A Gentleman’s Guide to Ironing a Shirt

We take you step-by-step so you don't miss a wrinkle

Written by Siya Rajan

A shirt says a lot about the man wearing it. There’s a fine line between “freshly pressed” and “I haven’t done laundry in ages.” When you wear a wrinkled shirt, what you’re really saying is that you don’t care how you look, you’re incapable of operating an iron, and you really don’t want anyone to take you seriously. Right? Right.

So gents, let’s take it to the ironing board. Every man wants (or should want) to look and feel well-groomed, clean, and approachable. Having an ironed shirt is a must. We’ve broken down everything you need to know to properly iron a shirt, even if you’ve never operated an iron a day in your life:

Step One: Label and Fabric Type

Make sure you look at the label to find out what kind of fabric you’re gonna be working with, if you don’t already know. Different fabrics require different amounts of heat. You don’t want to put too much heat on your shirt accidentally, so identify the fabric first and adjust your iron accordingly. It’s always safer to start with less heat and work your way up as needed. Wherever you’re ironing, it’s best to work in a circular motion, moving the iron in small circles so that the heat is constantly moving and not resting too long in any one spot.

Step Two: Spray

Place the shirt on the ironing board and spray water on it to help get the wrinkles out.

Step Three: Back of Collar

Start ironing the shirt on the back of collar first. When it comes to ironing the collar, work from the ends of the collar towards the center.

Step Four: Sleeves

Next, the sleeves. Flatten and unbutton the cuffs of the sleeves first and start from the cuff moving gradually toward the shoulder.

Step Five: Back of Shirt

Then, lay your shirt down with the back facing up on the ironing board. The shirt should be placed on the board so that the front of the shirt hangs on either sides of the board (or below the board, if the shirt is buttoned) to ensure that you’re only ironing the back. Make sure the shirt is flat to avoid creases and to make the ironing process easier. Work from the bottom up to the shoulders.

Step Six: Buttons

Make sure to be gentle and careful around the buttons so as to not damage them or ruin the threads holding them in place. Do not iron directly on the buttons.

Step Seven: Front of Shirt

Then, position the shirt so that the front is laying on top of the ironing board, with the back hanging below.  You can work on the front starting from the left or right side and then moving over to the other side. If the shirt has a pocket, iron from the sides of the pocket toward the center.

Step Eight: Front of Collar

Work on the front of the collar from the ends to the center.

Seems pretty easy when it’s all broken down, doesn’t it? We’re sure you can get through these steps without hurting yourself. Trust us, an ironed shirt always makes a difference. Take note of your appearance and others will start taking notice of you.

Siya Rajan


SOURCE: THE GENTLEMANUAL