How To Iron A Shirt Properly
Nothing quite compares to the crisp allure of a flawlessly ironed shirt, leaving a lasting impression wherever you go, but it can be challenging to achieve the perfectly ironed shirt at home. It only takes one misplaced crease to ruin the overall impression you are trying to make. Very few people are in the financial position to have their shirts dry-cleaned or professionally ironed every week.
Read our eleven-point guide on how to achieve the perfectly ironed shirt and you can consistently deliver the perfect pristine shirt time after time. If you follow this guide and invest in the right equipment, then you can unlock the secrets to attaining that immaculate look, ensuring you radiate confidence at every interview and formal occasion.
Preparing to Iron: Invest In the Right Equipment
Although the old saying goes that “a bad workman blames their tools”, it is a fact that having the right equipment for the job can make a huge difference. People often do not realize how much time they spend ironing every week, so although it might seem like a significant investment upfront, investing in the following pieces of kit could pay dividends for years to come.
The Best Ironing Board On The Market
There is a common misconception amongst people that one ironing board is the same as the next ironing board. Your ironing board is the foundation upon which your work is based, at Boardmann, we have invested significant amounts of time and money in developing what we believe to be the best ironing board on the market. We have designed it specifically with ironing shirts in mind, thanks to its unique shape. It is built from only the highest quality materials, meaning that it will deliver outstanding service for many years to come. It is long enough to iron trousers and shirt sleeves, and it also has a special area to place the iron on without impacting on the amount of ironing space available.
A High-Quality, Powerful Iron
A good quality iron will pay for itself many times over. Consider investing in a steam generator iron capable of delivering powerful amounts of steam when required and maintaining a high temperature, investing in a quality iron should always be a priority. Look for an iron with a high steam output measured in grams, anything over 50g per minute is considered a high steam output on a standard steam iron. More powerful steam generator irons can push out over 100g of continuous steam per minute, making them excellent at removing creases. Any iron you buy should have a decent weight, heavy enough for the job but not too heavy to make extended periods of ironing hard work.
Invest in a Spray Bottle
Primarily you will be using steam to iron your clothes, it can also be helpful to spray some water on your shirts for those stubborn creases. Most irons have a spray built in, generally steam generator irons do not, the area that the spray covers is usually minimal, which is why we advise investing in a spray bottle. Although you can use tap water, it is preferable to use distilled water in your iron all the time if possible as it will extend the life of your iron and prevent build up of scale inside. Distilled water is not expensive and generally available from any major supermarket.
Use A Cloth To Protect Your Clothes
Woollen clothes and dark fabrics can be prone to going shiny if exposed to too much heat, We advise using a damp cloth as a barrier between the direct heat of the iron and your clothes. When you iron, simply place the cloth over the shirt or trousers before you iron. This will protect delicate clothing from the searing heat of the iron while still allowing you to iron properly, to deliver that pristine look.
Iron Your Shirts While They Are Still Slightly Damp
To obtain the best results with the least effort, try to iron your shirts when they are still slightly damp. As mentioned above, if they are totally dry when it comes to ironing, use the water spray to get some moisture into the shirts prior to the beginning of the ironing process.
Iron Your Shirts Inside Out
Although a good iron set to the right temperature should never mark your clothing, an added precaution involves ironing your shirts inside out. This is a guaranteed way to ensure no marks are left on the outside of your shirt.
Start With The Collar
The best way to iron a shirt involves starting at the collar. Unbutton the shirt and lay the collar flat on your Boardmann Ironing Board, ensuring that the back of the shirt faces you. Slowly move the iron from the shirt’s main part towards the collar’s edge. Once complete, turn the shirt over and repeat the process on the other side of the collar.
Move Onto The Collars
The next stage for long shirts is to follow a similar process for the shirt cuffs. Use the pointed part of the iron to navigate around the collar button.
Its Sleeve Time
Lay the shirt sleeve totally flat on your ironing board. Start ironing from the shirt’s seam towards the cuff in large sweeping motions. The secret is to use those long sweeping motions rather than short jaggedy movements. Once you have completed the first side of the sleeve, turn it over and repeat the process.
Let’s Work on The Front of The Shirt
Having completed the sleeves, the next stage is to iron the front of the shirt. Again this is where your Boardmann ironing board excels, as the specially crafted design has been created with shirts in mind. Iron from the armpit towards the middle of the shirt, again using the tip of your iron to carefully get in between the buttons. Once you have completed one side of the shirt, move to the other side and repeat the process.
All That Is Left is The Back
The last part of the process involves ironing the back of your shirt. Once you have slid the shirt onto the ironing board, use long downward strokes from the top of the shirt to the bottom. While doing this, ensure the shirt doesn’t bunch up by holding the shirt in place with your other hand.
Now that you have completed the first shirt, just repeat the process, and very rapidly, you will have a pile of beautifully pressed shirts that will make you stand out.