The Easy Way to “Iron” Out Wrinkles in Table Linens, Thanks to This TikTok Hack
One of the first-ever holidays I hosted as a newly minted adult was an Easter brunch. The day before the meal, I ran out to purchase tablecloths to hide the folding tables I was using to feed everyone.
I’m still a fan of tablecloths, and my collection has certainly grown. But while I used to carefully treat stains and roll them up for storage to prevent any creasing (a trick I learned from Martha Stewart), I’ve sort of given up on a handful of them.
Most summer weekends, my 10-year-old daughter runs a lemonade stand, using the same folding table and tablecloths I used for that brunch all of those years ago. She’s pretty good about cleaning up. But when she’s done, she tends to throw the tablecloth down the laundry chute, where it sits crumpled until I get around to washing it. (Not a huge deal for my kids’ bed sheets, but frustrating for tablecloths.)
A tablecloth’s purpose is to suggest a put-together, well-polished look for your table — a wrinkled one defeats that goal.
So when I saw @brunchwithbabs quickly de-wrinkle a couple of dresses in her dryer on TikTok, I was curious if the technique would work equally well on a tablecloth.
Babs, aka Barbara Costello, is “everyone’s grandmother.” She shares home hacks, style tips, and recipes on her popular social media channels. In the TikTok video, Babs tosses a couple of dresses into the dryer with four to five ice cubes, lets it spin for 10 to 15 minutes, and then removes wrinkle-free dresses. Surely this could also work for my tablecloths?
I gave it a try! I tossed one of the tablecloths that had been sitting in a basket in the dryer with a handful of ice, and let it go for 15 minutes.
When I went to the dryer, I immediately laid out the tablecloth over my table and was definitely impressed with how well this trick worked!
Now, I probably won’t pull out this hack for my daughter’s lemonade stands, but it’ll definitely come in handy for those
occasions
And, while yes, an iron may be more energy-efficient, sometimes you just don’t have the time.
Have you tried this easy ice cube hack? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.