How to Press the Cuffs on a Man's Shirt
The cuff on a man's shirt is the first thing seen when shaking hands. At the turn of the 20th century, shirts were constructed without cuffs. Since pressed cuffs were important to personal grooming, rigid cuffs were purchased separately and worn with a number of soft cotton dress shirts. Fortunately, men's fashion today doesn't call for the rigid cuffs of the past, but it does dictate that men wear a nicely pressed cuff. Pressing cuffs can be the most difficult and trying part of ironing a men's shirt. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Water spray bottle
- Thick cotton bath towel
- Steam iron
- Adjustable ironing board
- Spray starch
Instructions
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1
Make sure the shirt is freshly laundered. Starch doesn't look as nice the second time around.
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2
Place the shirt on a plastic hangar and use water from the spray bottle to moisten it. Don't drench the shirt; spray a light mist over the entire shirt.
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3
Dampen the cuffs. Hold up cuffs for special misting; be sure to mist both inside and outside of the shirt cuffs.
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4
Fold the shirt back so that both arms are together. Tuck the arms behind the back of the shirt, and then roll everything into a thick tire shape. Tucking the arms keeps the cuffs moist.
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5
Lay the thick bath towel out flat and place the shirt in the middle. Wrap the shirt with both ends of the towel firmly around the bundle.
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6
Place the towel and shirt into the refrigerator. The crisper drawer works well, if one is available. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.
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Set up the ironing board and take out the iron and starch. Make sure everything is in place before removing the shirt from the towel. The ironing board should be set at a height where the shirt sleeves will not touch the ground while being ironed.
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8
Fill the steam iron with water. Distilled water works best when pressing cuffs, even if the iron has the option of using tap water.
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Heat the iron to high, using the steam setting.
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10
Wait for the steam. Don't begin ironing until a huge blast of steam comes out when the iron is placed flat on the ironing board.
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11
Iron the inside cuff first. Lay out one of the shirt cuffs flat on the ironing board with the inside facing up. Spray with a moderate amount of starch and begin pressing the cuff with smooth strokes, not lingering too long on any one patch of fabric. The inside will have some wrinkles, and there is no reason to worry about it. This step focuses on preparing the outside for ironing.
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12
Iron the outside cuff next. Flip the cuff so that the outside is facing up. Spray again with starch and begin ironing in the same way as on the inside, but taking care to remove the wrinkles. Be careful to avoid touching the buttons with the hot iron, since this can melt the edges quickly. Rather than working from the top of the cuff to the bottom, start with the bottom and move toward the middle. Stop there. Now, work the iron from the top of the cuff to the center. This will avoid an overlap of fabric on the bottom of the cuff.
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Repeat Steps #11 and #12 for the other cuff. Keep an eye on where the first cuff is in relation to the ironing board and the floor while working on the second cuff.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep the spray bottle on the side of the ironing board and use it to moisten the cuff if it dries out during the ironing process. This is especially important in dry winter weather or in dry climates. Keep the cuff fabric moist. It is not possible to moisten and reiron a cuff once the wrinkles have been permanently pressed in place. Avoid singeing the edges of the cuff by keeping the iron moving at all times.
Dry cleaning pressers don't always create a smooth cuff. If the shirt has been laundered and pressed at a dry cleaner numerous times, it may be impossible to remove the former pressing marks. Inexpensive shirts may not be cut in a way that allows the cuff to lie flat for the iron. There is nothing to do to solve this problem except buy a better-quality shirt.
