Spray starch is an essential item in the laundry room of every home because it makes clothes crisp and makes the wearer look good in said clothes. To make spray starch, all you need to do is purchase the required ingredients, mix them together, and shake properly.
And, voila, your starch is ready to use!
But before we go into the details of how to make spray starch, let’s look at the components of liquid starch. So that you can come up with something that is best for your clothes.
What is Ironing Starch Made Of?
Starch for your fabric is made from corn, wheat, or rice. The choice of these carbohydrates is deliberate because they are useful where stiffening clothes is concerned.
Using starch for your clothes makes ironing easier, makes it more resistant to dirt, and keeps you looking good all day.
Now, let’s take a look at the ingredients required to prepare a homemade spray starch.
What are the Items You Need to Make Spray Starch?
The list of ingredients you need to produce your spray starch are:
1. An empty spray bottle.
2. Essential oil – Essential oil is required for a nice fragrance. Examples of essential oils you can use include thyme, lemongrass, and lavender.
3. 2 cups of cold water.
4. 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
5. 2 cups of hot water.
There are various recipes for producing a homemade spray starch.
In fact, some of these recipes, vodka is recommended in place of cornstarch.
However, cornstarch is less expensive and is usually easier to use in making your homemade spray starch. On the flip side, cornstarch may also damage fabrics. This is because cornstarch attracts bugs that can chew on the fabric.
So, if you do not plan to wash your quilt, it is preferable to use vodka instead of cornstarch.
But if your home is bug-free then feel free to use cornstarch.
4 Ways to Make Starch For Ironing
Your homemade spray starch for improving your fabric can be produced by following a few steps. Let’s take a look at them below:
Using Starch Powder
How can you make starch for ironing using starch powder?
1. Buy some starch powder online or at a local store near you.
2. Dissolve 1 cup of the powder in a cup of clean water.
3. Then add 1/2 liter of hot water to this solution.
4. Place it over your stove and stir it until its thick enough for your fabric.
Using White Glue
How can you make starch for ironing using glue?
1. Buy glue or make one yourself.
2. Mix 1 tablespoon in 500ml water.
3. Then stir it thoroughly to achieve the starch solution.
Using Potato/Tapioca Water
How can you make starch for ironing using potato water?
After peeling the skin of your potatoes, grate with a vegetable grater. Then add water and let the potato settle for a few minutes. Scoop out the water on top and heat it on a stove. Keep stirring the water while boiling.
Remember, you cannot get starch out of your potato by cooking it first.
How can you get starch from ironing from tapioca water?
To make tapioca starch, grate the tapioca and squeeze out the water. Bring the white liquid to boil and keep stirring until it becomes colorless. Allow it to cool before use.
Using White Flour
White flour has great binding properties which allow it to stiffen your fabric.
You only need to mix it with water for it to work as a spray starch for your fabric.
But since it is made from food, you shouldn’t leave it for a long time without washing it off your clothes. So that it doesn’t spoil on your clothes after a while, you can add some formalin to protect your clothes.
How to Use Cornstarch For Ironing
What are the steps involved in using starch to stiffen fabric?
There are steps you need to follow to use cornstarch to stiffen fabric.
1. Make the starch mixture.
2. Boil the mixture.
3. Add essential oil.
4. Pour the mixture in a bottle and shake.
5. Label the bottle.
6. Spray on the fabric and iron.
Step 1: Make the mixture
Add your cornstarch and 2 cups of water in a clean empty bowl then leave the cornstarch to dissolve completely.
Some people prefer hot water to dissolve the starch well.
Step 2: Boil the Mixture
If you are one of them and want to do this, get two cups of water and boil it in a pan on the stove. When the water is hot enough, pour in a tablespoon of cornstarch and mix.
Afterward, continue boiling for about one minute so that your cornstarch completely dissolves.
Step 3: Add Essential Oil (Optional)
When the color of the water turns milky, add one or two drops of essential oil to the mix. You would notice a change in smell.
