Here at MU Shirts, we are not shy of the ironing board. If you find excuses for not facing the ironing board, read our top tips for a hot ironing experience.

How not to iron

The easiest way of course is not to iron your men’s shirt! Here’s how you can get out of it:

  • Get someone to do it for you.
  • Give it to a laundry cleaner.
  • Wear non-iron shirts.

How to iron

To get started, set up your ironing board in a well-lit and spacious area. You need light so you can see all creases clearly. You don’t want to be ironing your shirt 11 o’clock at night in a poorly-lit room for an interview the next day, only to find out in the morning that you have to do it all over again. Make sure you have enough space as well. If your shirt is being cramped into a small area, then no matter how much you iron it, it will get wrinkled again. And for your comfort, keep the room cool. We don’t recommend ironing naked. Flesh gets too easily burned. Yes, we speak from experience!

The narrow end of the ironing board should be to your left if you are right-handed and vice-versa. This position also allows your left hand to hold the shirt in place or adjust it.

If you can, try to prevent the electric cable of the iron from falling down or it will keep catching into the shirt while you move the iron about. Find something to hook the cable over and keep it higher than the ironing board. You can save a lot of time without having to readjust your shirt.

Check the recommended ironing temperature of the shirt before you get started. This is usually written on a label inside the shirt.

If possible, iron your shirt when it is damp. If your shirt is bone-dry before you iron it, spray water on it. When you hang it to dry after it has been washed, shake it out vigorously to return it to its natural shape as it has been spun in the washing machine. It will be much easier to iron it later.

Never add any water to the iron, whatever the manufacturer says. Water inside the iron will only corrode it in the long run. You then get deposits from the iron making their way out onto your shirt. The element inside also becomes coated with them, making your iron use more energy than necessary. Instead, always add water onto your shirt using the spray bottle. If your shirt is very wrinkled, add even more water and increase the temperature of the iron. There is no need for steam jets from the iron as the water that you add from the bottle turns to steam anyway. A spray bottle is made of plastic, is very cheap and will last a long time, well worth to preserve your iron.

Where do you start with the ironing? Follow this rule: start with the smaller parts that will not get wrinkled when you move the shirt around and move on to the larger panels. This means ironing first the collar and the yoke (shoulder panels) then the sleeves, the front and the back. Move the iron around smoothly but not too fast. Use your free hand to smooth the cloth before passing the iron over it if necessary. If you are like us, you will find that ironing away the creases can be very therapeutic. Watch the creases vanish as the iron goes over the cloth smoothly. If you’ve ever wondered why men’s shirts are buttoned left over right and women’s the other way round, this article will interest you.

Finally, after ironing, hang your shirt to cool. Don’t wear it or put it away immediately as it will still be hot and easily susceptible to wrinkles.