This is probably going to sound silly, but here goes... I bought myself an iron a few weeks back but I haven't build up the courage to use the damn thing til today! Yes I know, I moved out of my parents house long ago and I've never used an iron, so what? :O Just to put you straight, I have been walking around in creased shirts for some time! My body heat eventually gets rid of the creases, but not immediately obviously. Anyhow, I was wondering whether there is a black art to it? I spent almost 10 minutes ironing one shirt only for it to retain it's creases! I can't get the damn creases out! Whats the technique? What am I not doing? Should I be ironing bidirectionally or not? Should I apply fast strokes or slow? lol, this is ridiculas...
getting started For shirts and pants, the first step is to fill the iron with water before plugging it in. Then set the iron at the required temperature, according to the fabric of the article you are ironing. Check the tag on the inside of the waistband of your pants or collar of your shirt for ironing instructions and fabric composition. For pants, however, the tag can sometimes be found in the seam of the leg. To know whether the iron is hot enough, flick some water onto its metal surface. If it sizzles, it's ready. If the article of clothing is extremely creased, spray some more water onto the fabric with a water bottle. Otherwise, you should iron the article once it's completely dry. Another tip: don't iron something that's stained, as ironing an article that has not been washed first may make the stain more permanent. wrinkle-free shirts Unbutton the shirt all the way; don't forget the sleeves and collar. Lay the shirt flat on the ironing board. Start by ironing the back of the shirt; lay it "face down". Move the iron up and down, working your way along the shirt. Don't keep the surface of the iron on the fabric for more than a few seconds, or else your shirt will burn. Once you're done ironing the back, work your way along each side of the article, by gradually rotating the shirt to each side of the ironing board. Now on to the sleeves. Lay the shirt on the ironing board so that the sleeve you are ironing is parallel to the ironing board. Press the back and front of each sleeve, and make sure to maintain the shirt's creases. Don't forget to iron the opened cuff of each sleeve. Last but not least, iron both sides of the shirt collar, then iron the folded collar to maintain its creases. [link=http://www.askmen.com/fashion/how_to/21_how_to.html]Full Article[/link]
That's some very good and practicle advice. I hope it helps. I've been doing my own ironing for more years than I care to remember. Basically, it's a pain, whichever way you do it! However, I find it's best not to put it off - just do it and get it out of the way! Of course, this is easier said than done (especially in my case!), but when it over I feel relieved. Dave.
Pelvis what I do is...open the tumble dryer and shove the creased item in and take it out ten minutes later et voila one uncreased item
ROFL!!! Good one, mate Anyway, I do it differently from what that article says and it works for me. I always spray my clothes with a water bottle right before applying the iron, so it's always damp, but that article says iron it dry. But ironing it damp seems to work very well for me. I also always move the iron rather slowly, contrary to what donkey said. *shrug I guess there are many different ways to do it. One thing that you should definitely follow though is to put the ironing board's pointy end through the shirt or w/e you're ironing as much as possible (obviously u can't stick it through a sleeve but do it whenever u can). That way you are ironing only one side of it. Don't try placing the entire shirt on top of the board (so u're ironing both sides at the same time) until u get good at it, cuz otherwise u'll constantly crease the reverse side (especially with shirts; it's easier with pants though). Also, the hotter the iron is the better it will iron out creases. BUT that is also the rub because a hot iron can melt certain fabrics, so if u're unsure how well it handles heat be really careful. With any plain cotton shirt (if it says 100% cotton on the tag), always turn it on full heat. Same with any kind of jeans, including denim. Also, same with cargo pants/khaki pants. All the other stuff u want to be more careful with. I think polyester stuff generally can't take the heat nearly as well, not sure on that though. Ultimately the tag can probably be helpful.