Adding essential oil when making your spray starch is not always necessary. If you do not care about the fragrance of your starch on your fabric, you can skip the step.
Step 4: Pour Mixture In A Bottle and Shake
Then, pour out the mixture into your spray bottle.
Shake properly and then store your starch.
Step 5: Label the Bottle
You can attach a label to the body of your spray bottle to distinguish it.
You can also indicate on the label to shake well before use to help you remember this important step.
Extra Tips to Follow When Using Homemade Spray Starch
i. Starch burns easily. So, if you set your iron on a very high level, make sure you don’t burn your fabric. Your fabric is more likely to get damaged when starched because starch is a carbohydrate and burns easily. Also, lower the temperature of your iron to protect it because a burned fabric results in burn marks on the iron plate.
ii. When you’re done with the starch, you need a good place for storage. One of the best places you can keep your spray bottle is in the refrigerator to prevent mold from forming or fermentation from taking place.
iii. Clean your iron regularly with a mixture of water and vinegar. This is because starch clogs on the iron plate with frequent use.
iv. If you’re pressing pieces of fabric, make sure you do not move the iron over the surface. Instead, place the iron on the fabric for a short time.
v. If your starch is too stiff, you can make it lighter by adding extra water. Likewise, if it is too watery, cornstarch can be added to the mixture and then returned to the spray bottle.
vi. To save some money, you can make yourself a glass spray bottle for storage. This means it will only cost you about $0.08 for a bottle of homemade spray starch which you can use for a very long time.
Here’s how to make a bottle:
If you have empty vinegar bottles in your home, get one that has a screw top, wash it well with water, and shake properly.
If you have plastic bottles with spray heads at home, that’s great! You can recycle one. But if you don’t, you can get a spray head on Amazon. They cost less than $10.
Then, cut the spray bottle hose to the length of your bottle so that you can still spray by the time the starch is almost finished.
Then, place the sprayer on your bottle and seal it tight.
Just in case, you prefer to buy some off-the-counter spray starch as opposed to making one, then you may like this one by Mary EWllewn
Why You Need to Use Spray Starch When Ironing
Here are some reasons why you should use spray starch when pressing your clothes.
1. It protects your fabric.
2. It makes clothes look fresh all day.
3. It makes ironing easier.
It protects your fabric
You might be wondering how to spray starch protects your fabric.
Well, it removes all the need for harsh cleaning products when you are doing laundry. This is because of its ability to prevent fraying of your fabric.
So, your clothes last longer when you apply starch.
It makes clothes look fresh all-day
Those who don’t use spray starch on their clothes use steam instead. While steam makes your clothes look great for a while, starch keeps your clothes smooth and fresh throughout the day.
It makes you stand out among others, erasing the difference between a professionally laundered shirt and yours which was done at home.
It makes ironing easier
If you’ve used spray starch when pressing your clothes with an iron, you’ll notice that you don’t have to run the iron over your clothes several times.
Spray starch sets your fabric so you don’t have to iron over and over. Steaming, on the other hand, will require you to run the iron over your clothes a few more times.
Video: 5 Ways Starch Make Your Clothes Crisp
Check out this video to learn more about why ironing with spray starch is helpful.
Check out these articles for more ironing tips:
- How to Get Wrinkles out of Tablecloths Without Ironing
- How to Make Linen Water for Ironing in 2 Steps
- How to Wash Dress Shirts Without Ironing
- How to Remove Ironing Stains from Clothes
- How to Avoid Ironing — An Expert Guide
- How to Get Wrinkles Out of Polyester Tablecloths Without Ironing
Conclusion
Learning how to make spray starch is pretty straightforward.
All you require are a few ingredients; most of which you can get without hassles.
To make the spray starch, get the ingredients in the right quantity so that your starch is not too thick or too weak. However, if this happens, you can either add extra water or starch, as the case may be.
Turn the mixture properly following the DIY ideas mentioned above, then pour it into a spray bottle.
