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This DIY spray starch is a great help for ironing! Make it in a snap with just a couple of ingredients you probably already have in your pantry!
Ironing Spray
I can’t ever imagine pressing without my DIY spray starch! It’s amazing at taming my fabric before and especially during a sewing project. And it’s super awesome on knits, particularly on those stubborn curly edges. If you sew with knits you know what a pain those type of knits are!
Another great use for liquid spray starch is to add body to fabric, particularly good for bags and laptop or tablet covers. If you use cotton in your craft or sewing projects, you know that after pre-washing, it loses its stiffness and this DIY spray starch is great at restoring that much needed stiffness since it make it much more easy to work with the fabric.
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I love making my own spray starch! It’s not only cheaper but healthier too since it misses all those added chemicals in the store bought versions. It doesn’t last as long though, so make sure you make small batches at a time, your DIY spray starch might o bad if you don’t use it too often.
In my experience the homemade version is the best spray starch for ironing! But make sure you spray this right before you press the fabric, section by section. Leaving this DIY spray starch dry on your fabric without ironing it, might leave starch stains.
There are a few methods for making your own DIY spray starch but I think only one of them give you the best spray starch, with minimal effort. I’ll highlight them all below; choose whichever one suits you best.
DIY Spray Starch
To make this simple spray starch you’ll need powdered cornstarch, distilled water, cheap vodka, spray bottle. You’ll also need a saucepan to “cook” the ingredients and labels to label your bottles (get the printables here)
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Directions:
I found three methods for preparing my own spray starch:
Method #1
- Mix 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch with 2 cups of distilled water until all lumps are dissolved.
- Fill a glass spray bottle.
- The only inconvenience about this version is that it keeps settling so you need to shake the bottle before each spritz.
Method #2
- Mix 3 oz vodka with 24 oz distilled water and blend well
- Pour into a spray bottle
- I found this version the lightest of all so this is great if you don’t need a lot of stiffness in your fabric.
Method #3
- Mix 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch with 2 1/2 cups distilled water. Mix well until no lumps are left.
- Transfer to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute, stirring continuously, then cool.
- Once completely cooled, pour into a spray bottle and use.
- The heated version is the best in my experience. It stays suspended so no need for shaking and gives the perfect stiffness to my fabrics and clothes.
If you decide to try any or all of these, let me know how they worked for you!
Print the DIY card
DIY Spray Starch For Ironing
Materials
- powdered cornstarch
- distilled water
- optional - vodka
Tools
Instructions
Method #1
- Mix 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch with 2 cups of distilled water until all lumps are dissolved.
- Fill a glass spray bottle.
- The only inconvenience about this version is that it keeps settling so you need to shake the bottle before each spritz.
Method #2
- Mix 3 oz vodka with 24 oz distilled water and blend well
- Pour into a spray bottle
- I found this version the lightest of all so this is great if you don't need a lot of stiffness in your fabric.
Method #3
- Mix 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch with 2 1/2 cups distilled water. Mix well until no lumps are left.
- Transfer to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes then cool.
- Once completely cooled, pour into a spray bottle and use.
- The heated version is the best in my experience. It stays suspended so no need for shaking and gives the perfect stiffness to my fabrics and clothes.
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I’m making method 3 as I type this and I’m curious if it is shelf stable or if it will spoil after a few weeks like I’ve read elsewhere?
Hi Karen. I make small amounts at a time & mine won’t last more than a couple of uses so I’m not 100% sure. But I doubt any of these are shelf stable as they don’t have any preservatives.