convenient ways to starch things. You can purchase starch-containing sprays or liquids that are extremely easy to use - you spray the item with them during the ironing process.

To starch large items, for example, bed linen or long clothes, it is worth purchasing powders or fabric softeners with the corresponding effect, which are simply added when washing in the machine. In principle, you can also add a mixture of starch and water to the machine. But how can you starch fabric this way without ruining the technique? The solution should be poured into the conditioner compartment (and strictly instead of it, and not together with it), and after washing, you need to wipe the drum and machine door with a dry, clean cloth to remove whitish deposits from residual starch.

Advice

It is convenient to starch and gelatinize laundry by pouring a weak solution into a spray bottle. But more saturated mixtures will be difficult to spray due to their thickness.

Alternative options

In addition to these familiar ways to any housewife to give things shape and make them more rigid, there are other, less popular, but no less effective.

1. Mix sugar with water (about 200 g of sugar per 100 g of water) and heat the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. The main thing is not to overcook the syrup, otherwise it will make things yellow.
2. Dilute PVA in water. It is better to use construction glue, because it is whiter and does not give yellowish stains on light-colored products after they dry. This method is often used by needlewomen when making crafts from thin fabrics, such as tulle.

Instead of starching the linen, it can also be gelatinized to achieve the same result. To do this, dilute 3-4 tablespoons of gelatin per liter of water in cold water, heat the mixture almost to a boil, but do not bring it to a boil, stir until the consistency is uniform and the gelatin is completely dissolved.Next, the solution should be allowed to cool slightly so that it is still hot, but no longer scalding, and then soak the product in it for several minutes, then squeeze lightly and hang to dry.

Ideal ways to give shape to a specific product and the proportions of components in mixtures for processing a particular thing cannot be foreseen in advance; each housewife selects them empirically. But the general rule applies - the thinner the fabric, the less saturated the solution should be, i.e., for example, tulle will require much less starch than a cotton shirt.