Washers and dryers have an abundance of cycles and features that you can choose to use. But with so many buttons to pick from, it’s sometimes hard to figure out what you actually need to press and when!
A feature on both washing machines and tumble dryers that has people talking is the ‘easy iron’ one!
So, what exactly does ‘easy iron’ mean on a washing machine and a tumble dryer? And when do you use them? Keep on reading to find out!
What Does ‘Easy Iron’ Mean on a Washing Machine?
Many washing machines have an ‘easy iron’ feature, which is shown on the machine as either the words ‘easy iron’ or an iron symbol.
The ‘easy iron’ feature can help to reduce the number of wrinkles and creases on your clothes, thus making them a lot easier to iron later on or to help you skip the ironing phase entirely.
You tend to use this feature when you’re washing clothes that are known to go very wrinkly or if you want to speed up your ironing process.
However, I should point out that although the ‘easy iron’ feature may be great at removing lots of lines from laundry, it won’t remove 100% of the creases for you.
You’ll still have to iron laundry that is prone to wrinkles and creasing with an iron afterwards.
How does the ‘easy iron’ feature on a washing machine work?
On a regular cycle that doesn’t utilise the ‘easy iron’ feature, clothes are washed and spun around fairly quickly inside the washer’s drum.
Naturally, as the clothes go round and round, they get tangled, and creases start to form on the materials. You’ll see this effect even more so on fabrics that are prone to creasing, like cotton and linen.
The ‘easy iron’ setting reduces the spin speed and/or shortens the spin cycle, so you reduce the amount of spin your laundry goes through.
As there’s less agitation to contend with, the laundry leaves the washer in a less wrinkly condition. In turn, the clothes can either be hung up and stored or ironed.
If you need to iron items that have been run through this feature, you should notice that they’re a lot easier to iron because there aren’t as many creases to handle!
In addition, garments can feel smoother to the touch after the ‘easy iron’ feature has been used on them.
It’s worth pointing out that not all washing machines come with an ‘easy iron’ feature, so don’t panic if you don’t see this option on your washer.
If, however, you’re in the market for a new appliance and you’d like help with de-wrinkling your laundry, it would be worth looking into getting a washing machine that comes with the ‘easy iron’ feature. It could speed up the laundry process a lot for you!
As a quick side note, if your washing machine doesn’t have an ‘easy iron’ feature, make sure you read your user handbook before you use this option.
You want to make sure that you’re using the ‘easy iron’ feature correctly because if you don’t, you could end up with more wrinkles than you’d planned!
See our guide to washing machine programs if you need more tips.
What Does ‘Easy Iron’ Mean on a Tumble Dryer?
Like washing machines, many tumble dryers now come with an ‘easy iron’ feature. But how exactly does this feature work?
The ‘easy iron’ feature on a tumble dryer works in a similar way to how it does on a washing machine.
The purpose of the feature is to reduce wrinkles on laundry as it gets dried and to ‘relax’ the fibres of the clothes so they’re easier to iron. You typically use this feature to speed up your ironing process or to skip it completely.
A dryer’s ‘easy iron’ feature helps to reduce wrinkles by running laundry through a far shorter, cooler, and gentler cycle that uses minimal agitation.
As a result, clothes inside the tumble dryer don’t end up knotted and bundled together. Instead, they’re more crinkle-free and ready to be ironed (if need be).
In most cases, the reduced temperature means that the laundry doesn’t end up completely dried out, which again helps with the ironing process.
However, don’t be fooled into thinking that the dryer will remove all of the creases from your items because it won’t. It will only reduce the number of lines you see on your laundry.
To make your garments wrinkle-free, you will still need to iron them. However, the process should be far simpler after using the ‘easy iron’ feature because there won’t be as many wrinkles to manage.
As with washing machines, not all tumble dryers come with an ‘easy iron’ feature. But if you need a new dryer and think you’d make good use of the ‘easy iron’ feature, make sure you look for a tumble dryer that comes with this option.
It’s worth pointing out that many tumble dryers come with an ‘anti-crease’ feature, which may sound similar to the ‘easy iron’ feature, but they’re not the same – don’t mix them up!
The ‘anti-crease’ feature is used once the drying cycle has ended, and its purpose is to tumble the laundry around inside the drum very slowly every few minutes, while the dryer waits for you to empty it. This particular feature helps to stop clothes from clumping together and becoming creased.
For more information, see our guide to tumble dryer settings.
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
