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Ironing a shirt yourself saves you time and money. It doesn't need to be intimidating. How to iron a shirt explains the step-by-step process to have your shirts looking crisp and fresh in no time.
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Ironing Tips
- Use a sturdy ironing board with a cover on it.
- Iron only a clean shirt; one that is slightly damp is even better.
- Look at the garment care tag on your shirt to determine the iron's heat setting.
- Lay your shirt as smoothly and flatly on the ironing board as possible.
- Iron all parts of your shirt, using spray sizing or starch if desired.
- Hang the shirt up immediately when finished to avoid wrinkling.
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Introduction
- Ironing a shirt yourself can not only save you money while keeping you looking good, but it also leaves you with the satisfaction of a job well done. The Wisdom Journal: How to Iron a Shirt Ironing doesn't need to be intimidating. Following a few easy steps can help even the novice ironer will wind up with shirts that look professionally pressed.
What You'll Need
- Before you can even begin to iron, you must have the proper tools and materials for ironing a shirt successfully. Overstock: Laundry Room Buying Guide
Ironing Board
- First, you need a sturdy ironing board. The Wisdom Journal: How to Iron a Shirt
- While in a pinch, a towel-covered flat surface may work just fine, a sturdy ironing board is best to get crisp, well-creased shirts. Expert Village: Ironing without an Ironing Board
- Use an ironing board with a cover on it. Martha Stewart: Ironing a Shirt
Iron
- Of course, you'll also need an iron. Overstock: Laundry Room Buying Guide Many modern irons include various features, such as a dial to select the temperature based upon the type of fabric you're ironing or a water reservoir to steam items as you iron. Lowes: Choosing an Iron
- If you have an older iron with a steam feature, be sure to fill the reservoir with cool, distilled water before you plug the iron in to begin ironing. Garment Care: How to Iron a Shirt Like a Pro
- Tap water or other hard water can cause lime build-up which will result in the iron not functioning properly.
- Most newer irons, however, do fine with any old tap water. Consumer Reports: Buying Advice, Steam Irons
Wrinkle Removers
- Depending upon your particular stylistic needs, you may also decide to use spray sizing or starch while you are ironing your shirt. Quality Logo Shirts: Preparing a Shirt for Ironing Both can be helpful to getting that crisp look. Spray sizing has the same effect as starch but isn't as stiff. No matter which you pick, let it soak into the fabric before you apply the iron. Overstock: Laundry Room Buying Guide
- If you don't want to use spray sizing or spray starch but need extra help getting out wrinkles, you can make your own substitute from half a cap of color-free liquid fabric softener mixed with one cup of pure water in a clean spray bottle. Overstock: Laundry Room Buying Guide Shake it up and then spray the shirt lightly before ironing.
- And, finally, make sure your shirt is ready to be ironed by washing it and letting it dry almost completely. You'll want to iron your shirt while it's slightly damp. Garment Care: How to Iron a Shirt Like a Pro
- If the shirt is already dry and you want to dampen it, spray it with water and wrap it in a towel. Martha Stewart: Ironing a Shirt Let it set that way for five to 10 minutes-- but no more than 24 hours-- to evenly distribute the moisture.
Step 1: Prepare an Ironing Space
- To iron effectively, you must have the proper set up. Ironing requires just a bit of preplanning.
Choosing a Spot
- First, be sure that you have a well-lit, low-traffic area near an outlet in which to set up your sturdy ironing board. Garment Care: How to Iron a Shirt Like a Pro
- If you are right-handed then you should set the wide end of the iron up to be on the right. Garment Care: How to Iron a Shirt Like a Pro Likewise if you're left-handed, the wide end should be on your left.
Preparing the Iron
- Fill the iron with water if you plan on steaming.
- Set the iron on the wide end of the ironing board and plug it in. Garment Care: How to Iron a Shirt Like a Pro
- Next, take a look at the garment care tag on your shirt to determine what heat setting to put the iron on. The Wisdom Journal: How to Iron a Shirt
- Be sure to check all the shirts you plan to iron in one setting. If one needs a lower heat setting than the others, it's a good idea to start with that one so you don't have to wait for the iron to cool off later on. Overstock: Laundry Room Buying Guide
Plan for Different Fabrics
- Some garment care tags will use symbols to tell you what heat setting to use on your iron. Cleaning 101: Your Guide to Fabric Care Symbols
- All tags should tell you what the fabric is which allows you to pick the the correct heat setting on your iron.
- Some irons have settings for specific fabrics, but a good general rule to follow is that the more delicate the fabric, the lower the heat setting should be. DIY Network: Ironing 101
- Finally, once you know your fabric you can determine whether you place the shirt right side out or inside out on the ironing board. DIY Network: Ironing 101 Delicate fabrics like polyester, silk and rayon should be ironed inside out.
Step 2: Start Ironing
- You can iron your shirt in any order you choose, and the rest of this section will cover specific portions of the shirt in detail. But there are a couple of common practices that you should stick to no matter what part of the shirt you're working on:
- No matter what order you choose, make sure to lay the shirt as smooth and flat on the ironing board as possible to avoid adding more wrinkles than you remove. CNN.com: How to Iron a Shirt
- Also remember throughout the ironing process that you can use the steam feature on your iron. Wise Geek: What is a Steam Iron? This will help get the wrinkles out even easier.
The Sleeves
- As far as ironing order goes, some suggest starting with the sleeves first. Martha Stewart: Ironing a Shirt
- Lay the sleeve flat and start with ironing the back of the sleeve. Better Lifestyle Products: How to Iron Clothes Do the same with the other sleeve.
The Yoke
- Then move on to the yoke of the shirt. Martha Stewart: Ironing a Shirt This is the area on the back of the shirt below the collar and above the seam.
- Smooth the yoke by putting one shoulder over the narrow end of the ironing board. Whirlpool Institute of Fabrics: Ironing a Shirt
- Start by ironing at the shoulder and move your way to the center of the back.
The Panels
- Next, slide the shirt around to iron each of the panels. Martha Stewart: Ironing a Shirt You'll need to iron the entire back of the shirt, the side panels and the front panels.
- To iron around buttons, iron from the inside out. DIY Network Living: Ironing a Shirt Correctly This will allow you to iron the entire panel without having to try and maneuver around buttons.
The Collar
- Once you have ironed the sleeves, yoke and all front panels, then move on to the collar. Martha Stewart: Ironing a Shirt
- This is where the spray sizing will come into play if you choose to use it.
- Spray the collar with sizing as evenly as possible, holding the can a few inches away so as not to spray too heavily.
- Let the sizing dry for 30 to 45 seconds before ironing so as to avoid flaking. The Wisdom Journal: How to Iron a Shirt
- Stretch the collar out so it isn't folded, then make sure to iron the front of the shirt (the side that will show when you're wearing it) before the back.
- Then fold the collar down and iron along the seam. Martha Stewart: Ironing a Shirt
Step 3: Hang the Shirt Properly
- The final step is to hang up your shirt so it stays wrinkle-free. The Linen Cupboard: Ironing a Shirt Without hanging it up, you will end up with more wrinkles and undo all the good you did by ironing.
- Place your shirt on a hanger and button at least the top two buttons to keep it securely on the hanger. The Linen Cupboard: Ironing a Shirt
- Unplug your iron and empty the water. The Wisdom Journal: How to Iron a Shirt Give it time to cool before putting it up in a closet or cabinet.
- Fold down and store your ironing board until next time.
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