How Do I Iron Out Wrinkles in a Dress Shirt?

Keep your favorite dress shirt wrinkle free and ready to wear.

A crisp. well-ironed dress shirt looks professional, but ironing can be a challenge. Still, if you follow some simple steps, you can save the cost and hassle of taking your dress shirts to the dry cleaner.

Things You'll Need

• Iron
• Ironing board

Instructions

1. Dampen a cotton or linen dress shirt until it's almost wet with a spray bottle filled with water. Then lay the shirt inside out on the ironing board.

2. Set iron to a high setting, and begin by ironing the inside of the cuffs, the tabs of the sleeves and up the interior of the sleeves.

3. Lay the yoke of the shirt over the ironing board, and press gently. Then press the inside of the front panels, going over the buttons and the pockets. Because the shirt is inside out, it won't damage the buttons.

4. Turn the shirt right side out, and iron both of the front panels and the back panels until they are smooth.

5. Flip the collar up, and press the interior of the collar gently. Then press the exterior of the collar, going over the seams gently. Hang the shirt on a wooden shirt hanger, and button the top button to hold it in place.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not forget to unplug the iron when you are finished ironing your dress shirt.

References

• Martha Stewart: Ironing a Shirt
• Real Simple Magazine: How to Iron a Dress shirt
• Good Housekeeping: Steam Irons: Best of the Test