Ironing a Shirt

A shirt badly creased at the collar and fronts gives an untidy account of its wearer, however sound the rest of his clothes may be. Fortunately the remedy is neither difficult nor very long, provided the iron is taken over the garment in a settled order instead of wandering from one promising wrinkle to the next.

Ironing is tedious, as are a number of the small duties by which clothes and rooms are kept decent. This particular duty is brief, and once its order has become familiar it requires very little thought; the claim that there was no time for it usually means only that the shirt was remembered too late.

Read the care label before heating the iron. Cotton, linen, wool, and synthetic fibres tolerate different temperatures, while some modern finishes should not be ironed at all. Begin cooler when uncertain, test an inconspicuous area, and keep the soleplate clean.

Begin with the collar. Lay it flat, underside up, and press from the points toward the centre, then flip it and repeat. The collar frames your face, and if the collar is wrong, nothing else you do to the shirt will matter in the slightest.

Method

Next, attend to the yoke, that is, the panel across the shoulders. Drape one shoulder over the narrow end of the board and press from the shoulder toward the centre, then repeat on the other side.

Then the cuffs. Unbutton them, lay them flat, and press. French cuffs are ironed flat without a crease; button cuffs are pressed with the placket open.

The sleeves follow. Lay each sleeve flat with the seam along the bottom edge and press from the shoulder to the cuff. A sharp crease along the upper edge is a matter of style. Leave it out where a softer finish is preferred.

The front panels are next. Start with the button side, working the tip of the iron carefully between the buttons, and do not iron over them, as they will leave impressions in the fabric and may crack. The placket, the strip where the buttons sit, should be pressed flat.

Finally, the back. Lay it flat across the board and press in long, smooth strokes; if the shirt has a centre pleat, press it in place.

Common errors

An iron passed over the buttons may crack them and will certainly leave their impression in the cloth. Take equal care with the upper edge of the sleeve, where an accidental crease is conspicuous, and have a hanger ready before beginning; a shirt laid across a chair after pressing soon recovers many of the wrinkles just removed.

Hang the shirt immediately and fasten the upper button so that the collar keeps its shape. It may then cool and dry completely before it is put into the wardrobe, which is especially important when steam has been used.