How to Iron a Men's Dress Shirt Like an Expert

Ironing a men's dress shirt like an expert takes a little patience, but the more you iron, the quicker and easier it gets.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Iron
• Ironing board
• Spray Sizing or spray starch

1. Iron your dress shirts like an pro! All it takes is a little patience and some extra care. To get started, set up your ironing board so the point of the board is close to a wall socket. That way the cord of your iron has slack and it won't get tangled in the shirt.

2. Set your iron on the cotton setting as opposed to the hottest setting for linen so you are less likely to burn your shirt accidentally. Make sure there is water in your steam iron even if you are using a light spray sizing or spray starch so you don't have to worry about complete coverage with the sizing or starch. Remember to spray the sizing or starch lightly as you go. You can always add more sizing or starch if needed.

3. Always iron the back of the shirt first, specifically the yoke. Pull one side of yoke (the piece that goes across the shoulders) onto the point of the ironing board and then iron from the outside to the center of the yoke. Repeat on the other side of the yoke.

4. Next iron the back of the shirt below the yoke, ironing from the top down to the tail, beginning on the right side and rotating the shirt to the center, then to the left side.

5. Iron the sleeves next (see the tips below about using a special sleeve ironing board). Lay the cuff as flat as you can, starting at the right outside of the cuff and ironing to the middle, then iron from the left outside of the cuff and again ironing to the middle. Since the cuff is so small you may need to iron the right side with your right hand, while pulling flat with your left hand, then iron the left side with your left hand and pull it flat with your right.

6. Lay the sleeve flat on the ironing board with the sleeve placket (where the sleeve buttons go up the arm) side up. The sleeve seam should be up as well. Flatten the sleeve placket and iron it before proceeding to the rest of the sleeve. Make sure the sleeve is completely flat by running your hand across the sleeve to see if there are wrinkles on the other side of the sleeve that you might accidentally iron in. Start at the top of the sleeve and iron toward the middle of the sleeve. Unless you are using a sleeve ironing board, it's best to iron a crease across the top of the sleeve. Iron the pleats at the cuff flat and then iron back toward the middle of the sleeve.

7. Next iron the collar by laying it flat on the ironing board. Iron from the right point of the collar toard the middle and then the left point of the collar toward the middle, pulling on the collar with your other hand to make it completely flat.

8. Now, move to the front of the shirt. Iron the right side of the shirt first (if this is truly a man's shirt), taking special care around the sleeves and collar so no spots are missed. Then move to the left side of the shirt that contains the placket. Iron the placket first, pulling the bottom of the tail tightly so you can iron it completely flat. Then iron the rest of the right front of the shirt, taking care around the sleeves and collar.

9. Hang your shirt immediately, preferably on a well-made hangar (dress hangers work best) that doesn't allow your shirt to droop and create long wrinkles down the front.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure you have good lighting, preferably daylight from a window. If your lighting is a little dim you might not notice that you have done a poor job or missed spots until you are in public.
• Be careful not to iron in wrinkles as you go because it's really tough to iron them out again.
• Always iron with one hand and pull the fabric flat on the ironing board witht the other hand, especially sleeves, collars and cuffs.
• Be careful dragging sleeves or other parts of the shirt on the floor as you iron. You may not realize your wood or tile floor is dirty until you see the dirt or dust on your shirt. Sweep the floor or lay a towel or pillow case at the point of your ironing board.
• Use spray starch or sizing because the steam from a steam iron doesn't always get out all of the wrinkles from washing.
• You can buy a special sleeve ironing board for around $15. This miniature board sits on top your your regular ironing board and it's small enough to slip right inside the sleeve so you can iron without worrying about ironing in wrinkles to other side of the sleeve. This will also allow you to not iron in creases at the top of your sleeve.
• Be careful with your iron! It's very hot and you can burn yourself.
• Set your ironing board on a flat surface and sse an iron caddy so you can set your iron down securely when not in use. Otherwise your iron can topple off the board.
• Always unplug your iron when not in use, even after turning it off.