The little-known reason for seemingly useless iron detail

Ironing is one of the most hated chores, but a little-known feature of the iron has been discovered that could make it a lot easier.

Many may have noticed that there is a gap in between the plastic part of the iron and the hot plate.

While it is believed to be made that way to protect the plastic from melting, it has also been discovered to be handy when ironing tricky areas like shirt collars.

Watch the video above

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A video on X, formerly Twitter , which has been views almost 300,000 times, demonstrates the ironing technique, slipping the collar of a shirt into the crevice in between to seamlessly straighten it out.

Many were amazed by the secret hack.

"My mind is blown!!!!" said one commenter. "People really don't know this?" wrote another enlightened one.

"Didn't know that was what it was for but I always did that when I was forced to iron," added another.

Some contested video, with one commenter saying, "There's no pressure to iron a collar. It's actually for ironing round buttons."

The gap in between is the perfect size to fit the width of a button, allowing the iron to glide around the tricky area without being caught on the button.

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Some warned others that the gap is prone to gathering dust and reminded them to clean it before trying the hack.

"It's usually dirty and ruins the collar when that accidentally happens," one pointed out.

For those who really hate the chore, there are other ways to speed it up.

One trick comes from interiors enthusiast Trina, who shares images and updates about her glamorous farmhouse on her Instagram account Life as Mrs Builder.

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In a reel posted to her Instagram account, Trina revealed she lines her ironing board with foil, shiny side up, before ironing.

"The tinfoil reflects the heat and acts like a second iron allowing you to iron twice as fast," the text in the video said.

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