How to iron a shirt

How to iron a shirt
It's the domestic chore that few men can ever successfully master. But with our easy guide to ironing shirts there'll be creases no longer...
Having thought long and hard about the ironing dilemma, our first recommendation would be to get someone else to do it! If that fails - as well it might - then just accept that you have to bite the bullet and get on with it.You can actually attain a certain deep satisfaction by completing a perfect uncreased garment and proudly placing it on a hanger before wear. So with that ironing nirvana in mind, read on...

The basics
It sounds obvious, but make sure you set up your ironing board somewhere clean and well lit - you don't want a shirt sleeve flopping into the cat's tray. If you're right-handed the iron-rest end should be on your right, and so should the electric socket.Fill the iron to near its full level with water - distilled preferably, definitely if you're in a hard water area (rusty stains on a white shirt are not yet a good look) and set the temperature to the heat on the shirt label (more of which later) and allow it a minute or two to heat up sat on its end. Make sure the heat setting is right - too hot and the scorch marks will make it appear as though you strolled a little too closely to a bonfire the last time you wore it, too cold and the wrinkles won't budge.If the shirt's looking excessively wrinkled from the wash, spray it first so it's slightly damp before ironing.

Tackling the shirt
The collarThis is where you should start. Lie the shirt out on the board with collar on the right and iron the inside first, from the tips inwards. Use the steam feature on the iron throughout and keep it moving every couple of seconds - popping off for a cup of tea at this point isn't advisable unless you want a fetching iron-shaped burn wrapped around your neck. Then turn over and do the other side the same way. You can fold it over and iron again if you really want to impress your friends at the golf club with a more defined fold on the collar.The yokeNext move on to the yoke - hold it, move away from the fridge. This isn't an excuse to treat yourself to a boiled egg, so get back to the ironing board. The yoke is actually the piece of material that stretches across the back of the shoulders. Move your shirt on to the narrow end of the board and lay it flat with the inside yoke face up along the board and press it. You might have to give it two goes, turning the shirt around if you can't get it all on the board.

The sleevesNow move on to the sleeves, which can be particularly tricky. Flatten one of the cuffs on the board and press it along the inside. Then take the sleeve of that arm and smooth it out along the board - when you iron try to match the already existing crease in the arm. Iron up towards the shoulder, then down to the cuff. Then repeat with the other sleeve. Sometimes it may seem that you're ironing in more wrinkles than you're getting rid of in an infuriating catch-22 situation. If this is the case try and remain calm - the temptation to screw your shirt into a ball, apply lighter fluid and a match will be strong. But instead lightly spray some water over the area and re-iron.The bodyFinally you can do the body of the shirt. This is the fun part, because it's the easiest. With the collar to your left, flatten the front of the shirt with buttonholes along the board before ironing. Begin with the top near the collar, pulling the shirt onto the narrow end of the board will help, and then work down. Work your way around the back of the shirt, rotating it on the board. Smooth the fabric down before you iron. When you get round to the button side of the front, again begin at the top and work down, using the tip of the iron to work between the buttons.And finally...Don't let all your good work go to waste by throwing your newly ironed shirt on a chair or bed and then sitting on it. Hang the shirt immediately, buttoning the collar and first few top buttons will help keep its shape.And of course if all that seems a bit complicated and time-consuming, there's always the option of non-iron shirts, which are right up there with the wheel and The Wire box sets in terms of great inventions of mankind.