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Why is it harder to remove a crease from a shirt with an iron than to put one in?

Mark Wareing
Ashbourne, Derbyshire, UK

When a crease is ironed in, the folded cloth lifts the iron slightly from the surface along the crease, and the heat and weight of the iron is more concentrated along the new crease. When simply ironing to remove general creases, the heat and weight of the iron are spread out more evenly, making it less effective. Another factor is the water sprayed over the surface to ease the breaking and re-forming of hydrogen bonds in the cloth during ironing. For general crease removal, the applied water tends to be more patchy, and ironing is less effective in the dryer patches.

Chris Daniel
Glan Conwy, Conwy, UK

Whatever the answer is to this question may explain why the creases that appear on my face every year never seem to go away.

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