A garden party has its charm, but warehouses on a plastic tablecloth can spoil the overall atmosphere. An iron would destroy the vinyl material, but there is a safer way to tame the unevenness – and you can find it in your bathroom. How to do it?
With the arrival of the first warm evenings, life naturally moves outside to terraces and gardens, where good food and the company of friends become the focus of our free time. An open-air feast has its own unique charm, but every host knows that preparing the perfect gathering also involves minor aesthetic challenges that can be troublesome.
Prepare a beautiful garden table for a celebration according to a YouTube video by
The Telegraph:
A plastic tablecloth often resists
At the very moment when we take out a new plastic tablecloth from the cupboard or packaging and spread it on the table, we are struck by unsightly folds and creases that not only spoil the impression of the table setting, but often even the overall atmosphere of the party being prepared. These plastic materials have an incredible memory and hold the shape in which they were put together for months, which makes the table surface more of a terrain map than an elegant basis for luxurious hospitality.
A hair dryer is enough
Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is to pick up an iron, but with plastic or vinyl materials, such an attempt would end in disaster in the form of a hole or irreversibly damaged surface of the mentioned appliance. But luckily, there’s a much safer and more refined way to tame those bumps, just head to the bathroom for a hair dryer. In the hands of a skilled host, an ordinary hair dryer turns into a tool that, with the help of gentle and targeted heat, can loosen the plastic so much that it is beautifully smoothed directly on the table top under its own weight.
It’s easy
How to do it step by step? Simply set the temperature to medium and with enough distance to avoid damaging the material, go over the folds until the surface is perfectly flat. The whole process (and let’s face it) requires , because plastic reacts to heat very quickly, and if we hold the hair dryer too close, we risk deforming the pattern or the very structure of the tablecloth.
We have to help the warm air
It is important to gently smooth the material towards the edges of the table with the other hand while blowing warm air, thereby helping the plastic to “forget” its previous folded form. It’s actually a little home therapy for garden equipment that saves us from buying expensive textile options that we would have to worry about every time someone knocks over a glass of red wine or sauce.
There are other methods
If someone does not want to spend time at the table with a hairdryer in hand, it is also possible to use the power of nature – that is, if the weather is sunny. On such a day, it is sufficient to spread the tablecloth on a clean surface where direct sunlight will fall on it. They will naturally warm up the material and get rid of the worst wrinkles. Some experienced gardeners even advise to soak the tablecloth in warm water, let it warm up for a short time, and then stretch it directly onto the table while it is wet, where it will take the right shape during drying.
Natural accessories add elegance to the table
When we already have a beautifully smooth table, we can get down to decorating itself, where imagination knows no bounds and where even a cheap plastic base can look luxurious if we complement it with natural elements. Fresh flowers in ceramic vases, boards with homemade cheeses and linen napkins will create a contrast, thanks to which no one will notice that underneath it all is practical and easy-to-wash vinyl. Your effort to create a perfectly prepared environment will pay off when you see the satisfied faces of your guests, who feel so comfortable at the table that they won’t want to go home long after sunset.
