Issue No. 10
20 May 2014
Energy-efficient clothes ironing
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roning clothes often takes more hours to finish and also uses more energy like ten 100-watt light bulbs.The number of hours that irons are used also affects the electricity cost. Stop dreading the chore of ironing because it increases the energy consumption. Here are some tips on how you can shorten ironing time, hence, save on electricity consumption. •
Do all the ironing at one time. It is a test of patience to iron for hours but if you iron large batches of clothing at one time, you won’t waste energy reheating the iron every time you want to press something.
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Dampen clothes moderately. Moistened clothes take more time to iron so make sure that the clothes are dry. Hang the wet clothes where the sunlight can dry it better.
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Stretch the clothes after rinsing and before hanging them to dry to reduce creases. Also, fold the clothes properly after drying especially the ones with lighter fabric to eliminate the need for ironing.
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Set the iron’s temperature appropriately for the type of clothes. This will avoid scorching and wasting of energy. Also, do not overheat the iron.
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Switch off the electric iron in the last few minutes of ironing. The remaining heat will be enough to press the lighter clothes or fabrics.
Iron fabrics that require lower temperature first. This will reduce warm up time. Then work up to those requiring higher heat.
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Avoid leaving cleaned clothes in an “ironing basket.” Instead, hang these clothes until it is time to iron them. Placing the clothes in a basket will cause more wrinkles and creases and mean more ironing time.
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Cut out your ironing time by putting a piece of aluminum foil under the ironing board cover. The foil will reflect the heat so you are actually ironing from both sides at once.
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Set aside clothes that do not require ironing or need just a quick press. It will save more energy. Towels, drip-dry shirts, etc. are unnecessary to iron.
Source: http://www.laneco.com.ph/ index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=129&Itemid=193 http://www.meralco.com.ph/brightideas/
Published by the Trade and Industry Information Center (TIIC) for the DTI ENERCON Management Team in support of the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program. If you have Enercon tips to share, other suggestions or requested topics, please e-mail us at publications@dti.gov.ph.