You can iron your shirts faster and get better results by following these step-by-step instructions. With a little practice, your shirt will look like it was ironed by a dry cleaner.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Perfect Preparations
Step 1. Start with a clean, high-quality iron
Cheap irons tend to have more problems, clog more often, or stain your clothes.
Step 2. Fill the water drawer inside the iron with distilled water
Tap water can clog the steam function of your iron over time. Use distilled or bottled water, if you can.
Step 3. Adjust the height of the ironing board to your waist level
Make sure the floor underneath is clean.
If you don't have an ironing board, place clean bath towels on the table
Step 4. Prepare a place to hang your clothes
If you are ironing more than one shirt or more than one item of clothing, prepare hangers and a place to hang the clothes while the rest of the clothes are ironing. A nearby chair or door handle can be used in an emergency.
Step 5. Prepare a towel or two
You will need a hand towel to iron the sleeves. This hand towel isn't really necessary, but it will make it easier for you.
Method 2 of 3: Ironing Shirt Sleeves
Step 1. Unbutton the shirt
It is very important to unbutton the clothes when ironing them. On some shirts, you will find that they are easier to iron when ironing upside down (inside out). Experiment with flipping the shirt from the inside out to see if this will improve the final look.
Step 2. Read the label
Read the label on the fabric and set the iron to the appropriate setting for the fabric, testing the heat on the inner side of the fabric first. For cotton/poly blends, use a polyester setting.
If your clothing label doesn't say steam ironing is prohibited, use a steam iron. This will make it easier for you to iron it
Step 3. Place the sleeves on the ironing board
Set the rest of the shirt aside, then place the sleeves on the ironing board. The wrist of the shirt should be at the narrow end of the ironing board. Place it as flat as possible, buttoned wrist side down, and smooth it out with your hand.
Step 4. Align the seams
Starting with the seam at the bottom of the sleeve (the seam leading to the armpit), smooth the sleeve from that area until another "seam" is formed on the other side.
Step 5. Spray the starch on the sleeves
Take a starch spray or fabric spray and spray it all over the shirt sleeve, following the directions on the spray can.
Step 6. Iron the sleeves of the shirt
Iron the sleeves of the shirt, starting at the shoulders and working your way down to about 7 cm from the cuffs of the shirt. Be careful not to iron the parts that have buttons underneath.
If you don't want any creases on the sleeves, stop almost at the edges of the shirt. Make a quarter turn on the sleeve before ironing the other side and iron the new center to avoid any creases you've missed on the edge of the sleeve
Step 7. Iron the wrists of the shirt
There are various ways to do this. Due to the slight collection of creases at the wrists of the shirt, this can be a very difficult area to iron. How you do this will depend on how much effort you want to put into it and how complex the set of folds is.
- You can iron the underarms and wrists in small sections, if you want to save time and don't care too much about how they look. Spread the bundle of folds by hand and then iron the section.
- You can roll the hand towel into a tight roll (about the size of your wrist) and tuck it into the wrist of the shirt. Iron along with the towel roll in place to make ironing this area easier.
- If the folds are very wrinkled, roll a hand towel into a ball and tuck it into your arm so that the area is filled as much as possible. Use the steam function of the iron to smooth out most of the creases and then iron as neatly as possible.
Step 8. Turn it over and iron the other side
This should be done in the exact same way as the outer side of the shirt, but should require less effort.
Method 3 of 3: Ironing the Other Parts of the Shirt
Step 1. Iron the collar
Iron the shirt collar by turning it over and spraying it with starch, ironing the inside then the outside. Finish by folding it in the desired position and ironing the fold.
Step 2. Iron the rest of the shirt
Iron the rest of the shirt, starting from the front panel on one side to the front panel on the opposite side. The neck of the shirt should always be at the narrow end of the ironing board.
Don't forget to spray the shirt with starch while you're ironing
Step 3. Iron the area around the back crease
Often there are creases at the top of the back of the shirt. This part may be tricky to iron if you've never done it before.
- Start by laying out the pleats as neatly as possible, as close to the shirt seam as possible. Iron all these areas until they are neat.
- Next, fold the pleat until it's really neat and lightly touch the edges about 2.5 cm or so from the seam, to fix the pleat.
Step 4. Be careful around the buttons
The area around the buttons on the front of the shirt, that area is a bit tricky to iron. Use the narrow part of the iron to iron the area between the buttons and remember not to iron the top of the button itself.
Iron this area from the inside first to make it easier for you
Tips
- Starch spray is inexpensive and helps make shirts look professional.
- Always place the iron in a standing position or at its base.
- As soon as you're done ironing, hang up the shirt, buttoning the top button.
Warning
- Keep the cord away from small children, who could pull the iron over them.
- Unplug the iron when you're done!
