Ironing a shirt is not as simple as you would first think. First things first: you need to have a good think about your iron. Small and cheap irons are fine for students and those who need to carry one around when traveling but on a day-to-day basis, you need something far more robust. A textured plate will distribute heat better than a flat steel plate and 'non-stick' technology will keep your iron serviceable should you misjudge which setting to use for a synthetic fabric! Your iron also needs a good point at the tip as an iron with a blunter tip will not give decent definition to shirt cuffs or around the shoulders. I would also say that you should know your consumer rights and keep your warranty to hand as a leaky iron is incredibly frustrating. Bear in mind though, your iron isn't leaky if you have it on a low temperature setting and you're trying to use the steam function.

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Some materials marketed as 'non-iron' do in fact need a quick once over but you need to be cautious as these synthetic fabrics will be destroyed if your iron is too hot. Cotton and linen need to be ironed at much higher temperatures to get the desired effect.

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When ironing a shirt, you must first start with the shoulder panel at the back. Hook the one shoulder over the end of the ironing board and iron before stepping around to the other side of the board to hook the second shoulder to complete the panel. Then, you need to continue down the back but remember, some shirts have a fold in between the shoulders. Before moving onto the front panels, to keep this fold pristine, use your hands to flatten it down in exactly the right place and hold the iron down on top to press. Iron the front panels in turn, press the collar and then the final part is the sleeves. Some people don't like a fold down the top of the arm. If you are one of these people you need to ignore the seams. Place the arm of the shirt with the seam underneath the arm and press the iron down. Find the seam again and lay it horizontal to you body as you normally would but do not use the iron near the top of the arm where you have just ironed other wise you will end up ironing in a crease. Finally, undo the cuffs and with the tip of the iron, iron 'up' the cuff rather than across it. Pop it on a hanger and its done!

Finally, this may sound ridiculous but don't try and iron your clothes when you're wearing them. I met a man who noticed he'd missed a crease in his shirt and tried to iron it out on his stomach rather than taking it off. Irons need time to cool down properly and he still has an iron-shaped scar on his stomach. A warning to us all!

How to Iron a Shirt Properly

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