Why Are People Throwing a Handful of Icecubes Along With Their Clothes in Their Dryers?
Ice cubes are a staple in every household. A hot summer day calls for a nice cool lemonade or even the first remedy for a sprained ankle. But recently, ice cubes seemed to have found a higher purpose besides simply cooling our drinks or icing a minor injury. Social media users are now obsessed with this viral trend of throwing a handful of ice cubes into their dryers to easily get rid of wrinkles on their clothes and save time on ironing. Experts and lifestyle influencers have vouched for the quick and easy hack with proper demonstration as several videos of people touting their wrinkle-free clothes straight out of the dryer surface.
In a viral TikTok video, mom influencer Lisa Flonn (@ljflommom) tried out the ice-cube hack. Flonn documented the entire process as she tucked her laundry into the dryer and added a glass of ice cubes to it before starting the 10-minute drying cycle. She specifically displayed her infant’s outfit before and after the hack. Initially, the baby outfit appeared creased and untidy, however, after the cycle, the influencer proudly showed off the crease-free dress. Her video was captioned as “Things I wish I knew as a first-time mom.” The TikTok video amassed over 556k views.
@ljflommom No more wrinkles #laundry #laundryhack #momhack #mom #momlife #momsoftiktok #momtok #momsover30 #fyp #laundryday #toddler #baby #toddlermom ♬ Up Beat (Married Life) - Kenyi
Likewise, another TikToker Carolina Mccauley (@carolina.mccauley), with nearly 3 million followers, applied the method for her laundry that she left in the dryer overnight. Some internet users, however, were not highly impressed by the results of the hack. @motowngirl131 wrote, “It looked worse after the ice cubes in my opinion." While another critic @itz_demonetw opined, “Invest in an iron or steamer please.” “No more wrinkles, all I see are wrinkles,” @blondiemt13 joked in their comment. A similarly recreated video by Nature Cleaning (@natureclean_products) explained that the ice cubes melt and create a lot of steam in the dyer which “easily removes” wrinkles from clothes. “It’s a game-changer for anyone who hates ironing!” the caption added.
@carolina.mccauley How to remove wrinkles from clothes left in the dryer overnight 😉🧺 #homehacks #cleaningtips #laundrytok ♬ original sound - Carolina Mccauley - Home Hacks
CEO of brand Laundryheap, Deyan Dimitrov weighed in on the viral ice-cube trick. He explained that the ice cubes act to generate steam in the tumble during the cycle, more of a ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) steamer that levels out the creases and leaves out “ironed” laundry, per the Daily Star. The hack was compared to the lazy person’s steamer that requires hanging clothes in the bathroom during a shower to make it crease-free. The expert suggested that this simple hack cuts down on the time and energy invested in laundry in one’s daily lifestyle.
@natureclean_products Say goodbye to pesky wrinkles with this simple hack! Toss a few ice cubes in your dryer and let the magic happen. The ice will melt and create steam, which will quickly and easily remove wrinkles from your clothes. It’s a game-changer for anyone who hates ironing! 😍👕 #NatureClean #EcoFriendlyCleaning #cleantok #cleaninghack #easy #fyp #laundrytips #wrinklefree ♬ original sound - spedupsongsnlyrics
In 2020, Good Morning America brought the hack to a bigger audience by sharing a video on their Facebook handle. The clip showed a man attempting to dry a pink creased shirt with a handful of ice cubes and appeared content with the quick results as he flaunted the wrinkle-free shirt at the end of the video. However, it is worth noting that the hack is effective on lighter materials and does not fix heavily creased laundry, per a report by CambridgeshireLive.
You can follow @ljflommom, @carolina.mccauley, and @natureclean_products on TikTok for more content on life hacks and tips.