To ensure that your spray starch lasts for a longer period, you can keep it in a refrigerator.
If you are curious about how to remove wrinkles from tablecloths without ironing, then take advantage of this post to learn how to.
Meanwhile, if you’ve been thinking about how to avoids ironing your clothes without compromising on neat and tidy looks, then you may want to try this product. It serves as an alternative to ironing.
Have you ever had to make your own DIY starch? How did it go? Do share your experience in the comment box below.
How to Make Starch for Ironing in Easy Steps — Related FAQs
How do you make a fabric starch solution?
You can make a fabric starch solution using any of these methods:
1. Mix cornstarch in water and heat the mixture up. This will help the starch to form a gel and suspend it properly in the water. When it forms a gel, pour it into a spray bottle and use it.
2. Mix 1-part cornstarch with 2 parts water and fill it in a spray bottle. This mixture will keep settling and separating. So, remember to shake the spray bottle before each spray.
3. Starch solutions might leave some residue on dark clothes. So instead of cornstarch, you can mix 2 parts of water with 1-part vodka. Pour into a spray bottle and shake before each spray.
What can I use to stiffen fabric?
You can use the following to stiffen fabric:
1. Dissolve cornstarch in boiling water to form a gel solution that can be sprayed on a cloth before ironing. You can also soak the garment in the gel after the laundry.
2. Mix 1-part of glue and 1-part of water. The mixture dries and becomes translucent.
3. Dissolve flour in cold water and add boiling water. When the solution becomes thick, allow it to cool before spraying on your garment. If the mixture becomes too thick to spray, add some water, and shake the bottle vigorously.
What is the difference between laundry starch and corn starch?
Corn starch is derived from corn. It can be in a liquid or powdery form. Laundry starch is made from corn starch. Starch from potato, yam, and wheat can be used as laundry starch.
To turn these starches into laundry starch, they should be mixed in either cold or hot water and stirred to form solutions. You can add more cold water to reduce the thickness of the solution.
Starches leave a white film on colored clothes. This can be prevented by adding tea to the spray bottle to add color to the starch.
What does starch do for laundry?
Starch does the following to your laundry:
1. It makes your clothes crisp.
2. It adds structure to your clothes.
3. It provides body to fabrics such as linen and cotton.
4. It makes ironing easier.
5. It makes your clothes resistant to soiling.
6. It makes your clothes harder to wrinkle.
Remember that you should not store starched clothes for a long time. This may cause mildew and bugs to attack clothes. Besides, the color of starched clothes may change if stored over time.
Can you use starch without ironing?
You can use starch on a cloth without ironing. There are several ways this can be done but the effective method is with a cloth steamer.
After spraying starch on your cloth, use a cloth steamer to add heat to the cloth. Since you are not going to iron, spray the starch lightly. The slower the steam is applied on the cloth, the crispier it will turn out.
Hang the cloth to dry without forming any wrinkles on the cloth. Straighten any crease or wrinkle on the cloth with your hands.
How do you stiffen fabric with sugar water?
To stiffen fabrics with sugar water, soak the fabric in it and hang to dry. When the cloth is almost dry, iron to dryness using a steam iron. Spray steam to parts of the cloth that are totally dried out.
To make sugar water for stiffening fabric, mix 1-part water with 1-part sugar. Pour into a saucepan and bring to boil. Remove from heat before the sugar starts crystallizing and allow it to cool. Pour into a spray bottle and spray lightly on your cloth while ironing.
How do you keep starch from sticking to iron?
To keep starch from sticking to the sole of the iron, do the following:
1. Iron your starched clothes as quickly as you can. The faster you iron your starched clothes, the less likely the starch on the sole of the iron to burn and stick to it.
2. After spraying starch on your cloth, allow it to stay for a few minutes. This will allow the cloth to soak up the starch leaving little or nothing on the surface of the cloth. This way, there will be little contact between the iron and the starch on the cloth.