What Is the Difference Between Corn Starch & Liquid Starch for Laundry?

Homemade Liquid Starch

• Combine powdered corn starch with an equal amount of cold water. Add this paste to 2 quarts of boiling water. Allow the solution to cool to room temperature. Dip cotton shirts in the starch solution, wring them dry, and iron at a medium temperature (cotton setting). For four shirts, use 2 quarts of water combined with 1 1/2 tsp., 1 tbsp. or 2 tbsp. of cornstarch for light, medium or heavily starched results.

Homemade Spray Starch or Sizing

• In a spray bottle, combine 2 tbsp. powdered corn starch with 1 pint cold water and shake thoroughly. Spray clothing as you go and iron at a medium (cotton) setting. For fabrics that require a lower heat setting, sizing is required. To make sizing, combine one package of unflavored gelatin in 2 cups of hot water. Dip the clothing into the gelatin solution and allow the fabric to dry. Iron at a low (synthetic) setting. Sizing is substituted for starch when ironing synthetics and delicates.

Commercial Liquid Starch

• The ready-made liquid starch you buy at your local grocer or convenience store is made using a formula similar to homemade liquid starch but with the addition of a few patented ingredients. Preservatives prolong shelf life, sizing extends the product's range of use and scent adds a pleasant aroma to the ironing experience. Commercial sizing is a variant of carboxymethylcellulose, a derivative of natural cotton.

Effects of Starch

• Apply starch to clothes before or during the ironing process to add stiffness and a glossy surface that helps to prevent dirt from penetrating fabric surfaces. Starch helps a hot iron to glide smoothly over fabrics, making the ironing process less physically taxing. Many modern fabrics have been chemically altered so that wrinkling is less of a problem, and ironing with or without starch is no longer necessary to keep a well-groomed look.